Mission Creek (British Columbia)

Mission Creek
Rivière de l'Anse-au-Sable
Mouth of Mission Creek
Native nameN'wha-kwi-sen
Location
CountryCanada
StateBritish Columbia
DistrictCentral Okanagan
CityKelowna
Physical characteristics
Source 
  locationBritish Columbia, Canada
Mouth 
  location
British Columbia, Canada
  coordinates
49°50′33″N 119°29′37″W / 49.84250°N 119.49361°W / 49.84250; -119.49361
Length75 km (47 mi)
Basin size860 km2 (330 sq mi)
Discharge 
  locationLake Okanagan
  average6.81 m3/s (240 cu ft/s)

Mission Creek is a large creek in the Okanagan Region of British Columbia. Originally called N'wha-kwi-sen (smoothing stones), it was later mapped as Rivière de l’Anse-au-Sable (Sandy Bay River), the name Mission Creek was adopted in 1860 in honour of the Catholic Oblate Mission established by Father Pandosy and other settlers. The Creek rises in the Greystoke Mountain Range and runs west about 43 kilometres (27 mi) before emptying into Okanagan Lake south of Kelowna. Its watershed covers about 200,000 square kilometres (49,000,000 acres). Mission Creek was designated a BC Heritage River by the province in 1996.