Skip to content

If You’ve Never Been Houseboating on the Shuswap, You’re Missing Out: Here’s Why

Renting a houseboat on this gorgeous Canadian lake is the perfect summer vacation

By Waterway Houseboats April 23, 2019

17-1

Sponsored by Waterway Houseboats

Remember spending summer days at the lake, playing in the water and barbecuing on the beach? Remember stepping away from busy schedules to enjoy the outdoors and connect with our favorite people? Remember when our eyes were glued to scenery rather than screens, and we paid more attention to each other than our phones?

Those were the days.

The good news is that these kinds of days are still within reach. All it takes is a little enthusiasm and planning around the hectic days in life—worth it to get back to a slower, more sun-soaked pace.

This summer, it’s time to rediscover what it means to get away, create memories together and spend your days however you please.

The perfect jumping-off point to the best summer activities? Houseboating.

 Houseboating is a unique kind of trip that forces you to slow down and appreciate the moment without losing a sense of adventure. It’s a vacation that appeals equally to a group of friends looking to live it up on the lake and a family gathering with people of all ages.

Relax, soak up the sun, play watersports, and be sure to spend a little time hunting down secluded beaches or nearby towns. A houseboat is the perfect vessel for scouting out private coves and an ideal way to enjoy lakeside campfires, beach parties and barbecues with a cold drink in hand. 

Luckily, the houseboating capital of Canada is just a hop, skip and a jump away — the beautiful Shuswap Lake. This magnificent lake, halfway between Calgary and Vancouver and just a quick direct flight away from Seattle, is a recreation and houseboating paradise. Sun-drenched beaches, beautiful waterfalls and plentiful fishing are yours to discover from the comfort of your home away from home. Visitors can enjoy swimming, hiking, water skiing, golfing, ATV-riding and mountain biking, and everyone will get a kick out of the waterslide on the back of every Waterway Houseboat. Kayaks, canoes, waterskis and tubes are also available for rental, as are knee boards and wakeboards. Houseboating on the Shuswap: the key to golden summer memories.

Follow Us

The Secret Language of Tu Tu’ Tun River Lodge

The Secret Language of Tu Tu’ Tun River Lodge

A riverside retreat near Gold Beach where glass cabins and wood-fired dining set the pace.

There’s a place where Highway 101 gives way to a winding forest road outside Gold Beach, Oregon. Misty salt air shifts to a forest of Douglas fir and ponderosa pine while the ocean softens into the steady breathing of the Rogue River. It’s here, on land once stewarded by Native American tribes, that you’ll find…

Built Into the Trees

Built Into the Trees

A new design-forward alpine retreat near Mount Rainier blends craft, comfort, and slow-living rituals into a year-round stay that’s hard to leave.

It was dark when we arrived. Our family of four—my husband and our tween and teen daughters—left Seattle for a weekend getaway later than planned, the kind of Friday departure that feels optimistic when you pack the car and less so once you hit the slow crawl of traffic out of the city. We cruised…

Getaways & Gifts: Valentine’s Day & Lunar New Year

Getaways & Gifts: Valentine’s Day & Lunar New Year

Seattle staycation ideas for gals, pals, and romance.

Valentine’s Day 2026 promises to be a long, merry weekend. Celebrate with loved ones, then tack on Lunar New Year, Mardi Gras, and President’s Day as well. Sounds like a staycation to us—one that accommodates gals, pals, couples, and anyone motivated by indulgent dining and late checkout. Here’s the roundup, with site-specific gift ideas. Alexis…

The Wanderer’s Guide to Portland’s Pearl District

The Wanderer’s Guide to Portland’s Pearl District

Expect the unexpected in this consistently rewarding urban art oasis.

The first sound we hear at ILY2 gallery is not reverent silence, but astonished, contagious laughter. As we enter the room, a giggling couple bends down to grab a fish from a basket and load it into a giant cannon. The (rubber) salmon rockets through the gallery, thuds loudly against the opposite wall, and drops…