Boating and future reservoir access

All boat launches will be closed during reservoir filling.

They will stay closed for at least one year while we monitor for slope stability and erosion.

Halfway River is open until September 2023: The existing Halfway River boat launch will remain open via a gravel access road from Highway 29 for most of the 2023 boating season. There may be access delays and intermittent closures due to nearby construction activities. The existing Halfway River boat launch will be permanently closed in September prior to reservoir filling.

D.A. Thomas and Lynx Creek are closed: The existing D.A. Thomas and Lynx Creek boat launches, which previously provided access to the Peace River, are now inaccessible due to construction-related activities. The closures are permanent.

New boat launches are being built

Three new boat launch and recreation areas are being built along the Site C reservoir. However, the new boat launches will not open for at least one year after reservoir filling to allow time for slope stability and erosion monitoring. Learn more about reservoir filling.

D.A. Thomas recreation area

As part of our community investment program in Hudson’s Hope, BC Hydro is developing a recreation site featuring a new small craft boat launch at the bottom of D.A. Thomas Road.

DA Thomas recreation area rendering
The layout of the future D.A. Thomas recreation area

The boat launch will consist of a gangway and floating dock. This allows car topper-type boats, such as kayaks and canoes, to be launched.

There is currently no public access to the D.A. Thomas boat launch.

Lynx Creek boat launch

The existing Lynx Creek boat launch is now permanently closed and will be replaced by a site east of its current location.

Lynx Creek boat launch rendering
An artist rendering of the future Lynx Creek boat launch

The new boat launch will include:

Safe road access and pull-through parking for vehicles with trailers
Double-wide concrete boat ramp with a 10-15% grade
Turnaround area for trailered, motorized boats longer than five metres
Day use area with picnic site, interpretive kiosk and pit toilet

Halfway River boat launch

The existing Halfway River boat launch will be replaced by a site east of its current location.

Halfway River boat launch rendering
An artist rendering of the future Halfway River boat launch

The new boat launch will include:

Safe road access and pull-through parking for vehicles with trailers
Double-wide concrete boat ramp with a 10-15% grade
Turnaround area for trailered, motorized boats longer than five metres
Day use area with picnic site, interpretive kiosk, and pit toilet

Portage program

To move boaters around the construction area, we have set up a seasonal portage program to transport non-motorized vessels (up to 20') by road past the dam.

The program will operate between the Halfway River boat launch and the Peace Island Park boat launch from May 15 to September 15, 2023, dependent on accessibility to the Halfway River boat launch.

Click the map to view details of the river closures and portage locations.