Wasa 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 ...

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, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It has an area of 1.1473 km². It is 37.5 km north of Cranbrook. Wasa Lake Provincial Park sits at the northern end of the lake. It was named in 1902 after the city

Vaasa Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, , Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas),

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. It was formerly known as 'Hanson lake'. There is an 8 km wheelchair and bike accessible "Wasa Lions Way" trail around the lakeshore as well as a 2.7 km "Forest of the Rainshadow" self-guided interpretive trail that begins at the amphitheatre located in the Wasa Lake campground. This family friendly trail leads up to the Wasa Lake Ridge which overlooks the lake, the

Purcell Mountains The Purcell Mountains are a mountain range in southeastern British Columbia, Canada. They are a subrange of the Columbia Mountains, which includes the Selkirk, Monashee, and Cariboo Mountains. They are located on the west side of the Rocky Mounta ...

, the Kimberley ski hill and has a breathtaking backdrop of the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

. The lake is reported to be the "warmest lake in the Kootenays" with many popular beaches run by BC Parks. Tourists visit Wasa Lake in the summer for waterskiing, swimming, wind surfing, and fishing. Perch, Pumpkinseed Sunfish and Largemouth bass fishing are available in this freshwater lake.

References

Lakes of British Columbia East Kootenay Kootenay Land District {{EastKootenay-geo-stub