Where to spot salmon: Southern Interior B.C.

Here are some of our favourite public spots to view spawning salmon in the Southern Interior of B.C. We’ve included family friendly locations with clearly marked trails and viewing areas. If you have a favourite spot to share or more information to provide about these salmon viewing areas, email us!

Kingfisher Interpretive Centre, Enderby

Species: chinook, sockeye, coho, kokanee
Best Times: Adults, sockeye September-October;

The Kingfisher Interpretive Centre is located along the banks of the Shuswap River. The 10 acre site is nestled amongst a lush Interior Cedar Hemlock rainforest and hosts several short walking trails that will lead you to the river.

Directions: The Interpretive Centre is located 25.5 km from the Shuswap River bridge in Enderby at 2550 Mabel Lake Road (also known as Enderby Mabel Lake Road). There is a salmon viewing area that can provide views of spawning salmon on Shuswap River.

Lower Seton Spawning Channel, Lillooet

Species: pink, coho
Best Times: Pinks spawn first 3 weeks of October in odd years.

A walk along the Lower Seton River Spawning Channel is a pleasant, 1.4 kilometre loop, all on flat terrain, around the winding channel. The area is a bird-watcher’s paradise, offering views of many species, including great blue herons, pelicans, loons, eagles, falcons, owls, ospreys, cranes, kingfishers, plovers, sandpipers, flycatchers and swifts.

Directions: To get to the Lower Seton Spawning Channels, from Lillooet, drive 2.5 km south on Hwy #99, Duffy Lake Road. Turn right onto the road immediately beyond the Lightfoot Gas Station. Turn left at the first fork and follow the road to the parking area.

Adams River, Squilax, North Shuswap

Species: sockeye, chinook, coho, pink
Best Times: chinook, September-mid-October; sockeye, September-early November; pink, September-late October in odd years; coho, late October through December.

The Adams River has one of the largest Sockeye salmon runs in North America. Each year the sockeye return to the Adams River and every 4th year (2026) there are millions of fish to be seen. The Adams River Salmon Society coordinate the celebration known as the “Salute to the Sockeye” during the dominant years. To view sockeye returning to spawn, visit Tsútswecw Provincial Park (formerly Roderick Haig-Brown).

Directions: Leave Highway 1 at Squilax, about 10 km east of Chase; The entrance to Tsútswecw Provincial Park is 5 kilometres from Squilax on the Squilax-Anglemont Highway. To get to the Main parking lot and Information area, once at the intersection of Squilax and the TransCanada Highway, head north on the Squilax-Anglemont Road for approximately 5.4 kilometres, watch for roadside signage.

Hardy Falls Regional Park, Peachland

Species: kokanee salmon

Best times: from early September into early October, with peak times in mid-September

Popular for its scenic beauty, Hardy Falls Regional Park in Peachland features a well-maintained, one-kilometer trail leading to a creek and waterfall where kokanee salmon can be spotted. Located at the end of Hardy Street near Antler’s Beach, the flat trail is accessible for strollers and wheelchairs and includes eight footbridges with great views of Deep Creek and Okanagan Lake.

Directions: 6649 Hardy St, Peachland, BC V0H 1X9. When driving from Kelowna, make your way onto Harvey Ave/Okanagan Hwy/BC-97 S, then turn right onto Hardy St. The park is nestled at the end of Hardy Street just before Antler’s Beach.

Coldstream Park, Vernon

Species: kokanee

Best times: September to October

In Coldstream, just outside of Vernon, the Coldstream Park offers a scenic walking trail that will take you along the Coldstream Creek leading to Kalamalka Lake. Kokanee salmon can be spotted returning to spawn here through September.

Directions: 10100 Kalamalka Rd, Coldstream, BC V1B 1L5. From Vernon, make your way to Aberdeen Rd and drive south before turning right on Kalamalka Rd. The best spawning beds for viewing are in Coldstream Park behind Coldstream Elementary School.