The Arrow Lakes are part of the traditional territory of the Sinixt, Okanagan and Ktunaxa First Nations.

Location: The Arrow Lakes are located in the Kootenays region of BC, between the Selkirk and Monashee Mountains, with the upper extreme of Arrow Lake at the town of Revelstoke, and the southern tip of Arrow Lake at the town of Castlegar.

• The Upper Arrow Lakes Ferry service operates across Upper Arrow Lake from Galena Bay on the eastern shore of the lake to Shelter Bay on the western shore of Upper Arrow Lake. This free ferry service connects Highway 23 that runs from Revelstoke to Nakusp in the Kootenays. More Ferry information.

• The Needles Cable Ferry service operates across Lower Arrow Lake from Needles on the western shore to Fauquier on the eastern shore of Lower Arrow Lake. This free ferry service connects Highway 6 that runs from Castlegar in the Kootenays to Vernon in the North Okanagan. More Ferry information.

• Revelstoke
  Located at the extreme northern tip of Upper Arrow Lake, the history of Revelstoke is tied to the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway, which you can delve into at the Revelstoke Railway Museum. Towering mountains rise all around Revelstoke, a town that appeals to hikers and skiers.

• Nakusp
  Located on the eastern shore of Upper Arrow Lake in the West Kootenays, the community of Nakusp occupies a picturesque setting at the foot of the Selkirk Mountains, ringed by the Selkirk Mountains to the east, the Valhallas to the south and the Monashee Mountains to the west.

• Burton
  Southwest of Nakusp, Burton is a friendly little lakeside village on the east shore of Lower Arrow Lake. Burton is also located on Highway 6, en route to the Faquier/Needles ferry crossing of Arrow Lake, and beyond that to Vernon and the Okanagan Valey.

• Castlegar
  Southwest of Nelson near the southern tip of Lower Arrow Lake, Castlegar is the home of many of British Columbia's Doukhobors, a pacifist group of political refugee emigrants from Russia that settled in the Ootichena Valley in 1908. Their history has now become part of the attraction of Castlegar.

• Lake Communities: Small communities or settlements on Upper Arrow Lake include Arrowhead and Shoreholme. Small communities or settlements on Lower Arrow Lake include Applegrove, Edgewood, Renata, Deer Park, Shields, and Robson.

• Provincial Parks: The following provincial parks are located on Upper and Lower Arrow Lakes:
  Blanket Creek Provincial Park
  Arrow Lakes (Shelter Bay) Provincial Park
  McDonald Creek Provincial Park
  Syringa Provincial Park