The land and shore surrounding the island form part of Okanagan Mountain Park.

Legend has it that the lake monster, Ogopogo, lives in a cave on Rattlesnake Island earning the small land mass the nickname "Monster Island".

[1] In the early 1970s, Eddy Haymour developed the island as a tourist attraction[2][3] which included a mini-golf course with a replica of the Great Pyramid at Giza and a giant camel.

The provincial government blocked the project shortly after it opened.

In 1986 the BC Supreme Court ordered the Province of British Columbia to pay Eddy Haymour $250,000 in damages for their "highly improper" actions.