Birken is an unincorporated community on the north shore of Gates Lake in the Squamish-Lillooet region of southwestern British Columbia.

By the 1870s, Thomas Poole owned and ran the property,[3] situated about 4 kilometres (2 mi) southwest of later Birken.

The northward advance of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE) rail head passed in early December 1914.

[12][13] In 2017, a freight train carrying lumber, which derailed nearby, sent five cars into the lake.

[23] About 7.6 kilometres (4.7 mi) to the southwest, an access point for miners into Tenquille Creek was at Mile 72.

[27] The Birken House Bakery and Bed and Breakfast offers traditional breads and lodgings.

[28] Annual events are the Gates Lake Shinny Tournament held in February and the Birken 4X4 OffRoad Rally in June.