| The Okanogan River (called the Okanagan
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| | Columbia (e.g. Shuswap and Adams Lakes
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| River in its upper reaches in Canada) is
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| | elsewhere in the same season, the
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| a tributary of the Columbia River,
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| | original Arrow Lakes and Kootenay Lake).
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| approximately 115 mi (185 km) long, in
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| | Below Mabel Lake is the last stretch of
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| southern British Columbia in Canada and
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| | the river west towards the town of
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| north central Washington in the United
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| | Enderby at the north end of the Okanagan
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| States. It drains a scenic plateau region
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| | Corridor, after which the Shuswap River
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| called the Okanogan Country east of the
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| | drains into Mara Lake. Mara Lake is
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| Cascade Range and north and west of the
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| | connected via a channel named Sicamous
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| Columbia, and also the Okanagan Valley of
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| | Narrows to the Salmon Arm of Shuswap Lake
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| British Columbia.
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| | at Sicamous which empties via the 3.5km
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| It rises in southern British Columbia,
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| | canal-like Little Shuswap River into
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| issuing out of the southern end of Skaha
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| | Little Shuswap Lake. At that lake's lower
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| Lake, which is on the south side of the
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| | end is Chase and the beginning of the
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| city of Penticton, British Columbia from
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| | South Thompson River.
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| Okanagan Lake. It flows south past
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| | Tributaries of the Shuswap River include
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| Penticton, Okanagan Falls, Oliver and
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| | Wap Creek, by which a short pass at Three
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| Osoyoos, crossing the international
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| | Valley Gap connects to Highway 1 between
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| border into Washington near Oroville in
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| | Craigellachie and Revelstoke.
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| Okanogan County. Osoyoos Lake on the
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| | History
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| river spans the U.S.-Canada border. From
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| | The Shuswap River has a long history of
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| Oroville it flows south through the
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| | use for transporting both people and
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| Okanogan Region, past the town of
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| | goods. Log Drives were once an annual
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| Okanogan and forming the western boundary
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| | event, with logs sent down the river from
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| of the Colville Indian Reservation. It
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| | Mabel Lake during the high waters of
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| enters the Columbia from the north, 5 mi
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| | spring runoff to the many lumber mills
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| (8 km) east of Brewster, between the
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| | along the banks of the Shuswap River in
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| Wells Dam (downstream) and the Chief
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| | Enderby, Grindrod and Mara. During the
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| Joseph Dam (upstream).
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| | late 1800s, paddlewheelers transported
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| It receives the Similkameen River from
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| | goods and people up the Shuswap River
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| the west and Oroville. It receives Omak
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| | from Mara Lake to Enderby at Fortune's
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| Creek from the east at Omak, Washington,
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| | Landing, where they would be transported
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| 5 mi (8 km) northwest of the town of
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| | by stagecoach to Okanagan Landing west of
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| Okanogan.
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| | Vernon. Many a paddlewheeler became
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| Early maps of the fur trade era show the
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| | beached on shifting sandbars in the
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| Okanogan River as the "Caledonia River",
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| | river, and transportation was slow. With
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| a name conferred as it was the connecting
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| | the opening of the Shuswap-Okanagan
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| route between the Columbia District and
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| | Railway in 1892, the need for
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| the New Caledonia Fur District (which
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| | paddlewheelers on the Shuswap River
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| began north of Okanagan Lake).
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| | declined.
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| The basin of the Shuswap River lies
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| | Recreation
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| northeast of the Okanagan Valley in
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| | The Shuswap River is now a popular
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| British Columbia. It is the upper part of
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| | destination for canoeing, kayaking and
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| the drainage better known to British
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| | tubing. The Shuswap Hut and Trail
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| Columbians as belonging to Shuswap Lake
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| | Alliance is proposing a Hut and Trail
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| and the South Thompson River.
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| | system which will join the Shuswap River
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| The river is in three sections, an upper
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| | waterway to over 280km of mountain hiking
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| part beginning at Joss Pass, at the
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| | trails surrounding Shuswap Lake. The
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| northern end of the Sawtooth Range of the
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| | Annual Kayak Rodeo is held at the
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| Monashees and emptying into Sugar Lake
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| | beginning of June at the Kingfisher
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| southeast of the south end of that range.
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| | Rapids near Mabel Lake. The Tube Float is
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| The next section of the river curves
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| | an Annual Event on the Shuswap River,
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| south from Sugar Lake to wind up running
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| | with hundreds of locals and tourists
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| north again before entering Mabel Lake,
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| | participating. Fishing is popular during
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| which is a fair-sized mountain lake as
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| | the annual Salmon Run in late August -
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| typical of much of Interior British
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| | early September.
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