Adams River Salmon Run

One of North America's largest sockeye salmon runs, in the Adams River at Tsútswecw Provincial Park, about an hour west of Salmon Arm.

The Adams River sockeye run is one of those wildlife events that genuinely earns the description spectacular. Every four years — the next dominant runs after 2022 are in 2026 and 2030 — several million sockeye return to the Adams River to spawn in October. The fish turn crimson and hump-backed once they enter fresh water, and the sheer density of them in a short, clear river makes the sight viscerally strange. Smaller runs occur in the off years; even those are worth seeing if you're in the area in October.

The park is now officially called Tsútswecw Provincial Park, the Secwépemc name for the area. It sits about 50 kilometres west of Salmon Arm on the TransCanada, with the park entrance a few kilometres north at Squilax. The trail network along the river is flat and accessible, and BC Parks usually sets up interpretation stations during the peak run. Go early in the morning if you want the fish without the crowds.

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A story
The Adams River is a short, clear river connecting Adams Lake to Shuswap Lake. In a dominant run year, the gravel bottom turns red with the bodies of spawning sockeye — millions of fish packed so densely that the river appears to be moving. It is not a subtle experience. The smell carries, the gulls are deafening, and every few seconds another fish rolls and splashes in the shallows.