Things To Do
Goosly lake is approximately 50 km from the town of Houston and is located at the headwaters of Buck Creek.
It's beautiful out here. Northern River otters can be seen on the lake. A brief video clip will be added below.
The lake has a few small bays but is mostly linear in nature with its western arm narrowing as it flows into Buck Creek. It's deepest point is around 20.1m (66 feet).
There are two access points: One is located right off the Parrott Main around 41.5 km. The other access road begins around 40 km on the Parrot Main and winds down to the lake.
There are two routes to get to Goosly Lake:
Via Equity Mine Road:
Head down the Equity Mine Road southeast of Houston for 37km. Once at the mine, turn right onto the North Goosly Road and head down the hill. The km signs on the North Goosly will count down from 7km. Once at the bottom of the road you will come to a junction with the Parrot Main FSR. Turn right onto the Parrott Main FSR. At 42.5 km the first access to the lake will be on your right.
Via Buck Flats Road:
Head south of Houston on the Buck Flats Rd. At 26 km turn right onto the Parrott Trail FSR. Km signs on the Parrott trail will count down from 10km to 0km. At 0 km turn left onto the Parrott Main FSR. At 39 km keep right (Access to Sam Lake is at this junction). At 41.5 km Access to Goosly Lake is on your left.
Just a note: the drive on Equity Mine Road is really beautiful. You might want to check it out sometime.
Back to Goosly Lake
Lately there has been a problem with people setting up temporary structures, and then leaving them setup when they leave. Garbage is also being left behind. I've personally taken out three pickup truck loads of trash from here. It's really a shame that some folks can be so thoughtless. Please take your garbage with you and kindly remove your temporary structures.
The one you see in the photo should be the only semi shelter standing here. A pack of wolves and a male grizzly, I named Goose, use it from time to time. There is also a large black cat in the area that follows behind the male grizzly.
Angling for cutthroat trout can be excellent. Rainbow trout and whitefish are reported here as well, but be wary that the mine upstream leaks acid into the lake and consuming the fish is not recommended.
Had issues with the wolf pack in 2016. Times were tough for wildlife at the time. A huge percentage of the moose population were infested with ticks, not to mention deer as well. Deer along Morice FSR were in better condition than the ones in Buck Flats. Wolves were staying close to water sources and natural salt lick areas. There was an unusually high amount of human activity in the bush as well. Stressing wildlife out even more. Had to setup an electric fence around our camp. The wolves still made attempts to get in and stuck around.
Photo below was taken the day I met Goose. First time a grizzly ever showed me how they are capable of hiding out in the open, in plain sight. He also put me to the test to see if I had any bad intentions towards him. Dogs were well behaved and I didn't go after him. He then left us alone and continued on his way.
There are many residual spirits here. One early morning as the mist danced and swirled on the lake, a beautiful, ghostly white wolf appeared to me. Walking around on top of the water, stopping to look at me and then disappeared after a few minutes.
A good location for a hunter's camp.
👉I used this area of Goosly Lake as my base camp for Bigfoot research. I called this PGC Project (Parrots, Goosly and Colleymount). Many different experiences here that included vocals and sightings from a distance. Seeing the large black cat was unexpected and frightening, as it had been stalking me. Made three attempts before finally leaving. Thankfully the forests were so dry I was able to hear to trying to come in close to me. Even though it was black, I could see its fur had darker spots on it when the sun's light touched it.
For a number of years, large black sightings and encounters have occurred in Terrace, Topley and Six Mile Hill too. These cats have long tails. On gravel side roads, these animals can fit the width of the road from nose to tip of tail.
Photo below, the cat is peeking out from within the shadows. You can see part of its head, an ear and shoulder area. It was there for only a split moment then slipped back in the woods to follow where the male grizzly had left not long before.
Parrot Lakes (Closed due to cultural presence)
Four interconnecting lakes make up the Parrott Lake chain, which can be found about 42 km south of Houston off Buck Flats Road. The first two lakes in the chain are much larger than the last two lakes, although all four provide good fishing and canoeing opportunities. The rainbow are generally small, but can been found in the 35 cm (14 in) range by fly-fishing or with small spinners. Try a small caddis fly to nab aggressive trout.
At the east end of first lake, a recreation site can be found. There are 8 BCFS campsites with a small beach. Cartop boats can be launched. Rustic campsites can be found throughout the chain.
Barb Cecil