Tucked between two sparkling lakes in the heart of British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley, Penticton is full of exciting things to do. Robin and Arlene Karpan have written this guide to help you enjoy everything from outdoor adventures to sipping local wines in this beautiful city.
Penticton’s biggest appeal is its prime location in the south Okanagan Valley, with stunning lakelands backed by mountain peaks. The small city in British Columbia of less than 40,000 is sandwiched between Okanagan Lake to the north and Skaha Lake to the south, making it one of only two cities in the world between two lakes, the other being Interlaken, Switzerland.
It’s a landscape tailor-made for outdoor adventure from hiking to biking, climbing, paddling, or just finding a gorgeous lookout point to admire the view.
We have almost unlimited opportunities to taste our way through the valley, which ranks high among Canada’s top fruit-growing and wine-making regions. A bonus is the climate, with the warmest and driest part of the country allowing us to enjoy these activities throughout much of the year.
Getting to Penticton
Penticton Airport (YYF), right on the edge of town, is used mainly for regional travel, most notably to and from Vancouver and Calgary. More flights are available at Kelowna International Airport (YLW), about 70 kilometres north, with links to much of Canada and parts of the USA and Mexico.
Most people visit the community as part of a road trip. Penticton lies along Highway 97, which runs the length of the scenic Okanagan Valley north to Armstrong and Kamloops. It is also just north of Highway 3 across southern BC, favoured by many as a more easy-going alternative to the busy Trans Canada Highway.
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Where to Stay and Eat
Penticton is small enough that staying practically anywhere in town is convenient. The favoured location is Lakeshore Drive, which runs along Okanagan Beach on the south end of Okanagan Lake.
Many top hotels and resorts are here, including where we stayed at the Kettle Valley Beach Resort. This Penticton lakeside resort makes a great base with the beach right across the street. From anywhere along Lakeshore Drive, it’s a short walk to downtown, where we find some of the city’s top eateries or the popular Penticton Farmers Market.
You’re spoiled for choice when it comes to eating. At the top of the list for fine dining is OROLO restaurant downtown. It’s part of the TIME Family of Wines which also operates the Chronos wine tasting room in the same building. Every dish on the menu includes suggested wine pairings from their exceptional cellars.
For Mediterranean fare, you might try Elma on Lakeshore Drive for Turkish-inspired dishes with the added flavour of local ingredients. Reservations are highly recommended at both of these well-known restaurants.
For casual dining, downtown’s Wayne & Freda coffee shop for breakfast sandwiches has become a Penticton institution. When we mentioned to a local that we intended to go there for breakfast, the advice was to arrive early before the line-ups.
If you happen to be in town during the Saturday Farmers Market on the 100 block of Main Street (mid-April to the end of October), you can’t go wrong picking up locally-grown fruits, veggies, or fresh-baked goodies. The lively market has been a long-standing Penticton tradition that often attracts several thousand visitors each week.
Okanagan Beach
Both lakes offer inviting sandy beaches, with Okanagan Beach being right on the edge of the city centre. To get a feel for Penticton, we suggest starting with a walk along the wide pathway adjacent to the beach on Lakeshore Drive. On the west end sits the SS Sicamous sternwheeler. Launched in 1914, the luxurious steamship transported passengers and cargo throughout Okanagan Lake until it was retired in 1936. It is now a historic site and museum.
Nearby, two other historic vessels are being restored by the Marine Heritage Society – the SS Naramata, Canada’s last freshwater steam tug boat, and the diesel-powered Canadian National Tug Boat No. 6, the last tug boat to operate on Okanagan Lake when it retired in 1973, marking the end of an era.
Only steps away from the Sicamous, take a stroll through the impressive Penticton Rose Garden, a colourful small park with bountiful blooms, a gazebo, a short walking trail, and an all-round pleasant spot to relax on park benches in the shade.
On the east end of the beach stands one of the city’s most recognizable symbols, a gigantic peach. Peach production is big in the region, and Penticton even holds an annual summer Peach Festival, billed as one of Canada’s largest free family festivals.
“Fuel Free…Almost”
“Fuel free…Almost” is a slogan adopted by Visit Penticton to promote the city’s active lifestyle and to outline the many environmentally friendly ways to explore the area without driving. The city’s downtown is a case in point. If you stay in one of the many hotels along Lakeshore Drive, you can park your car and easily visit everything in the Okanagan Beach area and downtown by walking.
The number of walking and biking trails is outstanding. There are so many that you can only get to a few unless you move there. There are short walks, such as the one-kilometre stroll up Munson Mountain for an iconic view over Penticton, hikes to a waterfall, and more challenging possibilities higher into the mountains. Visit Penticton has a handy list of trails, complete with brief descriptions, difficulty ratings, and links to maps.
Cycling opens up even more options, with routes mapped out along minor roadways, through orchards and vineyards, easy-going runs along a former railway bed, and through wild country geared to the most experienced riders. Local businesses rent bikes if you don’t bring your own.
Paddling is the other fuel-free activity. It’s easy to get out on the water by kayak, canoe, or paddle board. For a unique experience, try a lazy meander using a tire tube or inflatable “floatie” along the seven-kilometre Penticton Channel connecting the two lakes.
Kettle Valley Railway Trail
Of all the outdoor possibilities around Penticton, the Kettle Valley Railway (KRV) Trail deserves special mention. The railway once stretched 660 kilometres across southern BC from Hope to Castlegar, crossing some dramatic landscapes. After the Kettle Valley Railway was decommissioned, much of it was turned into a recreational valley rail trail.
Penticton is home to some of the most developed parts of the trail, especially the iconic area between Penticton and Naramata and the Little Tunnel, where it cuts through the high cliffs overlooking Okanagan Lake. Visit Pentiction has a convenient map outlining the route.
The trail is used for both hiking and biking. Since it follows the route of the railway, the grade is gradual, even though you end up at some dizzying heights. You can start the route from downtown Penticton, paralleling Naramata Road towards the attractive town of Naramata on the east side of Okanagan Lake.
A mind-boggling array of vineyards and some of the area’s top wineries are located near the route, so you can combine a bike ride with winery visits, if you like. It’s about 16 kilometres to the Little Tunnel from Penticton, or shorter excursions are possible starting at other trailheads.
You can even drive to the Little Tunnel and do a walk from there. This is also a great option for anyone with mobility issues who still wants to visit. To get there, follow Naramata Road north, then turn onto Chute Lake Road, which winds up the mountain to a trailhead parking lot about 600 metres above Okanagan Lake.
The setting is nothing short of breathtaking. The tunnel was blasted through rock on the edge of the cliff high over the lake. As you walk through the tunnel, notice the soot-blackened ceiling dating to the days of steam locomotives. A small picnic site sits beside the tunnel. We can’t imagine a more impressive spot to have a picnic lunch or just sit a while and admire the view.
Sipping the Best of Wine and Cider
The south Okanagan has over 170 wineries, 80 within a 20-minute drive from Penticton. You could easily spend much of your visit tasting vintages from throughout the region and still only get around to a small sample. Many wineries have tasting rooms, and several tour operators offer wine tours, so you don’t have to worry about driving.
We especially enjoyed Poplar Grove Winery. In 1993, it was one of the original wineries in the now wildly popular Naramata Bench area just outside Penticton. Their signature Pinot Gris, Cabernet Franc, and special blends are traditional favourites, and we also found their rosé to be exceptional. Poplar Grove’s restaurant is often busy for good reason, combining great food and wine with huge windows offering splendid views over the vineyards and Okanagan Lake.
Besides wine, we wanted to see what other delightful tipples were on offer in the Penticton area. Our biggest surprise was cider taken to a whole new level.
At La Petite Abeille, or the Little Bee, they produce elegant dry and off-dry ciders meant for pairing with food. Located halfway between Penticton and Naramata, all of the fruit for the ciders comes from their on-site Blue Bee Orchard.
Owner Kimberley Wish took us through a tasting of their top offerings, starting with their signature cider, Pear Charmat, made from Bartlett pears. It uses the Charmat Method, which is more common to sparkling wines such as Prosecco, where a secondary in-tank fermentation provides natural fizziness. Kimberley suggested that this cider–soft and smooth with a creamy feel and fruity aromas–makes the perfect accompaniment to seafood.
Some of the other top sellers include Sparkling Apricot & Apple Cider, which combines Goldbar apricots and Granny Smith apples, and Sparkling Black Currant Apple & Honey Cider, which is slightly off-dry and full of complexities. The cidery sits in a gorgeous setting among orchards and vineyards, and features an outdoor patio with a view.
Canada’s Craft Beer Capital
If beer is more to your liking, you’re in luck. Lonely Planet called Penticton Canada’s Craft Beer Capital. With eight craft breweries, there are more places making suds per capita here than most other cities in the country.
Of special note is Tin Whistle Brewery, named after the first locomotive on the old KVR, and the first carbon-neutral brewery in western Canada.
Starting an environmentally sustainable brewery was the dream of Alexis Esseltine and Timothy Scoon, who bought the brewery in 2020. With a background in environmental work, Alexis is savvy about the complex science-y stuff involved. Among their long list of innovations is capturing CO2 and feeding it to algae, and having zero waste where everything is reused, recycled, or composted.
Equally important, they make damn good beer, earning them awards in the Canada Beer Cup. A recent award-winner, and our favourite, is the Mythical Creatures IPA (with a nod to Ogopogo and the Sasquatch). Their top seller is Peach Cream Ale, made with barley, oats, and peaches. They constantly experiment with new recipes, such as a pale ale with spruce tips and juniper berries or a milk stout with coffee and hazelnuts.
The brewery is a delight to visit. Located in an historic cannery building, the informal setting has become a gathering place with many of their beers on tap. Out front, a local chef runs a food truck offering gourmet fare in case you want to nibble on something as well.
Final Thoughts on Visiting Penticton
It had been quite a while since our previous trip to Penticton, so returning revealed a lot of surprises. We were aware of Penticton’s fame in wine-making, but had no idea of the extent to which it has become equally known for cider and craft beer.
We knew there was great hiking, but we were astounded at the trail system’s extent. As we wandered around, we kept noting places and experiences to explore further on our next visit. Enjoying the outdoors amid gorgeous scenery in an ideal climate, accompanied by great wine and beer–what’s not to like?
Robin & Arlene Karpan would like to thank Visit Penticton for their assistance in arranging this visit. All opinions in this article are completely their own.
Robin and Arlene Karpan are award-winning writers, photographers, bloggers, and authors of several travel books, including Canadian Bestsellers. Their work has appeared in over 100 publications around the world. While their travels have taken them to all seven continents, they find that some of the most compelling destinations are close to home in Canada. They have a special interest in the natural world and outdoor photography. Robin and Arlene publish the travel blog Photo Journeys which looks at travel through a photographer’s lens, and is rated by Feedspot as among the Top 100 Travel Photography Sites.