Kootenay. 
Know before you go
Advisories
Safety information
- Lake weather can change rapidly. Be prepared. Visitors should be aware that high winds could come quickly.
Review the detailed guides under visit responsibly for more information on staying safe and preserving our natural spaces.
Visit responsibly
Follow these guides to ensure your activities are safe, respectful, and ecologically friendly:
Maps and location
Getting there
This park is located in south central B.C., 19 km northwest of Castlegar on Hwy 3A. Depending on your direction of travel look for the Robson exit just before or after you cross the bridge over the Kootenay River. The park is a 25 minute drive from Castlegar.
Things to do
The Yellow Pine Nature Trail is a year-round trail, approximately 4 km long and takes 45 minutes to an hour to reach the top look out. It has three access points:
- From the south end of the park.
- On the topside of the main access road.
- On Deer Park road, directly above the gate house and from the edge of the day-use area parking lot, continuing across Deer Park road.
The trail climbs the hillside behind the park, is fairly steep and considered a moderate hike. Yellow Pine Trail takes you through mature yellow pine, past several granite rock outcroppings and offers intermittent views of Arrow Lake from a terraced hillside. Rest and enjoy the view from the first lookout or go all the way to the summit. Both lookouts have benches. An additional 2km of trail links the picnic area with the campground.
For your own safety and the preservation of the park, obey posted signs and keep to designated trails. Shortcutting trails destroy plant life and soil structure.
As Syringa Park is on a reservoir, the water does fluctuate from spring through fall. The water level is low in May, rises in June and is at full pond for July, August and September.
There are three beaches:
- Camper’s Beach adjacent to the campground
- Boater’s Beach at the boat launch
- Main Beach at the primary day-use area
The upper portion of the beaches is sand with the lower portion rocky, which is mostly exposed at low water. For six weeks in the summer during high water, Main Beach has a roped off swimming area with a maximum depth of six feet. The water temperature is described as refreshing to cool, however, with three choices and a combined 450 metres of sandy beach, the park provides an abundance of sunbathing and swimming opportunities.
There are no lifeguards on duty in BC Parks.
The peak months for canoeing and kayaking are July and August when the water is high. Shoreline canoeing and kayaking is recommended as lake weather can change rapidly. Easy access is provided at both the boat launch and day-use area.
The peak months for canoeing and kayaking are July and August when the water is high. Shoreline canoeing and kayaking is recommended as lake weather can change rapidly. Easy access is provided at both the boat launch and day-use area.
Lower Arrow Lake can provide excellent fishing for rainbow or bull trout, and kokanee salmon. Check the BC Fishing Regulations Synopsis for quotas and restrictions.
Anyone fishing in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.
The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC has a fun, hands on, Learn to Fish Program that teaches basic angling skills to youth under 16 years old. Check back to this page or ask the park operator for more information.
This park has a designated off-leash area. In all other areas of the park, pets and domestic animals must be on a leash at all times and are not allowed in park buildings or beach areas. You are responsible for their behaviour and must dispose of their excrement. Backcountry areas are not suitable for dogs or other pets due to the potential for problems with bears and other wildlife.
Bicycles must keep to roadways. Bicycle helmets are mandatory in British Columbia.
Please note that bicycles with electric assist motors (e-bikes) are not allowed on the trails within Syringa Park. E-bikes are restricted to park roads and areas where motorized use is permitted. The only exception to this policy will be for authorized and identified trail maintenance bikes conducting work on behalf of BC Parks.
Waterskiing opportunities are available on Lower Arrow Lake.
Hunting is allowed in this park. Please check the BC Hunting & Trapping Regulations Synopsis for more information.
Anyone hunting in British Columbia must comply with BC hunting regulations. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.
About this park
This area is significant to the Okanagan, Shuswap, Sinixt, and Ktunaxa/Kinbasket First Nations. It encompasses areas of cultural and spiritual values.
The park was named for Syringa Creek, which flows into the Lower Arrow Lake near the park’s eastern or southeastern boundary. The “Syringa” or Mock Orange is a shrub which is indigenous to the area. It blooms in early spring showing clusters of white flowers with bright yellow stamens that emit a powerful, pleasing fragrance. First established in 1968 to provide recreational opportunities, the park was increased to its present size in 1995 to protect a provincially significant ecosystem.
The moderately dry and warm climate of this part of the West Kootenay is conducive to the growth of plants and trees like bunchgrass and ponderosa pine that are not normally found in the region. It contains beaches, grasslands, open and closed pine forest, rock outcroppings and canyons. It is important seasonal range for rocky mountain bighorn sheep, elk, deer and cougar. Many bird species inhabit the parks’ forest and grasslands including white-throated swifts, canyon wrens nesting in the rock bands and great blue heron at the waters edge.
Park users should always be aware of bears and other wildlife in our park environment. Never feed or approach bears or other wildlife. Please view all wildlife from a distance.
Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples
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.
Contact
| Reservations, changes, and cancellations | Our call centre is open from 7 am to 7 pm Pacific Time. There is a $5 fee for reservations, changes, or cancellations made by phone.
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| Campground gatehouse | |
| Park operator | This park is operated by RAP Park Contracting Ltd. |
| General questions and feedback for BC Parks | We answer emails weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm Pacific Time. |
