The basin of the Shuswap River (pronounced /ˈʃuːʃwɑːp/) lies northeast of 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 part ...
in British Columbia, originating in the central
Monashee Mountains. It is the upper part of the drainage better known to
British Columbians as belonging to
Shuswap Lake
Shuswap Lake (pronounced /ˈʃuːʃwɑːp/) is a lake located in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada that drains via the Little Shuswap River into Little Shuswap Lake. Little Shuswap Lake is the source of the South Thompson River ...
and the
South Thompson River
The South Thompson River is the southern branch of the Thompson River, the largest tributary of the Fraser River, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It originates at the outlet of Little Shuswap Lake at the town of Chase and flows app ...
. The river's
drainage basin is over in area.
Geography
The river is in three sections, an upper part beginning at Joss Pass, at the northern end of the
Sawtooth Range of the
Monashees
The Monashee Mountains are a mountain range lying mostly in British Columbia, Canada, extending into the U.S. state of Washington. They stretch from north to south and from east to west. They are a sub-range of the Columbia Mountains. The high ...
and emptying into Sugar Lake southeast of the south end of that range. The next section of the river curves south from Sugar Lake to wind up running north again before entering Mabel Lake, which is a fair-sized mountain lake as typical of much of Interior British Columbia (e.g.
Shuswap and
Adams Lakes elsewhere in the same season, the original
Arrow Lakes
The Arrow Lakes in British Columbia, Canada, divided into Upper Arrow Lake and Lower Arrow Lake, are widenings of the Columbia River. The lakes are situated between the Selkirk Mountains to the east and the Monashee Mountains to the west. Beach ...
and
Kootenay Lake
Kootenay Lake is a lake located in British Columbia, Canada. It is part of the Kootenay River. The lake has been raised by the Corra Linn Dam and has a dike system at the southern end, which, along with industry in the 1950s–70s, has changed t ...
). Below Mabel Lake is the last stretch of the river west towards the town of
Enderby at the north end of the
Okanagan Corridor, after which the Shuswap River drains into
Mara Lake
Mara Lake is a lake in the Shuswap Country of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, located immediately south of the community of Sicamous and to the north of the community of Enderby. It is the outlet of the Shuswap River, which b ...
. Mara Lake is connected via a channel named Sicamous Narrows to the Salmon Arm of
Shuswap Lake
Shuswap Lake (pronounced /ˈʃuːʃwɑːp/) is a lake located in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada that drains via the Little Shuswap River into Little Shuswap Lake. Little Shuswap Lake is the source of the South Thompson River ...
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 Cal ...
which empties via the 3.5 km canal-like Little Shuswap River into Little Shuswap Lake. At that lake's lower end is
Chase
Chase or CHASE may refer to:
Businesses
* Chase Bank, a national bank based in New York City, New York
* Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturing company
* Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in England
* Chase C ...
and the beginning of the
South Thompson River
The South Thompson River is the southern branch of the Thompson River, the largest tributary of the Fraser River, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It originates at the outlet of Little Shuswap Lake at the town of Chase and flows app ...
.
Tributaries of the Shuswap River include Wap Creek, by which a short pass at Three Valley Gap connects to Highway 1 between
Craigellachie and
Revelstoke.
History
The Shuswap River has a long history of use for transporting both people and goods. Log Drives were once an annual event, with logs sent down the river from Mabel Lake during the high waters of spring runoff to the many lumber mills along the banks of the Shuswap River in
Enderby, Grindrod and Mara. During the late 1800s, paddlewheelers transported goods and people up the Shuswap River from Mara Lake to
Enderby at Fortune's Landing, where they would be transported by stagecoach to Okanagan Landing west of Vernon. Many a paddlewheeler became beached on shifting sandbars in the river, and transportation was slow. With the opening of the Shuswap-Okanagan Railway in 1892, the need for paddlewheelers on the Shuswap River declined.
Recreation
The Shuswap River is now a popular destination for canoeing, kayaking and tubing. Th
Shuswap Hut and Trail Allianceis proposing a Hut and Trail system which will join the Shuswap River waterway to over 280 km of mountain hiking trails surrounding
Shuswap Lake
Shuswap Lake (pronounced /ˈʃuːʃwɑːp/) is a lake located in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada that drains via the Little Shuswap River into Little Shuswap Lake. Little Shuswap Lake is the source of the South Thompson River ...
. The Annual Kayak Rodeo is held at the beginning of June at the Kingfisher Rapids near
Mabel Lake. Fishing is popular during the annual Salmon Run in late August - early September.
See also
*
List of tributaries of the Fraser River
This is a partial listing of tributaries of the Fraser River. Tributaries and sub-tributaries are hierarchically listed in upstream order from the mouth of the Fraser River. The list may also include streams known as creeks and sloughs. Lakes are ...
References
External links
Shuswap River Travel Guide*
{{Authority control
Monashee Mountains
Shuswap Country
Rivers of the Okanagan