ABOUT

McLeese Lake is the heart of the Cariboo, located on the  Cariboo Highway in the beautiful interior of British Columbia. Williams Lake to the south and Quesnel to the north are our nearest 'big' towns. . McLeese Lake offers a neighbourhood pub, cafe, post office, general store and gas station, community recreation centre and rental hall, two public boat launches, and a lakefront rest area with picnic tables. Two campgrounds, motels and day use beach areas are located on McLeese Lake. Formerly called Mud Lake, McLeese Lake is named in honour of Robert McLeese. Robert McLeese was a hotel keeper, store owner and postmaster of Soda Creek for 25 years. He owned a sternwheel river boat and was a member of the Legislative Assembly. The tiny settlement of Soda Creek, located 10 kilometres south of McLeese Lake, is the head of the upper Fraser Canyon, and the beginning of 650 km of navigable river waters to the north. Sternwheelers were transported by road for assembly and launch at Soda Creek, which became the Gold Rush transfer point and terminus for sternwheelers transporting miners north to Quesnel and Barkerville until the railway pushed through in 1920. Soda Creek’s name originates from the carbonate of lime creek bed that bubble like soda water. McLeese Lake has a population of approximately 302​.