Needles is an unincorporated locality on the west shore of

Lower Arrow Lake The Arrow Lakes in British Columbia, Canada, divided into Upper Arrow Lake and Lower Arrow Lake, are widenings of the Columbia River. The lakes are situated between the Selkirk Mountains to the east and the Monashee Mountains to the west. Bea ...

in the

West Kootenay 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 ...

region of southeastern

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, ...

. The western terminal for the

Needles Ferry The Needles Ferry is a cable ferry across Lower Arrow Lake in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean ...

to Fauquier, the landing on

Highway 6 Route 6, or Highway 6, may refer to routes in the following countries: International * Asian Highway 6 * European route E6 * European route E006 Albania * National Road SH6 Argentina * Buenos Aires Provincial Route 6 Australia New ...

is east of Lumby, and southwest of

Nakusp The Village of Nakusp (Sinixt ''neqo'sp'') is beside the mouth of Kuskanax Creek, on the Upper Arrow Lake in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. Lying between the Selkirk and Monashee ranges, the village is known for its ...

Name origin

The landing was formerly known as The Needles from the long thin sand spits that stretched out into the lake, but Needles became more widely accepted after 1906. The former remained the official name of the narrows.

Former settlement

Needles was an area of fruit trees and scrub farming, with the ferry operating since 1913. The

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

steamers on the

Arrowhead An arrowhead or point is the usually sharpened and hardened tip of an arrow, which contributes a majority of the projectile mass and is responsible for impacting and penetrating a target, as well as to fulfill some special purposes such as sign ...

– Robson route served the landing. However, the Needles Ranch was on the east side of the lake at Fauquier. In the early 1930s, a post office, general store, and school served the 200 residents of Needles.

Flooded

The original Needles townsite was submerged when the reservoir for the

Keenleyside Dam Hugh Keenleyside Dam (formerly known as the High Arrow Dam) is a flood control dam spanning the Columbia River, 12 km (6.5 miles) upstream of the city of Castlegar, British Columbia, Canada. Dam The dam is at the outflow of what was the u ...

flooded the area in 1968. The ferry terminals on both sides of the lake were rebuilt at the time. Established on higher ground in 1932, the cemetery is all that remains.

Accidents

In 2019, a ferry crew observed a submerged pickup truck just off the Needles ferry landing. Police divers recovered the body of a 60-year-old man. That year, a 35-year-old man, who abandoned his pickup truck at Fauquier, was missing for over a year, before his remains were discovered along the shoreline to the north.

Services

Plum Hollow Camping is about north on the gravel road.

References

Ferry transport in British Columbia Arrow Lakes Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia Former populated places in British Columbia {{BritishColumbiaInterior-geo-stub