sẃiẃs Park

Stay Safe

• The extremely hot, dry Okanagan climate can result in overexposure to the sun. Children and adults should use a sunscreen and wear a hat during long periods in the sun.
• Caution: Campers and swimmers should be aware that extreme caution is required when swimming or walking in the shallow water surrounding the park. There is potential for dangerous undercurrents. Extremely steep drop offs surround the exposed sandbar at the tip of the point. Children should be supervised at all times. Swim, wade or walk in the water at your own risk.
• Caution: sẁiẁs park is subject to severe and unexpected winds on occasion. Please ensure that all tents and equipment are tied down at all times, to help prevent damage.
• Caution: sẁiẁs park contains significant amounts of poison ivy. Park guests are encouraged to become familiar with this plant and avoid any contact.

Special Notes

• Due to popularity and size of the campground, there is a maximum stay policy of 7 nights per calendar year in this park. Reservations are made through the BC Parks reservations system.

This park proudly operated by: 
Osoyoos Indian Band 
E-mail: oibparks@oib.ca 
Phone: 778-437-2295 
Fax: 250-498-6577 

(This is not a campsite reservations number)

• History: The present day park was created on May 17, 1962. In 2015, the Province and Osoyoos Indian Band agreed that the Osoyoos Indian Band will manage sẁiẁs park.

Cultural Heritage: The archaeological and cultural heritage values at sẁiẁs park tell an important story about how the Osoyoos Indian Band’s Okanagan ancestors used sẁiẁs as a crossing area, cultural use, and habitation site in the thousands of years prior to the arrival of European settlers in the region.

The Okanagan ancestral remains that were disturbed and reburied on site are the oldest on record in the Osoyoos region (approximately 1,224 years old). Radiocarbon testing of faunal (i.e. animal) materials recovered from a shell midden provided important information about the diet of the Osoyoos Indian Band’s Okanagan ancestors 3,265 – 4,475 years ago. Obsidian flakes retrieved from the park were analyzed to be from the Whitewater Ridge in Oregon. The presence of the flakes in the park affirms the travel and trade routes of the Okanagan People along the Columbia River Basin.

The cultural heritage values in the park include opportunities for the ongoing continuance of Okanagan culture through traditional, ceremonial and cultural use of the area.

The old Hudson’s Bay Fur Brigade Trail also passed through the area nearly two centuries ago.

OIB and BC Parks are working in partnership to ensure the long-term protection of the archaeological and cultural heritage resources within sẁiẁs park.

• Conservation: The park protects species and ecosystems at risk such as peach leaf willow, antelope brush-needle and thread grass and wetlands. Wetlands are rapidly disappearing in the Okanagan Valley. The marsh area and self-guided interpretive trail are important features of the park.
• Wildlife: The marsh area of the park is home to a variety of wildlife. Blue-listed species include the Western small footed myotis bat, barn owl, spadefoot toad and painted turtle. The tiger salamander is a red-listed species that calls the park home.

BC Parks honours Indigenous Peoples’ connection to the land and respects the importance of their diverse teachings, traditions, and practices within these territories. This park webpage may not adequately represent the full history of this park and the connection of Indigenous Peoples to this land. We are working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to update our websites so that they better reflect the history and cultures of these special places.