Sockeye salmon swim in the Adams River in September.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Adams River Salmon Society

September is salmon spawning season and thousands of fish are returning to where they were born to lay eggs, and start the life cycle all over again.

iNFOnews.ca has created a list of popular salmon watching spots in the BC Interior, the largest being the sockeye salmon run on the Adams River.

Tsútswecw Provincial Park

The Adams River has one of the largest sockeye salmon runs in North America with millions of sockeye returning to spawning grounds every fall.

Every fourth year is a dominant year where the Adams River Salmon Society coordinates a celebration called Salute to the Sockeye. The next dominant year is 2026.

The sockeye can be observed in October and November, but there are also chinook, coho and pink salmon to watch for. Chinook and pink salmon swim up from September to the middle of October, while coho are visible from late October through to December.

The salmon can be spotted from a viewing platform located 300 metres west of the parking lot at Tsútswecw Provincial Park on Squilax-Anglemont Road in the Shuswap.

Adult chinook salmon spawn at the confluence of Chase Creek and the South Thompson River in October to early November.

You can see them from Mill Park at the end of Mill Road in Chase.

Kingfisher Interpretive Centre

You can watch chinook, sockeye, coho and kokanee at the Kingfisher Interpretive Centre in Enderby in September and October.

Located on the Shuswap River on Mabel Lake Road, the centre has numerous walking trails leading to the river and a salmon viewing area.

Coldstream Park

Kokanee in Kalamalka Lake move up Coldstream Creek to spawn throughout the month of September.

Observers can take a clearly marked walking trail at the park that runs along the creek leading to the lake to see the fish. The best spawning beds for viewing are in Coldstream Park behind Coldstream Elementary School.

Mission Creek Regional Park

The Okanagan’s kokanee salmon return every year to Mission Creek Regional Park and can be viewed in September and October. Residents can register through the Regional District of Central Okanagan website to learn more about kokanee life cycles by joining a park interpreter on Sept. 27 and Oct. 30.

Hardy Falls

A popular walking trail in Peachland is Hardy Falls located in Hardy Falls Regional Park. From early September into early October, the kokanee salmon swim up Deep Creek to waterfalls to spawn.

Park interpreters are onsite for most of September giving free information sessions on the lifecycle of the salmon.

The trail head is located at the end of Hardy Street near Antler’s Beach.

Go here for more information and a map of salmon spotting locations in the southern BC Interior. 

Did we miss your favourite spot? Let us know by sending an email to news@infonews.ca

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