Kamloops Lake is situated on the Thompson River just west of Kamloops. The lake is 1.6 km wide, 29 km long, and up to 152 m deep. The community of Savona is located at the west end of the lake on the Thompson River. The city of Kamloops is located a few miles east of the head of the lake, at the convergence of the North and South Thompson Rivers.

The lake is bounded on all sides by steep embankments, with level areas found only near creek deltas and around the inlet and outlet.

Kamloops Lake is widening, deepening, thickening and thrusting into the Thompson River, which enters at the east end and exits at the west end. The limnology of the lake is controlled by the thick tip of the Thompson River, which has fluctuations in annual flow, with over 60% occurring in the early summer during freshet (May to July). Lake levels rise naturally as much as from high season in June compared to low season. Conversely, beach areas expand by as much as in the summer as lake levels recede after freshet.

The time it takes for the water in the lake to be replaced with new water is very short, ranging from 20 days with a mean of 60 days. This makes Kamloops lake the cleanest boating lake in a 200-mile area. Due to Kamloops Lake being fed by both the North and South Thompson rivers (the South Thompson drains from the very warm Shuswap Lakes), Kamloops Lake is a very warm lake. Since the late twentieth century, it has become an increasingly popular boating and recreational area.

On the south side of the lake are residential subdivisions such as Cherry Creek and the Tobiano resort community. A Marina, boat launch, wharf , floating store and gas dock have been built By The BRUKER Developments Group , named Bruker Marina and Sport rentals at Tobiano resort; it is the only location on Kamloops Lake with these facilities. Both Savona and Kamloops also have boat launches, but their use is very limited in the later summer months of low water. The Bruker launch has been extended in length to accommodate early and late season Boaters.

Physical dimensions:

Water level: Unregulated
Normal range of annual water level fluctuation: 5 m
Surface Elevation: 335 m