The lake resembles a rough 'H' in shape and is made up of four arms, the Shuswap Lake Main Area, the Salmon Arm, Mara Lake, Anstey Arm and Seymour Arm. This unusual pattern is caused by several intersecting valleys formed by the movement of ancient glaciers in the Shuswap Highlands. The surrounding area is largely made up of metamorphic rock where rockhounds will often find blue-gray and banded agate, crystalline geodes and amethyst. Forest cover is greatly affected by the diverse moisture patterns so tree species vary from cedar, hemlock, spruce, white pine and Douglas fir to poplar, birch and ponderosa pine. Living within the forest is a wide variety of wildlife such as the mule deer, porcupine, black bear, bighorn sheep, and caribou.
Insects are common, making for an abundant and varied bird population.
There are sixteen species of fish in the lake including kokanee, lake trout, Dolly Varden and burbot, all of which are popular sport fish. The Trans-Canada Highway runs near the southern shore of Shuswap Lake providing easy access to the area in which the parks are located. The north side of the park is rather undeveloped, the south side is where the camping area is located. Beautiful beaches, shelters and a marine sani-station are found here. A 1.5 km trail leads the visitor to a viewpoint overlooking the lake.