Kawkawa Lake is a lake located 2.5 km (1.6 mi) east of Hope, British Columbia. Kawkawa is also the name of the neighbourhood in Hope surrounding Kawkawa Lake.
| Kawkawa Lake | |
|---|---|
 Ogilvie Peak rising above Kawkawa Lake | |
  Kawkawa Lake | |
| Location | British Columbia |
| Coordinates | 49°23′N 121°24′W / 49.383°N 121.400°W |
| Primary outflows | Sucker Creek |
| Basin countries | Canada |
The lake is home to many species of fish, but is best known for large kokanee (land-locked salmon), which can reach up to 3+ lbs in weight.
Kawkawa Lake Park on the lake has a swimming beach, a grassy play area, and amenities such.as toilets and park benches, picnic tables and a small dock with a concrete boat launch.
A privately operated resort and campground on the lake's shore was shut down in 2019. Water sports around the lake include: skiing, wake boarding, tubing, and jet skiing. Visitors can hike through the nearby Othello Tunnels.
Kawkawa Lake Indian Reserve No. 16 is located on the southeastern shore of the lake,[1] and is administered by the Hope-area Union Bar First Nation.
Stó:lō history
editThe name of the lake is from the Halq'eméylem word Q'áwq'ewem, meaning "home of loons", after two loons that once lived here: q'ewq'weelacha and q'ewq'ewelot. There is also another story about a young man who jumped from the rocky bluffs on the north side of the lake, plunging all the way to the bottom landing on a pit house. The dim light from the pit house was later seen deep below the water, by a woman passing by.
When a dam was built later, it adversely effected the salmon run up the Kw'ikw'iya:la (Coquihalla River).[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Kawkawa Lake Indian Reserve 16". BC Geographical Names.
- ^ Ethnographic Overview of Stó:lo People and the Traditional Use of the Hudson's Bay Company Brigade Trail Area Brian Thom (Written while working at Stó:lo Nation, Chilliwack, BC) Prepared for: Chilliwack Forest District, Ministry of Forests For Contract No. 12015-20/CS96DCK-002. August 1995