I was surprised to learn that the country with the most lakes in the world is Canada! With 879,800 lakes, its lakes make up 62% of the world’s 1.42 million combined lakes! Due to late summer fires in the Okanagan Valley in 2023, we missed out on our planned visit to several wineries and the Kettle Valley Rail Trail in that area. To escape the smoke, we spent a few days lakeside at Swan Lake and then Allison Lake.
Swan Lake is surrounded by towering trees and although our last minute campground was choc-a-bloc and included a handful of colorful full-time residents, this remote lake was smoke-free and looked to have decent fishing. We also enjoyed watching the birds in the area. From our campsite we watched the eagles harassing some ducks.
Doug did manage to fit in a 48 mile, mostly level bike ride along the Okanagan Rail Trail. It followed the shoreline of Kalamalka Lake and Wood Lake which lie just east of the much larger Okanagan Lake.
She loves being near the water.
These eagles were harassing the ducks!
The small campground that serves Allison Lake was filled mostly with locals as we found out late that we were looking to camp over a 3-day holiday weekend in Canada.
The quick downhill walk to the lake made carrying down the paddleboard a breeze. Kayaking, swimming and picnics in the area were also popular. Homes dot the other end of the lake.
We were sad to miss the Okanagan Valley wineries but these lakes provided a welcome escape from smoke and the opportunity to enjoy some peaceful moments like a local.
