Mara Lake is a lake

Lake

A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

 in the Shuswap Country

Shuswap Country

The Shuswap Country, or simply "the Shuswap" is a term used in the Canadian province of British Columbia to refer to the environs of Shuswap Lake. The upper reaches of the Shuswap basin, southeast of Shuswap Lake and northeast of the Okanagan, are generally considered to be part of Okanagan or of...

 of the Southern Interior of British Columbia

British Columbia Interior

The British Columbia Interior or BC Interior or Interior of British Columbia, usually referred to only as the Interior, is one of the three main regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia, the other two being the Lower Mainland, which comprises the overlapping areas of Greater Vancouver...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, located immediately south of the community of Sicamous

Sicamous, British Columbia

Sicamous, British Columbia is a town in British Columbia located adjacent to the Trans-Canada Highway at the Highway 97A junction of Mara Lake and the Shuswap Lake system. It is known as a popular all season tourist destination attracting visitors from throughout Canada and around the world...

 and to the north of the community of Enderby

Enderby, British Columbia

The City of Enderby is in the North Okanagan of the Canadian province of British Columbia, between Armstrong and Salmon Arm. It is approximately 80 km north of Kelowna and 130 km east of Kamloops...

. It is the outlet of the Shuswap River

Shuswap River

The basin of the Shuswap River lies northeast of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. It is the upper part of the drainage better known to British Columbians as belonging to Shuswap Lake and the South Thompson River...

, which begins in the Monashee Mountains

Monashee Mountains

The Monashee Mountains are a mountain range mostly in British Columbia, Canada, extending into the U.S. state of Washington. They stretch from north to south and from east to west. They are a subrange of the Columbia Mountains...

 to the east. Its own outlet is Sicamous Narrows, which is a short canal-like stretch of water connecting to Shuswap Lake

Shuswap Lake

Shuswap Lake is a lake located in south-central British Columbia, Canada that drains via the Little River into Little Shuswap Lake. Little Shuswap Lake is the source of the South Thompson River, a branch of the Thompson River, a tributary of the Fraser River...

 and passing beneath the Trans-Canada Highway

Trans-Canada Highway

The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...

 and the Canadian Pacific Railway

Canadian Pacific Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...

 mainline at Sicamous. All are part of the drainage of the South Thompson River, which begins at the outlet of Little Shuswap Lake

Little Shuswap Lake

Little Shuswap Lake is a small lake in the Thompson River basin of the southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, which sits at the transition between the Thompson Country to the west and the Shuswap Country to the east...

.

The lake is navigable from Shuswap Lahich is a popular boating area, and in addition to Mara Provincial Park

Mara Provincial Park

Mara Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located on Mara Lake south of Sicamous. Established on May 6, 1958, the park is only 5 ha. in size.-References:*...

 its shores include the Mara Point Site of Shuswap Lake Marine Provincial Park

Shuswap Lake Marine Provincial Park

Shuswap Lake Marine Provincial Park is a 896-hectare provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, comprising 991 ha. The Park has a variety of amenities including boat launch ramps, picnic areas, and 27 campsites around the perimeter of Shuswap Lake...

.

Name origin

"After John Andrew Mara

John Andrew Mara

John Andrew Mara was a Canadian merchant, rancher and a politician at both the provincial and federal levels....

, an Overlander of '62; born at Toronto; had store at Seymour on Shuswap Lake in 1865, later at Kamloops; merchant, miller, steamship operator, promoter of Kootenay Steam Navigation Company and Shuswap & Okanagan Railway (CPR, Sicamous-Okanagan Lake), MLA, 1871 - 86 (Speaker, 1883 - 86); MP, 1887 - 96. Retired to Victoria, where he died February 11, 1920, aged 79."