Local guide
Magna Bay, BC: a visitor's guide
Updated
Magna Bay is a small, quiet community on the north shore of Shuswap Lake, in the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia. It sits between Scotch Creek and Celista to the west and Anglemont to the east, along Squilax-Anglemont Road.
There is no town centre to speak of. People come for the lake: long summer days on the water, a community beach that faces south, and the hills and forest of the North Shuswap behind it. This guide covers what you need to know before you visit.
Getting to Magna Bay
Every route ends on Squilax-Anglemont Road, which leaves the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) at Squilax and follows the north shore of the lake east through Scotch Creek and Celista to Magna Bay.
- From Kamloops: about 100 km, east on Highway 1 to Squilax, then along the north shore.
- From Salmon Arm: about 70 km, west on Highway 1 to Squilax, then along the north shore.
- From Vernon: about 130 km, north on Highway 97 to Highway 1, then west to Squilax.
- Kamloops has the nearest airport with regular flights.
The beach and the lake
Magna Bay Community Park is the local swimming and picnic spot, with more than 100 metres of south-facing beach. It is run by the Columbia Shuswap Regional District and gets busy on summer afternoons.
Shuswap Lake is known for boating, water skiing, paddling and swimming, and the water is warmest from July into early September. If you are bringing a boat, plan where you will launch and moor it before you arrive.
Parks and trails nearby
Shuswap Lake Provincial Park at Scotch Creek, a short drive west, has a large sandy beach, a campground and a boat launch, and is the busiest park on the north shore in summer.
Tsútswecw Provincial Park (formerly Roderick Haig-Brown Park), near Squilax, protects about 11 km of the Adams River. Every October it hosts one of the largest sockeye salmon runs in North America, and every fourth year the run is a dominant one, with millions of fish.
Back from the lake, the North Shuswap has hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. Waterfall hikes such as Onyx Falls and Evelyn Falls are popular with visitors to the area.
Groceries and supplies
Services on the north shore are small and spread out. The Ross Creek Country Store in Magna Bay covers the basics. For a big shop, especially for a large group, stock up in Salmon Arm or Kamloops on the way in.
Summer weekends are busy along the north shore, so buy fuel, ice and firewood early in the day.
Planning a group trip
July and August are the busiest months, and the best weeks book up early. June and September are quieter, with warm days and fewer boats on the water.
Campfire rules change through the summer. Before you light a fire, check the current restrictions from the BC Wildfire Service.
Magna Bay Hideaway is a lakeview log cabin two minutes from the community beach. It sleeps up to 20 in 5 bedrooms, has an eight person hot tub, a fenced yard with a fire pit, a designated buoy for your boat and parking for six or more vehicles with trailers.
A little history
The Secwepemc people have lived in the North Shuswap for thousands of years. The first settlers arrived from Minnesota in 1895, landing at Scotch Creek, and the area grew on logging, fruit farming and trapping.
Before roads, the lake was the way in and out. A ferry ran between Scotch Creek and Sorrento from 1914 to 1956. Magna Bay had its own post office by 1920, and its schoolhouse, the largest on the north shore, doubled as a popular dance hall. Power lines did not reach the North Shuswap until 1957.
Stay at Magna Bay Hideaway
A lakeview log cabin for big groups on Shuswap Lake: sleeps 20, two minutes from the beach, with a buoy for your boat and a hot tub for eight.
Check dates and book direct