The Arrow Lakes

The Arrow Lakes in British Columbia began as two separate entities, Upper Arrow Lake and Lower Arrow Lake (an extension of Columbia River), becoming joined due to 1960's construction of the Keenleyside Dam just outside of Castlegar. With the dam widening the shores and increasing the water levels, there are now 232 kms of unspoiled lake frontage.

Situated between the Selkirk Mountain range and the Monashee Mountain range, the Arrow Lakes extend north to south from Revelstoke to Castlegar. With smaller villages interspersed between, like Fauquier (pronounced "Folkier"), the little town that became due to the flooding of the Arrow Lakes when the dam was built and Nakusp, home of music festivals and the Halcyon Hot Springs there are countless ways to enjoy what this lake has to offer.

Valhalla Park a favoured 49,600 hectare wilderness area, is right on Slocan's doorstep. It runs 30 km (18 mi) along the west shore of the Slocan Lake and most of the Valhalla range of the Selkirk Mountains. In the northwest, the New Denver Glacier at 2,758 m (8,963 ft) in elevation dominates the landscape while the block shaped Devil's Couch at 2,667 m (8,668 ft) and Hela Peak at 2,717 m (8,830 ft) define the central area. Numerous cirque basins, several larger deep lakes and chains of smaller lakes surround the ridges. Cascades and waterfalls are common on almost every creek.

The shoreline of Slocan Lake is for the most part a rugged combination of bluffs and large rocks interspersed with beautifully isolated pebble and sand beaches. Pictographs on the rock bluffs overhanging Slocan Lake are reminders of former First Nations inhabitants, while overgrown trails and logging flumes mark the passing of the local mining boom which brought European pioneers to this area a century ago.