James Chabot Park is a day-use provincial park at the north end of 15-kilometre-long Windermere Lake, about two kilometres from Invermere town centre and three kilometres off Highway 93/95. BC Parks describes a broad sandy beach backed by open grassy play areas.
The park sits between the Purcell and Rocky mountains.
James Chabot Park is a family-friendly lake day destination. Swimming, canoeing, kayaking, windsurfing, waterskiing, fishing, an adventure playground, and a volleyball court are all part of the official recreation mix. Windermere Lake is popular with motorboats, so paddlers and swimmers need to stay aware of boat traffic.
The park also connects visitors to wetland viewing. A 350-metre elevated Dragonfly boardwalk lets pedestrians observe wildlife and appreciate the wetland within the park. BC Parks notes the boardwalk as part of a Columbia Rivers Greenways Alliance effort to link natural habitat and green spaces along the Columbia River.
Fishing includes trout, kokanee, and whitefish in Lake Windermere, and the nearby Columbia Wetlands add broader landscape and birding context. The north end of the lake was known for First Nations encampments. The park is day-use only.
Plan around beach swimming, paddling, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, windsurfing, waterskiing outside buoyed areas, the adventure playground, volleyball, the Dragonfly boardwalk, wetland viewing, and road cycling.
Overnight buoy storage and watercraft moorage are prohibited. The park boundary extends 100 metres into Windermere Lake from the high water line. Dogs are allowed only on the gravel pathway and boardwalk, leashed year-round.
