Kootenay Lake is 530 m (1,736 ft) above sea level and bounded by the Selkirk Mountain range to the west and the Purcell range to the east. The lake is about 144 km (90 mi) long, and up to 152 m (500 ft) deep. The average width is 4 km (2.5 mi) and is 8 km (5 miles) across at its widest. It was formed during the Ice Age, when glacial advances deposited glacial till to the south, creating the rich farmlands around Creston and a large basin to the north.   

From Creston a trip up Highway 3A north provides a beautiful scenic drive along the east shores of Kootenay Lake. The first community along this route is Wynndel which continues the agriculture heritage of the area with a number of berry farms. A little further north is Sirdar where many people stop at the general store.  Further on is the small lakeside resort town of Boswell and Lockhart Beach Provincial Park , a small, beautifully forested park. This 3,751-hectare park protects an undisturbed watershed and stands of old-growth cedar and hemlock. A hiking trail runs along Lockhart Creek, through a mixed forest of Douglas fir, western red cedar and Ponderosa pine.   

Gray Creek is the next community along Highway 3A and was first settled in 1906.  Located here is Kootenay Lake's oldest General Store on Chainsaw Avenue.  A prominent service centre for the East Shore and still under the same family ownership, proprietor Tom Lymbery's father started the business in 1913.  It truly is a "General Store", with just about anything one could need..including a fabulous array of books on local history, hardware, home improvement necessities, wood stoves and food staples.  This is an absolute "must see" if you are in the area!