Burns Lake is best known for what happens on Boer Mountain. The network above Kager Lake — Full Boar, Porcupine Loop, Firecrew, Razorback and Charlotte's Web among them — was built for mountain bikes and is some of the better-known riding in northern British Columbia, but much of it walks well too.
For hiking specifically, the Burns Lake Provincial Park Loop and the Kager Lake trails are short and close to town. Eagle Creek Opal Beds is the unusual one, ending at a bed of opal-bearing rock. Guyishton Lake and Long Lake are longer and quieter, and the Walkadab Trail is worth the drive east.
This is the Lakes District and the water is the point. Francois Lake is one of the largest natural lakes in the province, with a free ferry crossing it through the day. Every route below lists distance and elevation gain from recorded GPS tracks.