Spotted Lake near Osoyoos, British Columbia
After mountain biking in Vancouver’s North Shore, we decided to move to the British Columbia interior. Around Rossland and Nelson there would be more mountain biking options. Google Maps told us that the drive from Burnaby would take more than eight hours. Pulling the Airstream, it seemed like this travel time would be optimistic and, as we drove, we debated stopping midway or pushing through. At Osoyoos, the debate ended when we decided to stop for the night.
Osoyoos is a resort town along the lake of the same name in the southern portion of the Okanagan Valley. The Okanagan Valley is an up and coming wine region. Somehow, it seems, we always end up in wine country. It turns out that the wines here, particularly the whites, were surprisingly good.
Spotted Lake viewed from the road side
Just before we reached Osoyoos we passed by Spotted Lake. This saline endorheic lake is tucked in along the side of Highway 3. If you blinked, you’d miss this one. After dropping the trailer, we returned back for a setting sun visit.
Access to the lake is currently limited. Our viewing spot was from a roadside turnout up the hill from the dry lake. From this vantage point, you pretty much need to wait to see the pictures to find out what the lake looks like up close. On the computer, the pictures show a natural abstract scene. (It’s hard to choose pictures when the scene is so unusual.) Spotted Lake’s spots change colors through the year, so a guess this one that you can visit over and over.
More pictures are here and here.
Wow- How unusual, but beautiful!!! Great pics.
Comment by Gail — August 28, 2010 @ 11:18 pm
Hi- Saw you were coming to Rossland to ride our trails. Timing could be great as we are having our annual Rossland Rubberhead Bike Festival on the weekend. http://www.rosslandrubberhead.com
Hope to see you there.
Deanne
Comment by Deanne — August 30, 2010 @ 3:09 pm
Thanks for the information. Unfortunately we will not be there for the weekend. Sounds like fun.
Comment by anotherheader — August 31, 2010 @ 5:55 pm
[...] and I managed to turn the short three-hour drive from Osoyoos to Rossland into a full day trip. We were in no particular hurry. With stops for hippie coffee [...]
Pingback by Rossland: A Shot of Whiskey « Another Header — September 1, 2010 @ 1:32 am
[...] we’ve discovered all sorts of cool places like the Navajo Bridge, the Trophee des Alps, and Osoyoos’s Spotted Lake. Our impromptu visit to the Menai Suspension Bridge followed this [...]
Pingback by Wales: Menai Suspension Bridge « Another Header — September 15, 2012 @ 12:46 am