Beaches on Kootenay Lake

This site tracks 12 named beaches and day-use swimming spots around the lake, each read from its own city, regional district, BC Parks or Recreation Sites and Trails BC page. They are grouped below the same way this site groups communities: West Arm, North Shore, East Shore, then the south end.

Lakeside Park (Rotary Lakeside Park) is on the West Arm at Nelson, owned by City of Nelson. On Nelson's waterfront, near the base of the city's orange bridge.

Facilities: change rooms, boat launch, paddle rental centre (adaptive equipment available), covered picnic and barbecue shelter, adventure playground, tennis courts and summer concession. The source describes this beach as sandy. Dogs are not allowed.

The city's own page calls it "a long, sandy beach" and the pride of Nelson's waterfront. Dog rule, quoted exactly: "Lakeside park itself is a dog-free zone, however dogs on leashes are permitted on the perimeter walkways of the playing fields."

Source: www.nelson.ca/320/Parks. Verified 2026-09-22.

Taghum Beach Regional Park is on the West Arm at Nelson, owned by RDCK. On Highway 3A in Blewett, about 8.4 km west of Nelson on the West Arm.

Facilities: six picnic tables, pit toilet and buoyed swimming area. The source does not state what this beach's shoreline is made of. Dogs are not allowed.

4.5 hectares, no running water on site, no lifeguard, camping and overnight parking not permitted. Dog rule, quoted exactly: "No Dogs on Beach June 1 – September 15. Dogs must be on a leash and under control at all other times."

Source: www.rdck.ca/community-services/community-services/parks/taghum-beach-regional-park. Verified 2026-09-22.

Kokanee Creek Park (Sandspit / Redfish beaches) is on the West Arm at Harrop, owned by BC Parks. On Highway 3A, 19 km east of Nelson, or reached from Balfour (12 km further) by the Kootenay Lake ferry from Kootenay Bay.

Facilities: boat launch (northeast end of Sandspit beach), designated dog beach beside the boat launch, day-use picnic areas and shallow lagoon for wading at Sandspit (not for swimming). The source describes this beach as sandy. Dogs are not allowed.

Over a kilometre of sandy beach across the Sandspit and Redfish day-use areas. Pets must be on a leash and are not allowed in beach areas, except the designated dog beach next to the boat launch at the park's northeast end.

BC Parks’ own feed, read 5 min ago, lists no campfire ban for Kokanee Creek Park right now. It also carries 4 posted advisories for the park — see https://bcparks.ca/kokanee-creek-park/ for what each one says. Source: BC Parks.

Source: bcparks.ca/kokanee-creek-park. Verified 2026-09-22.

Kaslo Bay Park is on the North Shore at Kaslo, owned by Village of Kaslo. On Kaslo Bay, within the village of Kaslo.

The source lists no facilities for this beach. The source does not state what this beach's shoreline is made of. The source states no dog rule for this beach.

The Village of Kaslo's own parks page lists Kaslo Bay as one of its municipal parks: "Arrangements for use of the following municipal parks can be made through City Hall." It gives no facility, beach-composition or dog-rule detail beyond that.

Source: kaslo.ca/p/amenities. Verified 2026-09-22.

Lockhart Beach Park is on the East Shore at Boswell, owned by BC Parks. On Highway 3A, 40 km north of Creston or 19 km south of Crawford Bay.

Facilities: 18-site campground and day-use area. The source describes this beach as sandy. Dogs are not allowed.

BC Parks describes "a sand and fine gravel beach." Pets must be on a leash and are not allowed in beach areas or park buildings.

BC Parks’ own feed, read 5 min ago, lists no campfire ban for Lockhart Beach Park right now. It also carries 1 posted advisory for the park — see https://bcparks.ca/lockhart-beach-park/ for what each one says. Source: BC Parks.

Source: bcparks.ca/lockhart-beach-park. Verified 2026-09-22.

Pilot Bay Park beach is on the East Shore at Crawford Bay, owned by BC Parks. Off Highway 3A, a 10-minute drive south of the Kootenay Bay ferry terminal; mainly reached by boat.

The source lists no facilities for this beach. The source does not state what this beach's shoreline is made of. Dogs are allowed on a leash.

BC Parks calls the park "user-maintained" with no potable water on site; it notes only that "the water is warm in the bay for swimming," without describing the beach material. Pets must be on a leash at all times.

BC Parks’ own feed, read 5 min ago, lists no campfire ban for Pilot Bay Park right now. It also carries 3 posted advisories for the park — see https://bcparks.ca/pilot-bay-park/ for what each one says. Source: BC Parks.

Source: bcparks.ca/pilot-bay-park. Verified 2026-09-22.

Davis Creek (Kootenay Lake Park) is on the North Shore at Lardeau, owned by BC Parks. On Highway 31, about 30 km north of Kaslo.

Facilities: centrally located pit toilets, campsites and campfire rings. The source describes this beach's material as something other than sand. Dogs are not allowed.

BC Parks describes the Davis Creek and Lost Ledge beaches as "pebbly with coarse rocks" rather than sandy. Pets must be on a leash at all times and are not allowed in beach areas or park buildings.

BC Parks’ own feed, read 5 min ago, lists no campfire ban for Kootenay Lake Park right now. It also carries 2 posted advisories for the park — see https://bcparks.ca/kootenay-lake-park/ for what each one says. Source: BC Parks.

Source: bcparks.ca/kootenay-lake-park. Verified 2026-09-22.

Lost Ledge (Kootenay Lake Park) is on the North Shore at Johnsons Landing, owned by BC Parks. On Highway 31, about 25 km north of Kaslo.

Facilities: concrete boat launch, 40-vehicle boat-trailer parking, centrally located pit toilets and campsites. The source describes this beach's material as something other than sand. Dogs are not allowed.

Same "pebbly with coarse rocks" beach description BC Parks gives for Davis Creek. Pets must be on a leash at all times and are not allowed in beach areas or park buildings.

BC Parks’ own feed, read 5 min ago, lists no campfire ban for Kootenay Lake Park right now. It also carries 2 posted advisories for the park — see https://bcparks.ca/kootenay-lake-park/ for what each one says. Source: BC Parks.

Source: bcparks.ca/kootenay-lake-park. Verified 2026-09-22.

Midge Creek (Kootenay Lake Park) is on the East Shore at Sanca, owned by BC Parks. On the lake's southwest shore, about 38 km south of Balfour; boat access only, no road.

Facilities: day-use and picnic area. The source describes this beach as sandy. Dogs are not allowed.

BC Parks describes "more than a kilometre of sandy beach," a popular destination for boaters. Pets must be on a leash at all times and are not allowed in beach areas.

BC Parks’ own feed, read 5 min ago, lists no campfire ban for Kootenay Lake Park right now. It also carries 2 posted advisories for the park — see https://bcparks.ca/kootenay-lake-park/ for what each one says. Source: BC Parks.

Source: bcparks.ca/kootenay-lake-park. Verified 2026-09-22.

Tye Creek Beach is on the East Shore at Sanca, owned by Rec Sites and Trails BC. On the west shore of Kootenay Lake, about 14 km south of Boswell; boat access only, though local landowners have private road access.

Facilities: toilet, picnic table and 4 campsites. The source does not state what this beach's shoreline is made of. The source states no dog rule for this beach.

Recreation Sites and Trails BC describes a "medium-sized beach site" adjacent to private land, popular in summer for camping, fishing, swimming and other beach activities. No fee is listed for this site.

Source: www.sitesandtrailsbc.ca/search/search-result.aspx?site=REC2291&districtCode=RDKB&type=Site. Verified 2026-09-22.

Fletcher Creek is on the North Shore at Mirror Lake, owned by Rec Sites and Trails BC. On Highway 31, 6 km south of Kaslo (or 12.5 km north of Ainsworth), at Fletcher Creek Frontage Road.

Facilities: toilet, picnic table and 4 campsites. The source does not state what this beach's shoreline is made of. The source states no dog rule for this beach.

Recreation Sites and Trails BC describes a "medium-sized, semi-open beach site" with a trail above the camping area to a waterfall and moss-lined grotto on Fletcher Creek. The record carries an active notice: "VIEWING PLATFORM IS CLOSED DUE TO UNSTABLE ROCKS AND TREES ABOVE - DO NOT ENTER." No fee is listed for this site.

Source: www.sitesandtrailsbc.ca/search/search-result.aspx?site=REC2426&type=Site. Verified 2026-09-22.

Crawford Bay Regional Park beach is on the East Shore at Crawford Bay, owned by RDCK. At 15941 Highway 3A, Crawford Bay.

Facilities: parking lot at the beach area, trail network and pond with a bridge crossing. The source does not state what this beach's shoreline is made of. The source states no dog rule for this beach.

Roughly 70 hectares across 28 fee-simple lots, acquired by the RDCK from Kokanee Springs Resort Ltd. in October 2018. The page describes beach access and a trail network but does not state a dog rule, beach material or fee.

Source: www.rdck.ca/community-services/community-services/parks/crawford-bay-regional-park-1. Verified 2026-09-22.

This site tracks no official water-temperature gauge for the lake and no swim-safety advisory for any beach on it. The only sourced water-temperature record it has, the 1986 ILEC World Lake Database reading for the lake’s surface, peaks at 18.0°C in August — see the ILEC record for the rest of the year’s monthly readings.

For context, not as a swimming guide, today's air temperature reads 24.4°C at Nelson and 25.3°C at Creston — air, not water. Weather data from Environment and Climate Change Canada, used under the Open Government Licence – Canada.

Check each beach’s own section above, and its owner’s or park’s own page, for any posted swimming rule, buoyed area or lifeguard status before swimming.

1 beach — Pilot Bay Park beach — allows dogs, on a leash, per its own source. 7 beaches state dogs are not allowed: Lakeside Park (Rotary Lakeside Park), Taghum Beach Regional Park, Kokanee Creek Park (Sandspit / Redfish beaches), Lockhart Beach Park, Davis Creek (Kootenay Lake Park), Lost Ledge (Kootenay Lake Park) and Midge Creek (Kootenay Lake Park).

The remaining 4 — Kaslo Bay Park, Tye Creek Beach, Fletcher Creek and Crawford Bay Regional Park beach — have no dog rule stated on their own page, which this site reads as unstated rather than allowed.

Access directions below come only from each beach’s own "access" note, the same wording used in its own section above.