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Dease Lake

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Travel craft for the long‑haul road traveller

The stretch of Highway 37 that converges on De Dease Lake is a test of endurance and preparation. Fuel stations are spaced far apart, so top up before you leave the last service point at Terrace and carry a spare canister for emergencies. The town’s modest garage offers basic mechanical assistance, but it’s wise to bring essential spare parts and a reliable GPS device that can handle the limited cellular coverage. When you finally roll into the community, stock up on dry provisions and firewood; the local store’s supply chain can be erratic after heavy snowfall. A night in the modest motels or the community’s campground gives a genuine taste of northern hospitality, where the quiet is punctuated only by distant wildlife calls.

The local angle: Indigenous heritage and art

Beyond the highway’s concrete, De Dease Lake sits on the traditional lands of the Tahltan people. Their cultural imprint is evident in the small community centre, which hosts rotating exhibitions of carving, beadwork and contemporary murals that reinterpret ancient narratives. Visitors with an eye for craft can arrange a informal talk with local artists through the Tahltan Central Government office; many are happy to demonstrate the nuanced technique of stone polishing that has been passed down for generations. Engaging with these practices offers a deeper appreciation of the region’s relationship with the surrounding wilderness, an aspect rarely captured by standard guidebooks.

Seasonal nuance: When the aurora competes with daylight

At latitude 58° N, De Dease Lake experiences dramatic shifts in daylight that shape the visitor experience. Late spring brings near‑continuous daylight, perfect for extended hikes along the lake’s shoreline or fishing excursions that can stretch into the late evening without missing the sun. Conversely, the approach of autumn ushers in longer evenings where the night sky often reveals the aurora borealis, especially on clear, cold nights. Photographers find the juxtaposition of the lake’s reflective surface against the dancing lights uniquely compelling. Preparing for these extremes means packing layered clothing for sudden temperature drops and a sturdy tripod for low‑light shooting.

Introduction

Community in British Columbia This article is about the community. For the lake, see Dease Lake (British Columbia). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: "Dease Lake" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Unincorporated community in British Columbia, CanadaDease LakeUnincorporated communityDease LakeShow map of British ColumbiaDease LakeShow map of CanadaCoordinates: 58°26′00″N 130°01′27″W / 58.43333°N 130.02417°W / 58.43333; -130.02417CountryCanadaProvinceBritish ColumbiaRegional districtKitimat–StikineArea • Total8.49 km2 (3.28 sq mi)Population (2021) • Total229 • Density27.0/km2 (69.9/sq mi)Time zoneUTC−08:00 (PST) • Summer (DST)UTC−07:00 (DST)Area code250 / 778 / 236Highways Highway 37 Dease Lake /ˈdiːs/ is a small community in the Cassiar Country of the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is 230 km south of the Yukon border on Stewart–Cassiar Highway (Highway 37) at the south end of the lake of the same name. Dease Lake is the last major centre before the Alaska Highway while driving northbound, and also the junction to Telegraph Creek and the Grand Canyon of the Stikine. Dease Lake Indian Reserve No. 9 is nearby and is under the governance of the Tahltan First Nation band government. The town sits astride a drainage divide separating the basins of the Dease River (to the north) from that of the Tanzilla (to the south), a tributary of the Stikine. As this is a division point between drainage to the Pacific Ocean, via the Stikine, and the Arctic Ocean, via the Liard and Mackenzie Rivers, this is part of the Continental Divide. The town has a school, various stores, a fuel and service station, hotel, and a Northern Lights College campus. It used to have a restaurant and a pub, but both have closed. The town sees a large influx of visitors during the summer months from tourists on their way to the Alaska Highway, Yukon, and Alaska. A majority of these tourists are from Canada or the United States. Dease Lake is also a destination for hunting and other wilderness activities, and the local economy benefits from local gold, copper, and jade mining and exploration activities.

History

[edit] In 1837 a Hudson's Bay Company post, known as Lake House, was created by Robert Campbell on the shore of Dease Lake about 50 km (31 mi) north of the Stikine River and 150 km (93 mi) south of where the present day Alaska Highway passes. The Lake had been named in 1834 for Chief Factor Peter Warren Dease, and would become a major junction for miners travelling to the gold rush in Cassiar (later an asbestos mine). Although the fort was abandoned soon after, the town based around the fort lived on, and was renamed Dease Lake in 1934 by then-Chief Trader John McLeod. During the 1960s and 1970s, BC Rail started to build an extension of their line towards Dease Lake, but construction was halted. Grading was completed all the way, and can still be seen from the air at 58°03′N 129°49′W / 58.050°N 129.817°W / 58.050; -129.817 (Dease Lake railbed diverging from Hwy 37).

Geography and climate

[edit] North of Dease Lake is Good Hope Lake (138 km [86 mi]) and the Alaska Highway (235 km [146 mi]). South of Dease Lake is Iskut (65 km [40 mi]), Stewart (398 km [247 mi]), and Kitwanga (489 km [304 mi]). Dease Lake has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc), typical of northern British Columbia. Summers are mild, coupled with chilly nights while winters are severely cold and snowy, with annual snowfall averaging 212.8 cm (83.78 in). Autumn typically begins by early September and lasts into October when winter begins. Winter can last into late March or sometimes early April. Spring usually lasts until late May or early June, after when summer begins. Due to Dease Lake's high elevation, snowfall is possible during any month of the year. Climate data for Dease Lake (Dease Lake Airport)WMO ID: 71958; coordinates 58°25′42″N 130°00′38″W / 58.42833°N 130.01056°W / 58.42833; -130.01056 (Hay River/Merlyn Carter Airport); elevation: 806.6 m (2,646 ft); 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1944−present Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high humidex 7.8 10.2 13.7 21.2 33.6 31.4 33.3 34.5 29.8 20.0 11.7 6.8 34.5 Record high °C (°F) 8.9(48.0) 11.7(53.1) 17.9(64.2) 22.2(72.0) 35.3(95.5) 33.9(93.0) 33.3(91.9) 32.2(90.0) 28.9(84.0) 20.6(69.1) 14.4(57.9) 7.9(46.2) 35.3(95.5) Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −11.2(11.8) −5.7(21.7) 0.2(32.4) 7.5(45.5) 14.5(58.1) 18.1(64.6) 19.3(66.7) 18.2(64.8) 12.9(55.2) 5.0(41.0) −4.4(24.1) −10.2(13.6) 5.3(41.5) Daily mean °C (°F) −15.9(3.4) −11.8(10.8) −6.7(19.9) 1.3(34.3) 7.3(45.1) 11.4(52.5) 13.2(55.8) 12.0(53.6) 7.4(45.3) 0.6(33.1) −8.5(16.7) −14.9(5.2) −0.4(31.3) Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −19.7(−3.5) −17.1(1.2) −13.1(8.4) −4.9(23.2) 0.1(32.2) 4.5(40.1) 6.7(44.1) 5.6(42.1) 1.8(35.2) −3.5(25.7) −12.3(9.9) −18.1(−0.6) −5.8(21.6) Record low °C (°F) −51.2(−60.2) −48.3(−54.9) −42.8(−45.0) −31.7(−25.1) −14.2(6.4) −5.6(21.9) −2.2(28.0) −6.1(21.0) −15.0(5.0) −27.3(−17.1) −42.5(−44.5) −46.1(−51.0) −51.2(−60.2) Record low wind chill −58.2 −56.4 −53.7 −35.6 −12.8 −5.9 −2.8 −4.1 −15.4 −33.0 −51.6 −58.9 −58.9 Average precipitation mm (inches) 34.3(1.35) 17.1(0.67) 20.4(0.80) 12.4(0.49) 27.8(1.09) 52.2(2.06) 60.3(2.37) 60.1(2.37) 49.9(1.96) 31.1(1.22) 32.4(1.28) 26.4(1.04) 424.5(16.71) Average rainfall mm (inches) 0.4(0.02) 0.1(0.00) 1.0(0.04) 2.9(0.11) 29.0(1.14) 49.9(1.96) 66.6(2.62) 59.2(2.33) 50.5(1.99) 17.6(0.69) 2.0(0.08) 0.9(0.04) 280.0(11.02) Average snowfall cm (inches) 45.0(17.7) 25.6(10.1) 26.0(10.2) 12.5(4.9) 5.2(2.0) 0.1(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.1(0.0) 2.1(0.8) 19.3(7.6) 39.7(15.6) 37.1(14.6) 212.8(83.8) Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 13.1 8.7 11.4 7.0 10.7 15.4 17.4 17.1 16.4 14.9 15.1 12.2 159.5 Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 0.2 0.2 0.8 2.3 9.8 15.0 17.6 17.2 15.8 8.4 1.1 0.4 88.8 Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 13.0 9.8 10.2 6.2 3.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 1.2 8.5 13.8 12.4 78.7 Average relative humidity (%) (at 1300 LST) 81 78 66 53 46 49 56 60 63 71 82 82 66 Average dew point °C (°F) −19.8(−3.6) −13.5(7.7) −9.1(15.6) −4.8(23.4) −1.5(29.3) 3.5(38.3) 7.0(44.6) 7.1(44.8) 3.5(38.3) −1.3(29.7) −8.8(16.2) −16.5(2.3) −4.5(23.9) Mean monthly sunshine hours 58.2 97.3 142.8 189.5 211.1 220.4 212.5 188.2 117.5 74.1 50.7 38.0 1,600.3 Percentage possible sunshine 26.2 37.2 39.1 43.9 40.6 40.4 39.1 39.4 30.4 23.2 21.4 18.9 33.3 Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada (rain/rain days, snow/snow days, humidex, wind chill 1981–2010) Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010 (dew point, humidity 1951–1980) Canadian Climate Normals 1951–1980