Okanagan Lake ( oka, kɬúsx̌nítkw) 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 ...

in the

Okanagan Valley 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 p ...

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. The lake is long, between wide, and has a surface area of 348 km² (135 sq. mi.).

Hydrography

Okanagan Lake is called a

fjord lake In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Icela ...

as it has been carved out by repeated glaciations. Although the lake contains numerous lacustrine terraces, it is not uncommon for the lake to be deep only offshore. Major inflows include

Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

, Vernon, Trout, Penticton, Equesis, Kelowna, Peachland and Powers Creeks. The lake is drained by the

Okanagan River The Okanogan River (known as the Okanagan River in Canada) is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately 115 mi (185 km) long, in southern British Columbia and north central Washington. It drains a scenic plateau region called th ...

, which exits the lake's south end via a canal through the city of

Penticton Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan Valley of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan and Skaha lakes. In the 2016 Canadian Census, its population was 33,761, while its census agglomeration The ce ...

to Skaha Lake, whence the river continues southwards into the rest of the South Okanagan and through Okanogan County, Washington to its confluence with the Columbia. The lake's maximum depth is near Grant Island (Nahun Weenox). There are three other islands: one known as Rattlesnake Island, much farther south by Squally Point. The other two are near Grant Island. They are unnamed and are located just north of the north-point of Whisky Cove at Carrs Landing. Some areas of the lake have up to of glacial and post-glacial sediment fill which were deposited during the Pleistocene Epoch. Notable features of the

include terraces which were formed due to the periodic lowering of the lake's predecessor, glacial

Lake Penticton 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 larger ...

. These terraces are now used extensively for agriculture such as fruit cultivation.

Geographical context

Cities bordering the lake include Vernon in the north,

in the south, and Kelowna, as well as the municipalities of Lake Country (north of Kelowna), West Kelowna (west of Kelowna),

Peachland Peachland is a district municipality in the Okanagan Valley on the west side of Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1899 by John Moore Robinson, although the region had long been home to the Okanagan people. Peachland ...

(south of West Kelowna), and Summerland (north-west of Penticton). Unincorporated communities include Naramata (north-east of Penticton). Various lake features include Rattlesnake Island (a small island east of

), Squally Point (a popular cliff-diving area) &

Fintry Delta Fintry is a small community in British Columbia, Canada. It lies on the west shore of Okanagan Lake, north of the city of Kelowna, and south of Vernon. It has about 50 homes and is at the bottom of a three kilometre steep windy road off West S ...

on the west side. The five-lane William R. Bennett Bridge, a floating bridge with a high boat passage arch connects Kelowna to the city of West Kelowna and the community of Westbank. This bridge replaced the three-lane floating

Okanagan Lake Bridge The Okanagan Lake Bridge (also known as the Kelowna Floating Bridge) was a three-lane, long floating bridge in British Columbia, Canada. It crossed Okanagan Lake, connecting the Westside area to Kelowna on the lake's eastern side. Taller boa ...

on May 30, 2008, which had a lift span for passage of large boats.

Steamboats of Lake Okanagan

During the early days of settlement and development of 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 par ...

region, the lack of roads in the region made the lake a natural corridor for passenger travel and freight. The Canadian Pacific Railway Lake and River Service was the main carrier on the lakes, providing freight and passenger connections between

, on 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 ...

(the Southern Mainline) and Okanagan Landing ( Vernon) for connections to the CPR Mainline at

Sicamous Sicamous is a district municipality in British Columbia located adjacent to the Trans-Canada Highway at the Highway 97A junction, where Mara Lake empties into Shuswap Lake via a short narrows. Sicamous is a resort town about halfway between Calg ...

via the Shuswap and Okanagan Railway. Smaller vessels such as the SS ''Naramata'' provided passenger service to smaller settlements around the lake, as well as excursions for tourists.Penticton Museum displays, and heritage signs at the Okanagan Lake Heritage Shipyard on Okanagan Beach in Penticton. Aberdeen (sternwheeler)

Vessels

* (freight) * (luxury-class passenger service) * (luxury-class passenger service) * (luxury-class passenger service) * (sternwheeler) * SS ''Naramata'' (excursion and water-taxi) * (''Fintry Queen'', excursion and water-taxi) * - 1950-1960 (''Bowen Queen'' 1960-1965, MV ''Vesuvius Queen'' 1965-1998) * (steel ferry) * (steam tug) * (steam tug) * (ferry) * (ferry) * (1919 ferry) * (1923 ferry) *'' Canadian National Tug no. 6'' (diesel tug) *'' Canadian National Tug no. 5'' (tug) * MV ''Kelowna-Westbank'' (ferry) * (1912 ferry) * (1906 ferry) * (ferry) * (ferry) *'' Colleen'' (rowboat) * (ferry) * (ferry) * (ferry) * (tug) * (early steamship) *'' Ruth Shorts'' (rowboat) * (early steamship) * (early steamship)

Landings

* Naramata *

* Summerland * Okanagan Mission * Kelowna * Okanagan Landing ( Vernon) *

Fintry Fintry is a small riverside village in Stirlingshire, central Scotland. Landscape The village of Fintry sits on the strath of the Endrick Water in a valley between the Campsie Fells and the Fintry Hills. The name Fintry is said to have deri ...

* Carr's Landing * Ewing (Ewing's Landing) * Killiney Beach

Recreation

Many parks and beaches are found along the shores of the lake, which make boating and swimming very popular activities. The lake is home to several species of fish, including rainbow trout and kokanee. It is said by some to be home to its own lake monster – a giant serpent-like creature named

Ogopogo In Canadian folklore, the Ogopogo is a lake monster said to inhabit Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada. Some scholars have charted the entity's development from First Nations folklore and widespread water monster folklore motifs. The O ...

Images

File:Maude Roxby Wetlands sunset.jpg, Maude Roxby Wetlands sunset File:Okanagan Lakeshore at Boyce-Gyro Beach on a Winter Afternoon.webm, Boyce-Gyro Beach on a Winter Afternoon File:Swimmers in Peachland.jpg, Swimmers in Peachland File:Half Way Bay on Lake Okanagan during Golden Hour in Winter.webm, Half Way Bay during Golden Hour in Winter File:Okanagan Lake.jpg, Clouds over Okanagan Lake

References

External links

Bacon Magazine: The Ogo PogoGallery of Okanagan Lake steamboats
* {{Authority control Okanagan Lake Lakes of the Okanagan Articles containing video clips Osoyoos Division Yale Land District