The Burns Lake- Houston region is located within B.C.’s Northern and Central Plateaus.  The climate here, compared to the rest of British Columbia, tends to be colder with perfect snowy winters for skiing and snowmobiling. The average temperature, depending on the season can be between –10. 5  and 14.3 degrees Celsius, fairly similar to the surrounding areas of the Stuart-Nechako and Prince George. This region receives 1755 hours of sunshine annually, comparable to the Sunshine Coast, which receives between 1400-1900 hours.

Wildlife is plentiful in this region. The lush spruce and fir forests of this region provide a home to black and grizzly bear, moose, elk, and deer. The Lakes District plays host to one of North America’s largest eagle populations. Several other distinctive species can also be found here. There is excellent fishing in this region, with fishermen seeking out cutthroat and rainbow trout, salmon, char, kokanne and lingcod. The Bulkley and Morice Rivers near Houston are famous for their feisty steelhead population.

ACCESS:

Access to most of these communities is by the paved Yellowhead Highway (Number 16) from Prince George. You may also access the region south of Francois Lake by ferry from the community of Francois Lake.

Distance between Vancouver and several of the communities are:

• Endako: 954 km

• Burns Lake: 1008 km

• Granisle: 1107 km

• Houston: 1088 km

This region's economy relies on the natural resources of north-central BC. Key industries include forestry, mining, agriculture and tourism. Ranches from Burns Lake to Houston are mostly clustered around Hwy 16, focusing on beef cattle and fodder for the surrounding ranches. Houston has several of the largest sawmills in British Columbia, including those run by Northwood Pulp & Timber and Canfor. There have been several proposals for a co-generation energy plant at Houston. While mining has been a traditional employer in this region, currently the Huckleberry Copper mine is the only mine with a significant presence.

The real estate market in this region is increasing at a moderate rate. BC Assessment notes that the overall assessment rolls in this area showed increases over last year which range from 8% in Burns Lake to 14% in Houston. Deputy Assessors Cal Benson and Scott Sitter noted that growth in the assessment rolls was due to the changing market values of many of the properties but also included subdivisions, rezoning and new construction in the various communities

Centers in the area include:
 

• Carnoustie Golf Course is a challenging and scenic par 35 course located just west of Burns Lake.

• Burns Lake is the closest community to North Tweedsmuir Provincial Park.The 1.1 million acres of breathtaking scenery, pristine and pure lakes and wilderness of all sorts is only accessible by boat from Ootsa Lake or by float plane.

• Water sports of all kinds are available in the Lakes District. From kayaking on one of the many rivers to canoeing on placid lakes, there are hundreds of recreational possibilities.

• Lions Club Golf Course is a 9 hole, par 3 course set in open wilderness with roughed in greens. This course is usually shared with the local bear population.

• Hunters and wildlife watchers know that the multitude of fish located in this area attracts wild animals of all types. Be on the lookout for moose, deer, bears (black & grizzly) and eagles.

• If you would rather admire salmon runs from a distance, Fulton River Fish Hatchery is one of two sockeye spawning channels on Babine Lake, and the largest of its kind in the world. The sockeye spawned in these channels has accounted for 90% of all returns to the Skeena River.

• There are two golf courses in Houston: Houston Golf Course and Willow Grove Golf & Country Club.

• The lakes in the area are extremely popular not just for fishing, but for boating, canoeing and kayaking, as well as swimming.

• The Morice Mountain Nordic Ski Club maintains 25 kilometres of cross country skiing trails which, in summer double as hiking and nature trails.

National and Provincial Parks

The Burns Lake- Houston region does not have any national parks within its borders. It does include several provincial parks, most protecting fragile habitat and the wildlife that exists in Northwest British Columbia. Major parks in this area include Rubyrock Lake, Babine Lake Marine-Pendleton Bay, and Red Bluff Provincial Park. We note that the Ministry of Tourism, Sports and the Arts maintain many forest recreational sites in this area.
 

Village of Burns Lake

Village of Granisle

District Municipality of Houston

BC Parks

Forest Recreational Site Locator