Kalamalka Lake waterfront homes, Oyama, Lake Country, BC

Its south end is in the District of Lake Country at Oyama, where Kaloya Regional Park sits. Wood Lake lies just south of it, joined by the channel at the Oyama isthmus.

Going north, Kekuli Bay Provincial Park is on the west side 11 km south of Vernon, and Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park is 8 km south of Vernon city centre. The District of Coldstream runs two launches on the lake and the City of Vernon lists Kal Beach.

Lake Country's bylaws cover lots in Lake Country only. A lot in Coldstream or Vernon falls under that municipality's own bylaws, so the setback, flood level and dock rules below may not apply there; confirm with that municipality.¹

The Province owns nearly all freshwater foreshore in BC, so the beach below the lake's natural boundary is Crown land, not part of the lot. That holds on every shore of the lake, whichever municipality the lot is in.

A dock needs the Province's authorization. One that meets every condition of the General Permission needs no application; one that does not needs a Specific Permission, with a one-time $250 fee, or a lease, normally for 20 years at $200 a year. FrontCounter BC (1-877-855-3222) handles both.

Only one dock is allowed per property, and no private moorage may block public access along the foreshore.²

Lake Country's Zoning Bylaw allows a dock up to 40 m out from the natural boundary of the lot, with a walkway no wider than 3 m, set at least 3 m in from the side property line projected onto the foreshore.

An L or T shape is allowed if the part parallel to the shore is no longer than 10 m or half the lot's frontage, whichever is less. No beach houses, sheds, patios, sundecks or hot tubs on a dock, and no fill or dredging. Where a dock is raised more than 0.3 m above the public foreshore, it needs steps so people can walk over it.³

No building closer than 7.5 m to the natural boundary of the lake, and the underside of the floor of any living space at least 393.2 m above sea level, the flood construction level the bylaw sets for Kalamalka and Wood lakes.

On a lot by Kalamalka, anything more than 1.2 m above natural grade has to be sited so it keeps the neighbours' view of the lake: a 120 degree panorama from the corner of each adjoining house.

The Province's Riparian Areas Protection Regulation also covers the shore: its assessment area is a 30 m strip from the high water mark, and a qualified environmental professional's report comes before the District approves development there.⁴

Through the channel at the Oyama isthmus. The District's Oyama Boat Launch is on Wood Lake, at the north east corner of the isthmus on Oyama Road; boaters launch there and take the channel into Kalamalka.

The launch has parking for 35 vehicles with trailers and 65 without, and it is a main access point for the Okanagan Rail Trail, whose northern section follows the shores of Kalamalka and Wood lakes.⁵

In Lake Country, Kaloya Regional Park at the south end, run by the Regional District of Central Okanagan, and the Oyama launch on Wood Lake by way of the channel. The District also lists Owl's Nest Resort and Marina as a private launch on Kalamalka.

Further north, BC Parks runs Kekuli Bay Park, with a boat launch, and Kalamalka Lake Park, with beaches at Jade Bay and Cosens Bay but no launch. Coldstream has the Kalavista and Kinloch launches, with paid parking at Kalavista in season, and Vernon has Kal Beach on Kalamalka Road.⁶

BC Parks describes Kalamalka as a marl lake: in summer, calcium carbonate crystals form in the water and reflect sunlight, giving it its blue and green colours.

In Lake Country, Kalamalka and Wood Lake share a flood construction level of 393.2 m; next to Okanagan Lake, which runs more than 135 km, it is 343.66 m. The same dock and view rules apply on all three lakes in Lake Country.

Kalamalka has no District launch of its own in Lake Country; boats reach it from Wood Lake through the Oyama channel. On any of them the District asks boaters to keep wakes low in shallow water and reach water deeper than 8 m before making a large wake.⁷