[1] Along the shoreline are Penticton (north), Kaleden (west), and Okanagan Falls (south).

When changed to Skaha Lake in 1930, the Shuswap name for dog was mistakenly chosen.

In 1894, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) built the 17-metre (55 ft) sternwheeler SS Fairview for this run but soon moved to Okanagan Lake, where the vessel burned in 1897.

[4] Encountering navigational difficulties on the connecting river, the sternwheeler remained in Okanagan Lake after the initial run.

Campbell and A.S. Hatfield bought the Kaleden to form the South Okanagan Transportation Company.

Possessing an approximate 20-square-kilometre (7.7 sq mi) surface area and 55-metre (180 ft) depth,[10] the lake lies as the boundary between the Okanagan dry forests to the northeast and the Cascade Mountains leeward forests to the west.

[citation needed] The lake hosts a variety of fish including kokanee salmon, rainbow trout, and smallmouth bass.