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Vaseux
Lake
Vaseux
Lake is situated on Hwy 97 just north of Oliver
by 14.5 km (9 miles) and south of Okanagan
Falls by 10 km (6 miles).
"The
Muddy Bottom"
Taken from the French Canadian word referring to the muddy bottom,
Vaseux Lake is a small lake approximately 3 km (1.8 miles) long,
featuring a large bird sanctuary near a provincial park located
on the lakeshore.
Vaseux
Wildlife Centre
If you enjoy bird watching, this park is very popular for spotting
and admiring the many different types of birds that migrate through
the Okanagan region. A good location is using the bird blinds located
at the Vaseux Wildlife Centre. When you visit the centre, try and
view the California bighorn sheep that can be seen grazing high
on the bluffs.
Smallmouth
and Bigmouth Bass
This lake is also very relaxing as they only allow non motorized
boats on it. If you enjoy fishing Vaseux Lake has carp, sunfish,
smallmouth and bigmouth bass, whitefish as well as Kokanee, and
cutthroat trout.
Vaseux
Lake Provincial Park
A good spot in which to park your vehicle and launch your kayak
or canoe, is at Vaseux Lake Provincial Park situated just off Hwy
97.
McIntyre
Bluffs
As you drive through the Vaseux Lake, look towards the southwest
and you will notice some cliffs that rise straight up for 250 metres
(820 feet). This area is called the McIntyre Bluffs - the site of
a large concentration of native pictographs. If you're interested
in this First Nation heritage, visit McIntyre Canyon Regional Park
located on the south end of Vaseux Lake.
Incredible
View of the Okanagan Valley
For hikers there is a trail that goes to the top of McIntyre Bluffs.
Once you're at the top, the view of Vaseux Lake and the valley beyond
is incredible. The trailhead can be a little hard to find as you
have to go through private property.
Local
Directions
For directions make sure you pick up the free pamphlet "Exploring
the South Okanagan Roads & Trails" found at the Visitor
Info Centre in Oliver. Remember this is rattlesnake country so please
take the normal precautions.
Scheduled
Hikes
If you enjoy scheduled hikes with a local group, contact either
the Oliver-Osoyoos or South Okanagan Naturalists for more information
regarding planned nature walks.
Wineries
and Vineyard Tours
Vaseux Lake has a few wineries in the area, notably Corkscrew Drive
on the way to Okanagan Falls. Once you're at Vaseux Lake Provincial
Park parking lot, look across Hwy 97 for Oliver Ranch Road. Follow
Oliver Ranch Road north to Okanagan Falls through the hillside vineyards
and various wineries.
Trans
Canada-Kettle Valley Railway Trail
The original rail bed of the now-defunct Kettle Valley Railway used
to go on the west side of Vaseux Lake. Unfortunately if you are
biking and looking forward to the trail, it does not go through
because of a missing bridge crossing the Okanagan River.
KVR South
If you are going south to Oliver, you can pick up a small section
of the trail south of Vaseux Lake at McAlpine Bridge and Hwy 97.
The KVR follows the 18.4 kms (11.5 miles) multi-use Oliver Bicycling
and Hiking Trail to the north side of Osoyoos Lake.
KVR
North
If you are going north from Vaseux Lake, the KVR is pretty well
all gone until Okanagan Falls where you can pick up the start of
the trail at the Okanagan Falls Trestle. The KVR Trail then travels
on the west side of Skaha Lake through Kaleden
eventually to the south side of Penticton.
Vaseux
Lake Links
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