Shuswap Lake

Shuswap Lake runs in four arms in a rough H, giving around a thousand kilometres of shoreline for a lake of moderate area, and that shape is why it became the houseboat centre of Canada: hundreds of boats are rented each summer at Sicamous, which calls itself the houseboat capital, and crews spend a week moving between sheltered bays and beaches only reachable by water. The water warms enough for comfortable swimming, unusual for a large interior lake. Provincial parks along the shore have marine campsites. The Adams River, which feeds the system, carries one of the largest sockeye runs in the world.

What you actually see

• The four arms - an H-shaped lake with about a thousand kilometres of shore.
• The houseboat fleet - hundreds of rental boats working out of Sicamous.
• The water-access beaches - bays and campsites reachable only by boat.
• The warm water - a large interior lake that genuinely warms in summer.

When to go

June to September; houseboats book six months to a year ahead for peak weeks and prices are highest in late July and August. The lake is quiet and cold outside summer.

Honest expectations

Houseboat rental is expensive and books far ahead, with fuel on top. Boats are large and handling them in wind takes care. Popular bays are crowded and noisy on summer weekends.

Nearby

The Adams River lies west; Revelstoke is east.