Gates Lake, also known as Birken Lake, Tenass Lake, Halfway Lake, and Summit Lake, is a small lake

Lake

A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

 located at the summit of the Pemberton Portage area of the one-time Lakes Route

Douglas Road

The Douglas Road, aka the Lillooet Trail, Harrison Trail or Lakes Route, was a goldrush-era transportation route from the British Columbia Coast to the Interior...

 through the Coast Mountains

Coast Mountains

The Coast Mountains are a major mountain range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges, of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the Coast of British Columbia. They are so-named because of their proximity to the sea coast, and are often...

, located at the summit of a low pass connecting the Upper and Lower Lillooet Country

Lillooet Country

The Lillooet Country, also referred to as the Lillooet District., is a region spanning from the central Fraser Canyon town of Lillooet west to the valley of the Lillooet River, and including the valleys in between, in the Southern Interior of British Columbia. Like other historical BC regions, it...

 of the Southern Interior of British Columbia

British Columbia Interior

The British Columbia Interior or BC Interior or Interior of British Columbia, usually referred to only as the Interior, is one of the three main regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia, the other two being the Lower Mainland, which comprises the overlapping areas of Greater Vancouver...

. Birken Lake sits at the divide between the Birkenhead

Birkenhead River

The Birkenhead River, formerly known as the Portage River, the Pole River and the Mosquito River, is a major tributary of the Lillooet River, which via Harrison Lake and the Harrison River is one of the major tributaries of the lower Fraser River...

 and Gates

Gates River

The Gates River is a short river in the Lillooet Country of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Approximately 14.5 km in length, it flows generally northeast from the outlet of Birken Lake to its mouth at the head of Anderson Lake...

-Seton

Seton Lake

Seton Lake is a freshwater fjord draining east via the Seton River into the Fraser River at the town of Lillooet, British Columbia, about 22 km long and 243 m in elevation and 26.2 square kilometres in area...

 drainage, known as the Pemberton Pass

Pemberton Pass

Pemberton Pass, , also formerly known as Mosquito Pass, is the lowest point on the divide between the Lillooet and Fraser River drainages, located at Birken, British Columbia, Canada, in the principal valley connecting and between Pemberton and Lillooet...

 or Mosquito Pass, and is part of the Gates River

Gates River

The Gates River is a short river in the Lillooet Country of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Approximately 14.5 km in length, it flows generally northeast from the outlet of Birken Lake to its mouth at the head of Anderson Lake...

 drainage.

There are numerous recreational residences surrounding the lake, and a small lodge and cabins and the area's only small store (the Birkenhead Resort) on its northwestern side, adjacent to the main road to D'Arcy

D'Arcy, British Columbia

D'Arcy is an unincorporated community in the Canadian province of British Columbia, approximately 150 kilometres northeast of the city of Vancouver...

, which follows the road-grade of the older Douglas Road

Douglas Road

The Douglas Road, aka the Lillooet Trail, Harrison Trail or Lakes Route, was a goldrush-era transportation route from the British Columbia Coast to the Interior...

 used by the Lakes Route. Birkenhead Peak

Birkenhead Peak

Birkenhead Peak, commonly known as Mount Birkenhead and sometimes Birkenhead Mountain and also Mount Birken, 2506 m prominence: 1781 m, is a mountain in the Gates Valley region of the Lillooet Country of the South-Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada...

 (aka Mount Birkenhead) is located above the lake to its northwest, while the Cayoosh Range

Cayoosh Range

The Cayoosh Range is the northernmost section of the Lillooet Ranges, which are a subrange of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in British Columbia. The range is c...

 is located to its southeast, with the Place Glacier partly visible from below. A campground with another set of cabins as well as camping, the Whispering Falls Resort, is just northest of the lake, below its outlet of the lake. The tracks of the Canadian National Railway

Canadian National Railway

The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....

, originally the Pacific Great Eastern/British Columbia Railway, run along the lake's northwestern shore in front of the Birkenhead Resort.