Nice sized lake 18 km long. Make sure you have your boaters licence aand safety gear for your boat/ wave runner as we were pulled over and checked but the officer was very friendly and only gave us a warning for not having a flashlight.
Christina Lake community is known to have the warmest lake in Canada and being in the Kootenay Lake beforehand we absolutely can confirm this. The water is crystal clear and warm. Locals mentioned that it is fed by some hot springs nearby. There is a larger beach, well maintained, on the South End which can be accessed by the Christina Lake Provincial Park.
What could you dislike about this place. We visited kind of out of season so lots of places closed but the views of the lake are outstanding!
Lovely long clean lake that offers stunning views from every side situated as it is nestled in a mountain valley. In 15 minutes you can also visit Grand Forks with its museums and great Russian food. Wonderful B&B at the northernish end at Alpine.
Amazing place to be. So much to see and lots to do. Plenty of dining sight seeing and lake experiences to be had!
Large lake. Lots of RV locations book well in advance foe July and August. Public beach has lots of picnic tables. Shallow water out to end of swimming bouys.
Had a good Vacation lots to do and the beaches are bueatiful... I was staying with family and we beached , golfed and took long hikes in the country side.... We also visit the surrounding areas and enjoyed every little town they were all very quiant .and very scenic great attaction werever we went... all the restuant were so goo most were home cooking ... I loved it
The lake is beautiful, clear and clean. It warms up in the summer months so much so, it's amazing! The lake is over 100' deep and changes it's water every 5 to 7 years. There is a grocery store,2 convince stores, gas, several liquor outlets, a few places to eat for the family; a pub and several places to camp including boat access only. Christina Lake has many fantastic hiking and mountain biking trails. Christina Lake was voted the beautiful lake by a TV station in the US last year! There is a problem with young people partying on a couple of the boat access only beaches and leaving garbage and breaking glass which is such a shame. The RCMP are out on the water to help patrol but it's difficult for them at night of course. It can be difficult to get a camp spot for boat access or road access unless one books well ahead of time.Let's keep this gem quiet!
Christina Lake, BC has a trail system that is sometimes overlooked, with some of the best views on the Trans Canada trail. The community is currently undertaking a project to digitize the system and make it more accessible for visitors and the community.My ride ride began on Santa Rosa Road with a 2% incline. I had two trail choices to choose from here; the older, thinner, forested, original Dewdney Trail or the more open, wider Santa Rosa Trail. The Santa Rosa Trail is an old rail system, now covered with dirt and fill, previously used by the mining industry to transport resources in and out of the area. To the left hillsides galore, with towering trees and newly budding shrubs peer at us. To the right the valley below, still used today to farm cattle, green with long grasses and the Kettle River flowing in a harmonious song and dance of water. I see a bridge made up of wood lattices, posts and beams, historically it was used to house the track used by CPR. Attached to the bridge are a couple of platforms about 10 x10 which were used as water stations to douse the fires out from the train engines as they passed by. Below on either side you can view the river churning and flowing.The noise of rushing water being forced through a small narrowing of the river flowing into what locals call Cascade Falls is breathtaking. Hide your bike,make our way through some brush and emerge on a rock face cliff - below the water is twirling and roaring in a frenzy to spew down the falls and out into the river, carrying with it minerals and natures debris, that will one day give more soil to grow food. Carrying on past another trestle bridge, go left along Hwy 365 for 10 minutes and hit the US, Canadian border. From here, on foot, cross the highway and make your way up a bank. At the top you will find stones staring at you. These are not just any stones, they are tomb stones, sitting in small rows, most of them cross-shaped and without inscription. You are at the site of an old cemetery dating back to as early as the 1800’s, proofed by a date inscribed on one of the only original square tomb stones still intact. The newer cross shaped stones are a result of a revitalization project, enacted when the site was found a few years earlier, entangled in flora, untouched and unseen for years, and have become the markers for those laid to rest over a century ago. The site is peaceful and just beyond the line of trees you can hear the soft hum of traffic on the highway. It’s hard to imagine how a resting place could be so forgotten and lost in time, but in the same thought, I am graciously awed by the fact that the living could care so much for the dead.Heading back down the bank across the highway, continue riding along Hwy 3, toward Christina Lake where you can stop at the Welcome Center or hop into one of the warmest tree-lined lakes in Canada.
I have been fortunate enough to stay at Christina Lake for 3 wonderful summers of my life so far, and to me it's paradise! The warm, clear water...the mountainous forest landscape...the beautiful sunset...Coming from the UK, it has been the ultimate Canadian experience. There's so much to do - swimming, kayaking, motor boating, hiking, fishing, campfires and just relaxing away from the rest of the world. Saying that, we were never alone if we needed help - our friendly neighbours we there for us. So many happy memories. One day, I hope I could bring my future children here as well :)