As few friends and I were traveling on the highway no. 3, heading towards Vancouver, we saw something different. At first it looked like holes dug into the ground and filled with water, but the unusual thing about that place was it was huge land with multiple holes and area around the holes were in white color, looked much like dried salt. Just to see it clearly we stopped the car on the sideways and gazed at it. It was surprising and how beautiful the place looked! We had no idea what it was, but never spotted it before, so dumb of us! There was a gate nearby the driveway, so we head up to it where a fence was put surrounding the area. Outside the fence was a board hanged, saying Spotted Lake and all the history and information about the lake was given on it.

The one thing I liked about the place is its multiple spots on a huge ground of six thousand one hundred and sixty feet. The color changes of the water according to the climate as the water is rich with minerals and have large amount of calcium, sodium and magnesium sulphate and even silver and titanium. So, because of the minerals and climatic temperature, the colors changes throughout the year. Sometimes it changes into blue, sometimes green, silver and other colors. The white hardened layers around the spots are crystallized magnesium sulfate, which are formed due to sun heat in summer.

The spotted Lake is located near Osoyoos city in British Columbia, on the Washington State Border. Long time ago, the lake was known for its healing and curing powers of the skin. For generation, Okanagan Indian knew the healing power of the lake and even protected it many years back. They called it Kliluk.

As I mentioned above, that lake’s color changed throughout the year, but trust me the best time to see this lake is in summer i.e. June to mid September, as you could see the spots and that’s why we and other people get attracted and curious about it. During rainy it gets filled completely, but in summer, it’s surely different, that you never saw before!

Even before world war, the lake’s significance was known to the First Nation tribes and used to cure backaches, skin diseases, warts and battle wounds. In World War I, it was used for making ammunition too. In twentieth century, the property got under Ernest Smith and his family who dreamed to build a spa over it. But the Indian tribe didn’t allowed and bought half of the land with the help of Indian Affairs Department. Around twenty two hectares land is under protection. If you want to walk around the crystallized layer then you have to take permission of the Okanagan tribe or else just admire it standing on the highway 3.

But seriously, the view of the lake was just awesome! Nothing like that I have seen in my life. From a distance, it looks like painters color palette!