The Okanagan Highland is a plateau-like hilly area in British Columbia, Canada, and the U.S. state of Washington (where it is spelled Okanogan Highlands). It lies between the Okanagan Valley on its west and the Kettle River on its east, and geologically is more or less an extension of the Thompson Plateau, which lies west of the Okanagan. Its northern perimeter is the valley of the Shuswap River, while its southern limit is the FDR Reservoir (the impounded Columbia River above Grand Coulee Dam) in Washington State. Some definitions may place the northern limit at the Coldstream Valley, east of Vernon, British Columbia, as that is the southern limit of the Shuswap Highland.
The highest summit of the Highland is Big White Mountain, at its northeastern extremity, which is also the highest summit of the Beaverdell Range, a mountain range which extends south from Big White between the Kettle and West Kettle Rivers. Other notable summits are Okanagan Mountain, Little White Mountain, Mount Baldy, and Mount Bonaparte, which is the highest summit in the US portion of the Highland.
The Okanagan Highland is the source of several rivers in addition to the Kettle and West Kettle, including the Sanpoil River.
The Kettle River Range, Monashee Mountains, and Columbia Mountains are located east of the Okanagan Highland. The description of the "Okanogan Highlands" by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources includes portions of these mountain ranges in their definition of the region.
Famous quotes containing the word highland:
“If you would feel the full force of a tempest, take up your residence on the top of Mount Washington, or at the Highland Light, in Truro.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)