Five provincial parks are easily accessible within 48km/30mi of Salmon Arm, providing beaches, boat launches, fishing, hiking trails, wildlife viewing opportunities and access to the wilderness.
Shuswap Lake Marine Park is a unique collection of 26 small preserves scattered among the four "arms" of Shuswap Lake. Salmon Arm, Seymour Arm, Anstey Arm and the Shuswap Lake Main Arm form an 'H'-shape with the cross-bar at Cinnemousun Narrows. A few parks are vehicle accessible, but most are boat-access-only.
Even though the lake is a very busy boating area in summer, these parks are so spread out and the Shuswap Highland terrain so steep and forested that it's possible to find beaches, camping, fishing and hiking spots that feel like they're lost in the wilderness. Campsites in the park are rustic and sanitary facilities run to pit toilets. There are no boat launches but the sites have been selected for their sand or gravel shorelines and shallow water approaches, ideal for beaching everything from a kayak to a houseboat.
This park is ideal for every kind of water activity: swimming, canoeing, kayaking, water skiing, wake boarding, some scuba diving and fishing for any of the 19 species that live in Shuswap Lake.
Seven of the parks are located on the Salmon Arm section of the lake, easily accessible by boat from the city. Pack a picnic for an outing to Marble Point. Take along a camera for shots of its lighthouse and nearby Aboriginal pictographs, visible only from the water.
Cinnemousun Narrows Provincial Park
Cinnemousun Narrows, the place where the four arms of Shuswap Lake converge, is a popular gathering place that hosts a floating convenience store and restaurant. The park encompasses the shoreline on both sides of the narrows with four wharves. However, space is at a premium during the busy summer months as scores of houseboats tie up and beach here. This marine park has a reputation as a party area because it is so easily accessible from all parts of the lake.
Hiking trails lead to a viewpoint overlooking Shuswap Lake. The park offers 28 forested campsites and three shelters in the camping area on a first come/first served basis. Sanitation for campers runs to pit toilets while a marine sani-station is provided for boaters.
This park is also ideal for all kinds of water activity: swimming canoeing, kayaking, water skiing, wake boarding, windsurfing, some scuba diving and fishing. The 640m/2100ft sand and gravel beach is buoyed for swimming but is not patrolled by lifeguards.
Herald Provincial Park
Margaret Falls is a big attraction at Herald Provincial Park on the Salmon Arm side of Shuswap Lake, 14km/8.7mi west of Salmon Arm. Walk a short distance among old-growth cedars and moss-sided cliffs on a self-guided nature trail that follows Reinecker Creek to the falls and the small cave behind them. Or take the switchback 2.5/km/1.6mi Upper Canyon trail to a viewpoint overlooking the lake. A bridge crosses the creek above the falls and the trail loops back down the other side. Along the trail watch for some of the 70 species of birds that have been sited in the park.
Herald's other big attraction is its south facing beaches. Swim; launch a ski boat, kayak or canoe; or troll for lake trout and rainbows. Park facilities include 119 campsites (reservations recommended in high season), day-use picnic area, buoyed swimming area, boat launch, showers and sani-dump.
White Lake Provincial Park
White Lake Provincial Park is located on the north shore of White Lake, 33.6km/20.9mi from Salmon Arm. Reputed to be one of the top three fishing lakes in British Columbia, try fly casting or trolling in summer and ice fishing in winter for rainbow trout up to 5kg/11lb. Facilities are limited with an undeveloped boat launch for car-top boats and pit toilets. There are no designated campsites, but there is space for about 10 truck and camper rigs.
Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park
Named for a renown BC conservationist, Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park lies 48km/30mi northwest of Salmon Arm. The park protects pictographs and archaeological evidence of large settlements of the Shuswap First Nations plus the entire length of the Adams River, a vital salmon spawning ground.
For maximum wildlife excitement, visit in October during the sockeye run. There are fish every year, but the show is most spectacular in the "dominant" year of a four-year cycle when two million salmon return from their life in the Pacific Ocean to spawn and die. (The next dominant years are 2010 and 2014). Four trails totaling 8km/5mi and a viewing platform provide excellent opportunities to see the fish and the eagles they attract. Other wildlife along the river includes whitetail and mule deer, black bears, river otters, beaver and mink.
Another 18km/11mi of trails give access to a historic log flume, ideal fishing spots for rainbow trout, Dolly Varden and white fish (catch and release - no salmon fishing) and First Nations pictographs. For maximum thrills, join a professionally guided white water rafting trip through the canyon on the Adams River.
Practical Points
- Bears and cougars make their home in the wilderness around Shuswap Lake. If hiking or camping in these areas, watch for signs particularly of bears.
- Store food safely, dispose of garbage in provided containers and don't feed or approach bears or other wildlife.
Detailed information on provincial parks is provided in the Go Camping BC guide, available at the Salmon Arm Visitor Centre, 20 Hudson Ave, NE.
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