Pelly Peak Wilderness Lodge
Vernon, British Columbia
A self-catering fly-in lodge for float and wheel plane pilots, set in a mountain valley on the northern route to the Yukon and Alaska.
Overview
Pelly Peak Wilderness Lodge is a fly-in only fishing and hiking destination on Pelly Lake in northern British Columbia. The lodge is one property with no outposts. It sits 140 statute miles north and slightly west of Mackenzie, just off the west end of the far northern part of Williston Lake. The business office is in Vernon, BC.
The lodge was first established in 1963 by Carlo Parisotto, who landed a Republic SeaBee on the lake to check a fuel cache for a helicopter operation and chose it as a summer base for fly-outs. Carlo retired in 2006, and friends took over the operation to keep it as a stop for float plane pilots flying north in summer.
The trip on offer is a housekeeping stay. Guests cook for themselves and bring their own food and bedding. The lodge caters to float and wheel plane owners, and guests without an aircraft can arrange a charter flight in. It also serves as a stop on the northern route known as the Trench, between southern B.C. and the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Alaska.
Established: 1963
Highlights
The Fishing
The fishing at Pelly Lake is for rainbow trout and bull trout. The lodge also reports that some kokanee are starting to enter the river and lake system. A B.C. fishing licence is required.
Anglers can fish from the shore at camp or from a boat. The lodge provides boats and motors. Guests who rent boats must bring their own approved life jackets. The site does not mention guides or a guided program, so this is self-directed trout fishing.
The lake lies in a mountain valley with views of Pelly Peak. Hiking trails around camp suit anglers who want a break from the water.
Accommodations
Guests stay in rustic cabins with foam mattress beds and wood heaters. The two west cabins sleep two people each. The website lists them at $110 per night for double occupancy. A private east lake cabin sleeps up to four in bunks and has cooking amenities. The main lodge has a fire barrel. The camp can host a maximum of six people in one group with prior arrangement.
The stay is housekeeping style. Guests bring their own non-perishable food, a sleeping bag and pillow, a wash cloth and towel, bear spray, and cooking and eating equipment if they are not renting the east cabin. The lodge supplies the cabins, boats and motors.
Fully catered meals can be quoted on special request with prior notice. Cost and chef availability are advised at the time of request. The lodge describes a wash house with a hot shower and flush toilet as available on special request.
What They Offer
Amenities available at one or more of this outfitter's properties.
Getting There
Pelly Lake is fly-in only. Guests travel to Mackenzie, BC, where the lodge keeps a hangar, or to Prince George. From there a float plane or amphibious aircraft makes the flight to camp. The lodge is 140 statute miles north and slightly west of Mackenzie. The website does not give flight times.
Guests without an aircraft can use charter companies that serve the area. The site names Guardian, which flies Cessna 182 and 210 aircraft, and Tsayta Air, based in Smithers. It gives an average Guardian cost of about $3750, tax included, for two people and gear in a Cessna 182 from Prince George or Mackenzie, with the return flight priced the same. Guests should ask the charter company for an exact quote.
Guests with their own plane can land on floats or wheels. Wheel planes need special prior arrangements because of runway conditions and the runway's distance from camp. The lodge asks pilots to contact it for runway condition and landing permission.
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