Christina Lake is a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

located along the

Crowsnest Highway The Crowsnest Highway is an east-west highway in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. It stretches across the southern portions of both provinces, from Hope, British Columbia to Medicine Hat, Alberta, providing the shortest highway connection b ...

in the south-central area of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

known as

Boundary Country The Boundary Country is a historical designation for a district in southern British Columbia lying, as its name suggests, along the boundary between Canada and the United States. It lies to the east of the southern Okanagan Valley and to the west o ...

, which separates the

Okanagan The Okanagan ( ), also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is part ...

region from the

Kootenays The Kootenays or Kootenay ( ) is a region of southeastern British Columbia. It takes its name from the Kootenay River, which in turn was named for the Kutenai First Nations people. Boundaries The Kootenays are more or less defined by the Kootenay ...

. It is located 23 kilometers east of

Grand Forks Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city o ...

, just 1 km north of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

border. The region experiences very hot, dry summers which results in July and early August water temperatures averaging in the 23 °C (73.4 Degrees Fahrenheit) range. Divers will experience

thermocline A thermocline (also known as the thermal layer or the metalimnion in lakes) is a thin but distinct layer in a large body of fluid (e.g. water, as in an ocean or lake; or air, e.g. an atmosphere) in which temperature changes more drastically with ...

s beginning at a depth of approximately 10 feet in the summer. The lake is renowned as the warmest tree-lined lake in British Columbia.

History

Christina Lake was named after a

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...

woman named Christina McDonald, the daughter of the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...

chief factor Angus McDonald of

Fort Colvile The trade center Fort Colvile (also Fort Colville) was built by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) at Kettle Falls on the Columbia River in 1825 and operated in the Columbia fur district of the company. Named for Andrew Colvile,Lewis, S. William. ' ...

(1852–1871). The Kettle Valley region had been inhabited by the Kettle Indians for thousands of years before the arrival of European settlers. They lived in villages along the Kettle River, leaving their legacy in pictographs on rocks along the shores of Christina Lake — visible from a boat only. Four cabins previously used as part of a Japanese internment camp during WWII still remain as part of the Christina Lake Alpine Resort.

Attractions

The

Trans Canada Trail The Trans Canada Trail, officially named The Great Trail between September 2016 and June 2021, is a cross-Canada system of greenways, waterways, and roadways that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, Pacific to the A ...

Dewdney Trail The Dewdney Trail is a trail in British Columbia, Canada that served as a major thoroughfare in mid-19th century British Columbia. The trail was a critical factor in the development and strengthening of the newly established British colony of Bri ...

and the

Kettle Valley Railway The Kettle Valley Railway was a subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) that operated across southern British Columbia, west of Midway running to Rock Creek, then north to Myra Canyon, down to Penticton over to Princeton, Coalmont, Br ...

Trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. Th ...

all merge at the lake, attracting visitors to the area from all over. The region is frequented by hikers and bikers along the local trails in the lake area. Vacation homes surround the lake and outdoor adventure providers cater to adventure enthusiasts. Not considered a great sport fishing lake, it is home to

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...

, smallmouth bass and

kokanee salmon The kokanee salmon (''Oncorhynchus nerka''), also known as the kokanee trout, little redfish, silver trout, kikanning, Kennerly's salmon, Kennerly's trout, or Walla, is the non-anadromous form of the sockeye salmon (meaning that they do not migrat ...

, which can be found spawning along McRae Creek and Sandner Creek each fall. The lake has many beaches in

Gladstone Provincial Park Gladstone Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, surrounding and north of the north end of Christina Lake in that province's Boundary Country The Boundary Country is a historical designation for a district in southern ...

, which surrounds the entire northern half of the lake. Boat access recreation sites are available on the western shore, at various locations. Several boat access beaches offer camping, swimming and fishing on the west shore.

Christina Lake Provincial Park Christina Lake Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. The lake it's on, Christina Lake, is renowned as the warmest lake in Canada. See also * Christina Lake (British Columbia) - lake * Christina Lake, British Columbia ...

, located at the south end of the lake is home to the largest of the public beaches. The lake is surrounded by the Christina and Rossland Ranges of the

Monashee Mountains The Monashee Mountains are a mountain range lying mostly in British Columbia, Canada, extending into the U.S. state of Washington. They stretch from north to south and from east to west. They are a sub-range of the Columbia Mountains. The highes ...

. The area is also home to Christina Lake Golf Club, an 18-hole, championship course designed by golf course architect Les Furber. The course has a rare feature, black sand traps.

References

External links

{{authority control Lakes of British Columbia Boundary Country Similkameen Division Yale Land District