Is Penticton Worth Visiting? Reasons To Visit & Things To Do

Are you wondering is Penticton worth visiting?

Penticton is in the middle of the Okanagan and is one of the top three most popular summer destinations.

Having been to Penticton many times growing up, I have to say that most Vancouver locals like to go there for a long weekend or a summer staycation. Snowbirds also like to travel to Penticton during the winter for snow-related activities, but most like to visit in the summer.

In this blog post, I’ll explain the reasons for visiting Penticton, things to do, and other general information.

Is Penticton Worth Visiting

So the quick answer is yes, Penticton is worth visiting.

Penticton is located between Okanagan Lake (top) and Skaha (bottom). During the summer, it’s one of those places where you would rather hang out lakeside, swim, or relax while sipping wine on a hotel patio.

Being near the lake isn’t only what Penticton offers; it’s also near popular winery locations like Naramata. It’s also near Summerland, where you can find orchards for picking fruit like peaches, cherries, and apricots.

Other outdoor activities include hiking, camping, and cycling. During these activities, you may see wildlife such as deer, black bears, snakes, and other animals.

You may see deer on the streets or on people’s properties when looking for food in gardens. I remember staying in Penticton once, and there was a deer next door to us. I also remember seeing some on the side of highways.

Overall, Penticton is worth visiting if you’re okay with being by the lake all day or visiting wineries and breweries.

Rows of green vineyards with houses poking out between the properties. There's also mountains in the backgound. With the sun setting.

10 Things To Do In Penticton

Penticton can get quite hot in the summer—30° Celcius and higher—so be sure to wear sunscreen and bring water and snacks when you’re doing any activities.

While Penticton is a place you can travel to in the winter, I’ll be focusing on more things to do in the summer because, as I mentioned earlier, people travel to Penticton more during this time of year.

1. Lake Activities

Of course, as I mentioned previously, Penticton is known for its lake activities.

There’s Skaha Lake and Okanagan Lake; Okanagan Lake is the busier and larger of the two. The Okanagan Lake Beach stretches from the S.S. Sicamous to the elevated walkway. There’s also a small section of beach on Marine Way.

On the lake, you can take out boats, kayak, rent jet skis, or do the banana boats — which is so much fun, especially if you’re in the front or back of the banana.

There’s also a designated dog park called OK Dog Park, where you can take your dogs to cool off in the water.

Skaha Lake, on the other hand, tends to be less busy than Okanagan Lake, but it can get busy on a hot day. It has a bit more beach space compared to Okanagan Lake.

Arial view of Skaha Lake in the early morning. The beach below is empty and the lake is calm with bouys to indicate the safe swimming distance from the beach. There's the park with a small basketball court to the right and a paved walkway. There are mountains in the distance. — Skaha Lake

2. Ride The Penticton Channel

Riding the Penticton Channel — my family has always called it the canal, but potato patahto. Anyway, it’s always one of my favourite things to do when we travel to Penticton. It connects Okanagan Lake to Skaha Lake.

You can bring your own blow-up rafts or inner tubes and float down the channel. It usually takes about an hour or so to reach the halfway point, where you can get out if you like, and around two hours to complete the entire channel.

There’s also a place called Coyote Cruises where you can rent inner tubes and take a shuttle back to the beginning of the channel. However, if you have two cars to spare, park one at the end of the channel and the other at the beginning (we always used to do it this way).

The channel does flow faster in some areas, so be mindful of jumping in the water. Also, there are areas where you won’t be able to touch the ground or where there are slippery and rocky spots. And avoid the pillars of the bridges.

💡 Note: Both exits for the halfway point and the end of the channel are on the right-hand side.

Penticton Channel with many people floating down on colourful blow up rafts and inner tubes the channel on a sunny day. The highway is to the left of the channel. — Photo From Deposit Photos By Amy Mitchell

3. Kettle Valley Rail Trail

While the Kettle Valley Rail Trial is 660 kilometres long from Hope to Castlegar, the section between Penticton and Naramata is the best trail in Penticton, and it’s also the most developed.

You’ll be surrounded by vineyards, orchards, nature, and for the rest of the ride, you’ll come upon the Little Tunel lookout. From Penticton to Little Tunnel, it’s 16 kilometres one way, and it will take 2.5 hours to complete a round trip on a bike.

The Kettle Valley Rail Trail during fall in Penticton. There's a wide gravel path with a bench to the left. The area is surrounded by bushes and trees. Some leaves already fell off trees and some bush leaves are red.

4. LocoLanding Adventure Park

My family never went to LocoLanding Adventure Park, but I did play mini golf with my boyfriend when we went as teenagers later on.

It’s a small family-owned amusement park that, aside from mini golf, offers go-karts, bumper boats, a high ropes course, an inflatable park, monkey motion, a jumping attraction, and a climbing wall.

5. Penticton Sign (Munson Mountain)

The Penticton Sign on Munson Mountain was placed on the side of the mountain in 1937. It was inspired by the Hollywood sign and is 54.13 feet (16.5 metres) high and 308.39 feet (93.99 metres) wide. The sign can be seen from the Highway at certain angles in the city.

At the top, it has beautiful views of Penticton and Okanagan Lake. It’s a short path from the parking lot to the top, with a gazebo and benches to sit and enjoy lunch.

A lookout viewpoint of part of Penticton in the distance on top of Munson Mountain (where the Penticton sign is). Okanagan Lake is to the right and below you can seea pathway with benches to sit on look out onto the lake or Downtown Penticton.

6. S.S. Sicamous Marine Heritage Society

The S.S. Sicamous was a luxury steamship (s.s.) that transported passengers along the shores of Okanagan Lake. It was in service for 22 years, from 1914 to 1936.

According to the S.S. Siamous Marine Heritage Society, she made 14 scheduled stops every day, except Sundays, throughout her travels, sometimes unscheduled stops at smaller settlements, but she’ll always be back before 8:00 PM.

You can visit the steamship, which has been converted into a museum, at the West corner of Okanagan Lake.

Admission Prices:

Adults (13-54) – $10.00
Seniors (55+) – $8.00
Children (6-13) – $5.00
Children 5 & Under – Free
Families (2 Adults & 2 Children) – $25.00 for whole family

The S.S. Sicamous in Penticton was an operational steamship in 1914 until 1936. It's now a museum located on the lower left side of Okanagan Lake. The white steamship with two viewing decks, Siamous, is one of the few original ships left in the Okanagan.

7. Wineries

You can’t go to the Okanagan without stopping at a winery. Penticton has most of its wineries on the East side of Okanagan Lake. Naramata is a 20-minute drive from Penticton, and in between the drive, there are many wineries along this stretch of area.

There are excellent wine tours that will take you either around Penticton or throughout Okanagan. The Grape Escapes Wine Tours is an excellent option for booking a wine tour.

Some Winieres Around Penticton:

Dirty Laundry
Four Shadows Vineyard & Winery
Three Sisters Winery

A glass of white wine on a brown outdoor table with a vineyard and mountains as a backdrop. There are mixed pink and yellow flowers also close to the table.

8. Breweries

While Penticton may have many wineries in the surrounding area, the city is also known as the leader of British Columbia’s craft beer scene.

The craft beer scene has existed in Penticton for over 25 years, with eight main local breweries at the forefront and the craft beer community growing and brewing (pun intended) every year.

Penticton also hosts craft beer festivals, such as the Okanagan Fest of Ale, which takes place in April, Penticton Beer Week, and Penticton Beer Run, which both take place in October.

List of Pentiction’s Breweries: (Alphabetical Order)

Abandoned Rail Brewing Co.
Barley Mill Brew Pub
Cannery Brewing
Highway 97 Brewing
Neighbourhood Brewing
Slackwater Brewing
Tin Whistle Brewing Co
Yellow Dog Brewing

Five beers of different kinds and colour lined up on a wooden board ready for sampling.

9. Golfing

I have family members who, if they have a chance, will go golfing. If you know someone who will go golfing almost anywhere, they’ll be happy to know that Penticton has three golf courses.

Two 9-hole courses, Wow Golf Club and Pine Hill Golf Club, are located on the left side of Okanagan Lake. Meanwhile, Penticton Golf and Country Club is your traditional 18-hole course.

10. Penticton Peach Festival

The five-day free, family-friendly event is one of the more popular events that people like to enjoy in Penticton. Established in 1947, the Penticton Peach Festival started as a day set in mid-August when the peaches were ripe.

Individuals with outstanding personalities were invited to be selected as princesses and a queen with a crowning ceremony and a parade. These two traditions are still carried out today.

Today, there’s also an amusement park, a slow-pitch tournament, a volleyball tournament, a film festival, and more.

A bunch of yellow with a red section on the side of peaches that look freshly picked.

Best Time To Visit Penticton

The best time to visit Penticton is during the summer months of June to August. But this is the busiest time of year because of the hot weather and refreshing cold lakes.

However, late August and the beginning of September tend to be sweet spots where the weather isn’t in the high 30s and crops are ready for harvest.

How To Get To Penticton

While I recommend driving because that’s what my family has always done, there are three main ways to get to Penticton from Vancouver: by plane, bus, or car.

It’ll take you at least 7 hours to get to Penticton from Vancouver by bus. It’s the cheapest way, and there are stops in other cities.

Of course, flying will be the fastest option, as the flight from Vancouver to Penticton is roughly 52 minutes non-stop.

The most common way to get to Penticton is by car. There are two routes: the faster route (which can be dangerous with unpredictable weather changes) and the slower scenic route, which my family likes to take.

Highway 5 (Coquihalla)

The faster route, which takes roughly 10-20 extra minutes off your travel time, is Highway 5, better known as the Coquihalla.

The Coquihalla passes through high elevations, and mountain passes with ever-changing weather patterns. I remember one time coming back from Okanagan: it was sunny, cloudy, foggy, with pouring rain, and then sunny again.

It can also be a dangerous highway, not just because of the weather but also because of the high speeds drivers drive on this Highway. But overall, if you want to get to Penticton quicker, this is the route you would take.

Highway 3 (Crowsnest)

The scenic route of Highway 3, better known as Crowsnest, was the original and only way to the Okanagan before the Coquihalla.

Crowsnest has been significantly improved throughout the years. Specific locations that were quite dangerous, such as tight turns or narrow roads, have been improved for drivers’ safety.

It’s the scenic route for a reason. You’ll pass by EC Manning Provincial Park, other small towns, and beautiful views. Make sure that when you hit Keremeos, you leave on Highway 3A.

Where To Stay In Penticton

These are a couple of suggestions for where to stay in Penticton.

💎 Penticton Lakeside Resort & Conference Centre

The Penticton Lakeside Resort and Conference Centre is the most notable hotel in the city. Located on Okanagan Lake, the hotel offers the perfect location in Downtown Penticton. It has an indoor swimming pool, an on-site restaurant, and a private beach access area.

➞ Check Rates & Availability Here For Penticton Lakeside Resort & Conference Centre

🎯 Days Inn Penticton

A budget-friendly option, the Days Inn is still within a 5-minute walking distance from Okanagan Lake. The hotel offers an outdoor swimming pool, complimentary continental breakfast, and complimentary outdoor parking.

➞ Check Rates & Availability Here For Days Inn Penticton

Fun Fact About Penticton

The word from the Interior Salish, Penticton or snpintktn, is commonly translated as “a place to stay forever” or, a more accurate translation, “a place where people live year-round.” It’s been home to the Syilx First Nations Peoples for over 7,000 years.

Conclusion

As you can see, Penticton is worth visiting if you like to be by the lake, enjoy a glass of wine at the many wineries, or enjoy a cold glass of craft beer. There are many other outdoor activities that Penticton also offers, so be sure to check them out when you visit.

Have a good day 🙂