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Starting Sept. 2 to Oct. 3, Joffre Lakes Park will be temporarily closed, marking the final temporary closure for the park this year.

Photo by Athina Nourali

Final temporary closure of 2025 for Joffre Lakes Park planned for September

By Richmond Sentinel

Published 11:15 PDT, Wed August 20, 2025

Last Updated: 11:15 PDT, Wed August 20, 2025

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Pipi7iyekw/Joffre Lakes Park will be temporarily closed to recreational visitors from Sept. 2 to Oct. 3, 2025, marking the final temporary closure for the park this year.

The closure allows the park to recover from a busy summer and provide time and space for members of the Lil’wat Nation and N’Quatqua to reconnect with the land, carry out cultural and spiritual practices, and recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The province acknowledges the Nations had requested additional closure dates. After careful consideration, B.C. has confirmed a schedule that balances cultural practices, conservation goals and public access to the park.

The current number of total closure dates for the 2025 season is consistent with last year when a mutual agreement was established with the Nations to have three temporary closure periods. The dates also ensure public access to the park during the Labour Day weekend.

Pipi7íyekw/Joffre Lakes Park has become one of the busiest parks in the province. As more people go to the park, there is a need for enhanced visitor-use management, ensuring the park is not degraded by heavy use.

The park is collaboratively managed with Líl̓’wat Nation and N’Quatqua with the primary goal of maintaining the natural environment for park visitors to enjoy, and so the Nations can continue time-honoured cultural practices on their traditional territory.

Since 2018, BC Parks, Líl̓’wat Nation and N’Quatqua have collaborated through a technical working group to implement the joint Pipi7iyekw/Joffre Lakes Park Visitor Use Management Strategy.

Released in 2021, the joint strategy protects environmentally sensitive areas, mitigates impacts on vegetation and wildlife, ensures the Nations have time and space to reconnect with the land, and provides public access in a responsible and sustainable way. The province values the relationship that has been built with the Nations and work continues to advance the goals of the strategy.

Before visiting Pipi7íyekw/Joffre Lakes Park, people are encouraged to check the park web page for updates about day-use passes and reservable dates for backcountry camping at Upper Joffre Lake. The passes can be reserved online at 7 a.m., two days before a planned visit: reserve.bcparks.ca/dayuse/

Since 2021, day-use passes have been used at Pipi7íyekw/Joffre Lakes to ensure adequate and safe parking, and provide a more enjoyable, less crowded experience.

The first temporary closure to the park for recreational visitors this year occurred from April 25 until May 16, 2025, with the expectation that there would be some further temporary closure dates before the end of the 2025 season.