Gavin Lake Forest Education Centre

02/21/2026

Are you skiing out there? Why yes! Yes we are! Happy Friday! (School District 27 students caught in action on Thursday afternoon).

02/18/2026

Hey Everyone, on top of the snow that didn't melt, it has been snowing here. The ski trails have been track set, the snow shoe trails have been well packed with a nice layer of snow on them. The lake is frozen. Temperatures will stay in the - teens for the week, and forecast is -1 and sunny for the weekend. All our snowshoe/xc ski trails are open and doing well. Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy!

02/10/2026

Just some Marie Sharpe students from SD 27, they will confirm snowshoeing with Jo is the closest thing to torture they have experienced. But also there are alot of squirrels around here.

02/05/2026

Despite these warming effects of climate change - we have already had some great winter program adventures. We successfully supported the first full class snowshoe to the Huckleberry peak - hot chocolate was had, character was built, feet were soaked.

02/05/2026

Last week we hosted the Cariboo Chilcotin Youth Fiddle Society for their annual Frozen Strings. Thanks for a great weekend.

01/26/2026

Hi! Just a trail update - we have snow and the ski trails are working. We are expecting some nice conditions this weekend. The trails are tracked as well as a shorter loop on the lake ice. It will be a full house as camp is booked but feel free to come out and enjoy the trails for a ski!

01/07/2026

EDUCATIONAL POSTING - Let this be the one Social Media Post you expand and read today!

Most of the forest surrounding Gavin Lake is classified as Sub-Boreal Spruce. The common EVERGREEN species are Douglas Fir, Lodgepole Pine, Spruce, and Subalpine Fir. Their leaves are needle-shaped and the seeds are produced in easily recognized cones. These trees are CONIFEROUS. They do not lose their leaves for the winter season. These are your classic Christmas tree species.
Around Gavin Lake we also have some experimental plantings of non-native Siberian Larch. Like Fir and Spruce, Larch trees also produce needle-like leaves and cones. The needles are very soft and grow from prominent “bud spurs” along the branches. HOWEVER, Larch trees LOSE their needles in the fall. The needles turn a glorious golden colour and drop during September. This makes Larch trees DECIDUOUS. Unfortunately, this seasonal lack of needles also makes Larch look like a dead Spruce in the winter. This could put them at great risk to firewood hunters. This winter you might notice some leaf-less but still living Larch trees along the Gavin Lake FSR near the bridge at 7.5km. They are easy to spot from the road and they are right beside the ski trails. While skiing, you can be the brilliant expert and tell your friends these trees are NOT DEAD – they are just DECIDUOUS Larch trees.
Take a look at the photos for some quick ways to identify LIVING LARCH trees in the winter.
BONUS points if you can comment where else Larch grows at Gavin Lake Camp…
*This post was fact checked with the UBC Research Forest and the B.C. Government Tree Species Compendium.

01/05/2026

Happy first day back to school from the Dream Team! We look forward to seeing some of you during the winter program next month!

12/29/2025

12/27/2025

Boxing Day Special - For the rest of 2025, all trail passes for Gavin Lake's ski and snowshoe trails are FREE! The trails are track set and the conditions are perfect.
UPDATE: This was a poorly delivered prank by an impish Christmas Elf. The Gavin Lake trails are always open and free to access for all.

11/13/2025

Did you know that Mike doesn't do EVERYTHING around here? Some jobs take more than a few more screws and a fresh coat of paint. We use funding and donations to hire skilled contractors to help keep this place looking great and up to date. Check out just a few of the upgrades and maintenance they've been working on this year. Sorry there's no photos of the work done in the septic tank yesterday.

10/27/2025

This season we welcomed Fire Smart Educators, Taya (City of Williams Lake) and Travis (Cariboo Regional District) to teach students about forest fuel management and fire smart planning at home. We were so happy to collaborate with them on fire smart education. Pictured here: Taya (left) explains the value of leaving some socially significant trees (aka. tree forts).