Boating
the Large Lakes of BC's
Okanagan Similkameen
Okanagan
Lake:
Okanagan
Lake is home to British Columbia's most infamous
and elusive water creature, Ogopogo, which supposedly
lives on the bottom on the lake. Ogopogo dates
back to the First Nations people arriving in this
area. This snake like creature has been around
for hundreds of years, and the sightings still
continue. Ogopogo has become part of BC folklore
and is a protected species under the provincial
wildlife act.
Okanagan
Travel Information
Okanagan
Points of Interest
Okanagan Lake Park
Okanagan
Lake is another BC fiord lake and the largest
body of water in the Okanagan Similkameen region.
It is very popular with locals and visitors alike
for activities
such as boating, water skiing, swimming, and fishing.
The summer weather is sunny, dry and hot The beautiful
sandy beaches are inviting. The combination of
the lake, beaches, weather and recreational activities
makes the Okanagan
Similkameen a perfect vacation spot.
Surrounded
by semi arid hills and plateaus, Okanagan Lake
is 169 km (104 mi.) long and in places it reaches
a depth of more than 300 metres (990 ft.). Moorage
is not a problem because Okanagan Lake has many
bays, coves and marinas. When not enjoying the
warm waters go hiking,
biking,
horseback riding, play tennis or hit the golf
links. Take a wine
tour, visit historic sites, museums and art
galleries.
At
one time, the only way to get from the west side
of the lake to the east side, was by boat or ferry.
As the popularity of this area grow, bridging
this waterway, between Westbank and Kelowna
was necessary. In 1958, the floating bridge that
crosses Okanagan Lake was opened. This was the
first floating bridge built in North America.
It truly was an engineering feat and is still
a tourist attraction.
The
cities of Kelowna
and Penticton
are both situated on the shores of Okanagan Lake,
as are the smaller centres of Summerland,
Peachland,
Naramata and Westbank. Tourist accommodations
and amenities in this region are plentiful and
excellent. This includes hotels, motels, RV camping
and tenting sites. There are a number of provincial
parks and many privately owned campgrounds
on the shores of Okanagan Lake. Rainbow
and lake trout, and kokanee are all found in Okanagan
Lake, choose the right lure and reel them in.
Enjoy sailing, houseboating, water skiing, swimming,
fishing and beach combing in the Sunny Okanagan.
