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Pages will soon be created for both Iskut and Telegraph Creek - the two nearest communities.

This page currently answers the following questions...

Where is Dease Lake?
How cold does it get?
What is the primary industry?
What is the approximate population?
Is there an airport? Who flys into Dease Lake?
What about medical facilities?
What services are available?
Is there a school?
Is there high speed internet?
What about television?
Is there regular garbage pickup?
Are there recycling facilities?
What is the highway like? In the winter?
What is the nearest major city?
How long does it take to drive?

Where is Dease Lake?
Dease Lake is in North Western BC, about 3 hours south of the Yukon Boarder along Hwy 37. (roughly 1755 km's north of Vancouver). To get here from Vancouver, take the #1 to 97, 16, 37. Expect to be on the road for more than 19 hours if you plan on doing the trip in one day. Click Here for distances from other major centers in BC.

How cold does it get?
My understanding is that typically it is between -20C and -30C, with occasional temperatures into the -40's. I have also heard that on rare occasions, it has been known to dip into the -60's, however, this is rare and does not hang around for long. Check out the Dease Lake weather forecast on the weather network. After our first winter here in Dease Lake, the coldest we saw was -38 for about two days. Otherwise it was relatively warm (mostly in the low -20's).

What is the primary industry?
Mining makes up the most substantial industry, however, with the extensive hunting and fishing in the area there are several guiding outfits, etc. Dease Lake also has a number of government employees and highways workers, teachers, RCMP, medical staff, and employees of local small business.

What is the population?
The population of Dease Lake is approximately 450. This figure also changes seasonally. The exact figures should be available soon as the 2006 Census is complete.

Is there an airport?
Yes there is. While it is more of a small landing strip there are flights twice a week to Smithers in the winter, and three times in the summer (Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays). Northern Thunderbird Air flys between Dease Lake and Smithers. You would likely have to take a flight to smithers, then from there fly to Dease. Currently they are the only airline that flys out of Dease Lake

What about medical facilities?
There is a medical facility here. The Stikine Health center offers medical services and a pharmacy, and is complete with X-ray and lab.

What services are available?
For such a small community there are surprisingly a number of services available in Dease Lake. There is a small Grocery Store with just about everything you would expect at a full size supermarket, but with limited selection on brands, etc., a wholesale store, Petro Canada gas station with both Diesel and Unleaded, a Liquor store, Mama Z's restaurant. Two motels, post office, health clinic, TD Bank agent, government services, hardware store, tire repair, police department, fire hall, Dease Lake School (K-12), Dr. T's Computers, Northern Lights college, various small gift shops, an airport, and of course a dump. (Did I forget anything?)

Is there a school?
Dease Lake School offers K-12 and currently has around 150 students. (I am unsure of the exact enrollment)

Is there high speed internet?
Yes! Through he Dease Lake Internet Society, you can order high speed internet. While it is not as fast as Shaw Digital, or Telus ADSL, it is considerable faster than Dial up (which is also available locally). For the internet to work, they will install a small dish on the outside of your house which connects to a tower up on the hill. That tower then connects up with Vancouver via satellite. The internet here is fairly reliable, but it does have its moments of cutting in and out. Its all part of living in the North.

There is also satelite internet available through a company called XPlorenet. This is a company out of Ontario - I believe there service is available North America wide. Their monthly fees are comparable to that of the Dease Lake Internet Society, however they do have steep start up costs. Startup will cost an estimated $1100 including install and equipment purchase. (vs a small refundable deposit for DLIS). I believe that XPlorenet also requires a lengthy contract of 1-3 years - check with their site for details as we do not have all their details.

You can also sign up for dial up services through Netscape. They provide a 1-800 number, and I believe their rates are around $15/month for 10 hours. This dial up is slightly faster, and more expensive then that offered by Dease Lake Internet Society.

What bout television?
There are no cable services available. If you want TV, you will have to sign up with StarChoice or Bell Expressvu.

Is there regular Garbage Pickup?
There is no garbage pickup in Dease Lake. You are responsible for taking all your trash to the dump. There are no tipping fees at the dump, and it is located about a km or so north of town, on the right side of the highway.

Are there recycling facilities?
In short the answer here is no. The only recycling consists of beverage containers that have a deposit. These can be taken in on Saturdays only to the Super Value. For the environmentalist, you will have to save up and ship out your recycling when you head to Terrace, Smithers, or Whitehorse

What is the highway like? In the winter?
The highway is snow covered nearly all winter, but they do keep very good care of it. They are actually in better shape in the winter than in the spring and late fall when everything is slushy. The drive from Kitwanga to Dease Lake (about 5 hours) consists of a large section of freshly paved road. They plan on having the entire stretch redone within the next few years. Currently there are 2 sections of dirt road (which is actually in better shape than the old paved sections, especially when there is snow), and a few large sections of seal coat. While the highway is not as good as the #1, or even the Alaska highway, it is in decent shape - just watch out for the bumps along the way, you'll see signs warning you of most.

What is the next nearest major city?
Terrace and Smithers are both about 6-7 hours south of Dease Lake. Terrace has a Walmart, Smithers does not, but they both have major grocery chains. To the North the next major stop is Whitehorse - about 7-8 hours away depending on road conditions. Expect the highways to be snow covered nearly all winter.

How long does it take to drive?
This obviously depends on where you are coming from. Here are some figures from major places within BC (These figures come from the Ministry of Transportation web site.)