National Treasures: British Columbia
Wet a line while marvelling at marine wildlife, ancient trees and a desert playground
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Okanagan Desert
Unique arid landscape and multispecies fishing
Locals call it Canada’s “pocket desert,” a narrow, 38-kilometre stretch of shrub steppe in the southern Okanagan Valley surrounding the town of Osoyoos and its like-named lake. Think spaghetti western. More widely known as the Okanagan Desert, or the Osoyoos Arid Biotic Zone to scientists, the parched landscape is home to roughly 100 at-risk plant species such as antelope brush, some 300 rare insects and spiders and a menagerie of other critters, including western rattlesnakes, scorpions and canyon wrens. Some dispute whether it’s a true desert, but with minimal rainfall and temperatures soaring above 38°C, it certainly acts the part of Canada’s only desert. And in the midst of it all? Osoyoos Lake, boasting excellent fishing for bass, kokanee, rainbows and—runs permitting—sockeye salmon.
Learn More: www.destinationosoyoos.com
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