The Bute Lakes are a series of small lakes and marshy meadows in the high country east of Lac le Jeune and north of Ross Moore Lake at 1245m 4085 (ft).  The McConnell Forest Service Road bears southeast from the Lac le Jeune Road just 1.1 km north of the Goose Lake Road junction.   This is a good backcountry road, but caution must be taken if logging is underway along the route.   The road continues on to a junction with the Droppingwater Forest Service Road.   A loop can be done returning by the Long Lake Road to Kamloops.   It can also be used to get to Ross Moore Lake, a circuitous road with a number of unsigned junctions.

To hike in the Bute Lakes area, drive for 8.5 km south on the McConnell FSR and watch for a side road going west (at N50 29.553 W120 23.623).

The larger of the Bute Lakes is a quiet basin in the high country montane spruce forests.   This area is visited by hunters in the fall and snowmobilers in winter, but sees few visitors in the summer.

Hikers or mountain bikers can follow old double tracks around the series of ponds, marshes, and lakes for a route of 2 to 6 km.

Wildflowers adorned the high country cutblocks and roadsides along the way.

daisy	fireweed
tiger lilies	penstemmon

In late spring the ponds are full of ducks.  On a hot summer day, there were blackbirds in the reeds and rushes and tadpoles in the shallows.

An old trappers’ cabin sits on a ridge between two arms of wetlands.

There are no official trails or useful signage in the Bute Lakes area, nor is there in nearby Ross Moore Lake, Fred Lake, or the eastern flanks of McConnell Hill.   There are some enjoyable loops of open hiking and exploration though, best suited to those with good maps and a GPS.

More information:

• Bute Lakes (2016)
• Ross Moore Lake (2016)
• Ross Moore Lookout (2017)