Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business Penticton sits on a narrow strip of land between Okanagan Lake and Skaha Lake in the south Okanagan, which gives the city two waterfronts and two very different beach scenes. Add a dry, sunny climate, orchards, vineyards and a lively summer calendar, and it is easy to see why people return every year.
The Peach
SS Sicamous
Okanagan Beach
Penticton Art Gallery
+4 more places
The name comes from an Okanagan word, snpintktn, usually translated as "a place to stay forever."
Today Penticton is known as the Peach City. It has the mildest winter of any non-coastal city in Canada, hot summers, and a semi-arid landscape of benches and scrubland framed by hills.
It is also a practical base. Wine country, small lakeside villages and ski hills are all within a short drive, and the compact downtown is easy to explore on foot or by bike.
This concession stand at the foot of Winnipeg Street is shaped and painted like a giant peach. It is one of the most photographed spots in town.
The Peach is a concession stand shaped like a giant peach at the foot of Winnipeg Street. Photo: Joe Mabel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
This paddlewheeler was built in 1914 for the Canadian Pacific Railway and retired in 1936. It is now a heritage museum on Lakeshore Drive West, beside the smaller SS Naramata.
The SS Sicamous was built in 1914 and now rests on the shore of Okanagan Lake as a museum. Photo: Jack Borno, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
The beach follows most of Lakeshore Drive on Okanagan Lake and is generally the more family-oriented shore. Walk the path, rent a paddleboard, or simply find a patch of sand.
The beaches along Lakeshore Drive face Okanagan Lake. Photo: Darren Kirby, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
On Marina Way, the gallery holds a modest permanent collection by local and regional artists, along with bone carvings by traditional Inuit artists and changing exhibitions. It is a good rainy-day stop and takes about an hour.
The Penticton Art Gallery is on Marina Way near the lakefront. Photo: Darren Kirby from Penticton, Canada, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
On Main Street, the museum shares a building with the library. It tells the story of pioneer days with artifacts, photographs and documents, and includes First Nations pieces.
Built in 1927 as a nurses' residence, Leir House now serves as the home of the Penticton Arts Council. The grounds have vintage stone walls and a gazebo, which makes a peaceful short stop.
Head east on Vancouver Avenue and follow the signs to the lookout above town.
The Penticton sign on Munson Mountain looks over the city and both lakes. Photo: Kyle Pearce, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Skaha Lake lies at the south end of the city, and its beach has a livelier atmosphere than the one on Okanagan Lake. Sudbury Beach and Airport Beach are nearby on the same lake.
Skaha Beach lies on Skaha Lake at the south end of the city. Photo: Fil.Al from Comox, Canada, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
A shallow, slow river links Okanagan Lake to Skaha Lake, and floating down it is a local summer tradition. The trip takes between two and three and a half hours depending on water levels.
South of the city above Skaha Lake, the bluffs are a renowned rock climbing area with hundreds of established routes. Hikers can also walk the trails for views.
Skaha Bluffs is a well-known rock climbing area south of Penticton. Photo: Extemporalist, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
The old railway grade runs from Penticton through the Naramata bench wineries, and it suits both cyclists and walkers. It is part of the Trans Canada Trail.
The Kettle Valley Rail Trail follows the old railway grade through the Naramata bench. Photo: Darren Kirby, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Penticton is orchard country. Cherries ripen in early July, and apples and pears follow in early September. Roadside fruit stands sell fresh peaches, juices and other seasonal produce, and the city is proud of its Peach City nickname.
The south Okanagan is also a major wine region, with dozens of wineries in the surrounding hills. Look for ice wine, a dessert wine that the valley is known for, alongside crisp whites and reds.
Popular dishes to try in Penticton
Penticton is compact, so every area is close to the water, but each has a different feel.
Downtown Penticton suits travelers without a car who want to walk to restaurants, the art gallery and the Okanagan Lake shore. Lakeshore Drive runs along Okanagan Lake and works best for families and beach lovers who want sand outside their door, as well as visitors who like to be near the SS Sicamous.
Skaha Lake is the south side of the city, with a livelier beach scene and easy access to the climbing bluffs. It also suits people arriving by car.
Where to stay in Penticton
Summer is peak season, with hot days, warm lakes and plenty of events. Average summer temperatures sit in the high twenties Celsius, and heat above thirty-five is possible.
September and October bring the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival and harvest colour, with fewer crowds. Winters are mild for Canada but often cloudy, and Apex Mountain Resort draws skiers to the hills west of the city.
Most visitors arrive by car on Highway 97. The drive takes about four hours from Vancouver, five from Seattle or Spokane and eight from Calgary, and Kelowna is roughly forty minutes north.
BC Transit runs local buses, with routes to Naramata, Summerland, Okanagan Falls, Oliver, Osoyoos and Kelowna. Service is limited on Sundays and in the evening, so check schedules.
Downtown is compact, and cycling from lake to lake takes only around fifteen minutes. There are bike paths along both sides of the River Channel.
Start with a walk along Okanagan Beach, take a photo at the Peach, then tour the SS Sicamous.
Float the River Channel in the morning, then relax at Skaha Beach in the afternoon.
Cycle or drive the Kettle Valley Rail Trail toward Naramata and stop for a winery lunch.
Climb or hike at Skaha Bluffs, or drive to a nearby town such as Summerland or Osoyoos.
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