Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park is a neat place to visit. When they had the huge fires in…read moreKelowna it ripped through this park. It has now been long enough that regrowth is in full swing. There are multiple lakes to check out along the trails here that are a nice break if you are hiking in the heat of the summer! There are lots of official trails and goat trails that you can explore and spend days here. Care has to be taken on the trails though when the wind picks up as there are a lot of unstable dead trees from the fires that could topple over and hurt you. There is a ton of wildlife here to experience as well. There are Mule and white tailed deer, mountain goats, black bears, chipmunks and rattle snakes to name a few. Always take care to watch your step in the heat of summer as a bite from a rattle snake can in rare cases lead to death but can really hurt and make it difficult to make it out of the bush. The park is pretty big with an area of 11,038 hectares protected. Hunting is allowed in the boarders of this park during hunting season so I would wear bright coloured clothing during that season for sure!

My kid and I visited Penticton recently and stayed at a hotel in close proximity to this…read morecentrally-located park on the waterfront, so we passed it and walked through it often. And it's one of the many, many reasons we fell in love with Penticton! This is a beautiful area of town, right on the water and adjacent to Okanagan Beach. There are two main attractions here, the two historic boats the S.S. Sicamous and the S.S. Naramata. The Sicamous is clearly the star of the show, as it is enormous and has been made into a museum. As I recall, admission was around $10/adult and $5/kid, with special pricing for families. The plaques posted in the area discuss the work needed to preserve and maintain these historic vessels. For more details about the boats' histories and the museum, you can check out their website: sssicamous.ca We loved how these stately vessels were such a source of pride in town, how there were many posted plaques about their history, and how the Naramata was illuminated at night. There are also various areas in this park designated for kids and families: there's an Adventureland-like area, with lots of inflatables and amusement park-like rides for very young children (this part of the park is called LocoLanding. I'm not sure what the admission charges are but you can check out their website at: loco landing.com). We were impressed that this park was open quite late. They had go-karts and mini-golf and a climbing wall and other such attractions. Adjacent to LocoLanding was a "youth park" and my kid and I were SO impressed with this large, modern skatepark. My kid said she would LOVE such a park in Vancouver, she'd be there all the time! (Note: my kid is 25 years old. Not technically a "youth", I suppose - but aren't we all youths at heart? I think we SHOULD be! But I digress....). Back to this large skatepark.....it is amazing. SO pristine and clean (hard to believe it's used by adolescents! But it sure was. There were pre-teens and teens there every time we walked by). Such an amazing park. It's free of charge to use it, too. And I was blown away by the "repair center" at the entrance, where there are installed stations where you can repair your bike, or your skateboard, with all the tools you'd need for various fix-ups. And a modern water station here, too. The whole set-up was really cool, and really well thought out. There's lots of free parking here in the lot (a rarity in most cities' central cores, by their main attractions), and a few picnic benches, too. Did I mention this park is right beside the main beach? Great way to spend a day in Penticton!

A nice clean and quiet park along the Penticton channel which flows into Okanagan Lake. There are…read morealso a few picnic tables and benches under several large trees which provides some terrific shade on a hot and sunny day. The main attraction is S.S. Sicamous which was the biggest passenger boat built by the Canadian Pacific Railway. Beside the S.S Sicamous, there is another boat named the S.S. Naramata which is the only remaining steamboat in the Interior of B.C. There are activities which are perfect for the kids such as mini golf and bumper cars too. There is a large parking lot with free parking.

The owner failed to disclose how the fuel charge is calculated or provide the actual fuel rate…read more They also did not provide an estimated fuel cost upfront, which is extremely concerning and, to my understanding, may not comply with BC consumer protection requirements. Without this information, customers have no way of knowing what they will ultimately be charged. They can simply add a separate charge to your credit card afterward without your clear consent or approval. This practice is very alarming and feels misleading. I would not recommend this place. There are also other reviews mentioning unreasonable fuel charges, so I strongly suggest doing your research before booking.

My kid and I wanted to go kayaking on our last day in Penticton, and this company opened at 9am…read more(all the others opened at 10am). We wanted to start early, as it gets hot out later in the morning, and very people-y, too. The earlier, the better. So by default, this is where we went. And we're so glad we did! Reserving the kayak online the night before was super easy. We paid a 50% deposit for an hour rental of a double kayak (it was in total $40 for the hour). We drove to the site and there was a paid parking lot there but, right beside it, there was free 2-hour parking right on the street after 9am. So duh, we parked on the street! The place opened at 9am sharp. The guy and gal who work here COULD NOT BE NICER. They were super organized. They asked if they should charge the remaining $20 to my credit card (sure!), gave us well-fitting life jackets, and brought us to our double kayak. I loved the kayak! My kid and I have kayaked before in Kelowna, and this kayak here was our favorite. It felt very stable in the water. It had backrests, and grooves for our feet inside. It was a very well-made kayak, for sure. And we had the BEST time! We paddled out far in the lake, which is crystal clear and stunning, and marveled at the surrounding mountains and gorgeous scenery. It was already getting hot out, so we were really pleased we came when we did and not later in the day. And the waters hardly had any other boaters at that time of morning, so it was perfect for us. Getting back to shore, the girl who works there came to assist us (well, me, specifically! As the "old lady", apparently I need assistance getting out of the boat on the rocky shore. lol. And I GLADLY took the help!). She was SO nice, and the whole experience was so fun, I highly recommend it! (Side note: I saw that this place also rents out single kayaks, pedal boats, sea-doos, and other boats. I would definitely come back to this company!).

Coyote Cruises is located in Penticton, B.C. and is essentially a tube & party rental place that…read moreoperates in the channel. They are only open during the summer! They have a 4 person float and a 2 person tube. Both are really good quality! They also provided shuttle service to take you back to the entry point. You can choose to float in the channel with their rentals for either 1hr or 2hrs. It's always such a good experience and I'm pretty sure we will be back next year!

Coyote Cruises made floating down the Channel an easy and fun experience. My crew got lucky and…read morebooked just a day or two out, but highly encourage advanced reservations as this gets super busy. We rented a quad floater at $25/pp. This included the shuttle ride back from the end point - pretty solid deal! They have a ton of other items available to rent as well - waterproof speakers, coolers, phone bags, dry bags, and food/snacks for purchase. They really set you up, including an oar included in the rental, which is necessary Coyote Cruises staff were all super helpful and friendly! They're also dog friendly, as my friends were able to bring their pet along for the trip (has to fit in lap for the shuttle ride back though). TIP: book as early in the day as possible. Not only will you beat the heat, but also more importantly the crowds. The entire parking lot was filled up once we finished our float.

Wonderful family operated golf course. The staff are friendly and super helpful. Great place to go…read morew kids or beginners. Great value and awesome views. Best course I've ever been to w my kids for the price. A must stop if you are golfing with the family. Awesome attitude and laid back atmosphere.

It's been on my bucket list, to float down a lazy river in an inner tube, so when my 65th birthday…read morewas approaching (ouch!), and it was determined that my kid and I would take a birthday trip to Penticton, a few friends mentioned floating down the river channel there, and how much fun it was, so I started doing research on it. The most prominent and established tube-renting company is Coyote Cruises, and they are located next door, essentially, to Float Penticton. Coyote got great reviews here on Yelp and elsewhere; Float Penticton has great reviews on Trip Advisor but none here on Yelp. I'm not sure why I chose Float Penticton; perhaps there was no availability for Coyote on the date I needed to book (on my birthday). The services and the prices between the two companies is comparable. I booked our double tube rental and VIP shuttle service a few weeks in advance. With tax and everything, it came to about $50. This was for a full river channel float which, depending on the currents and winds, could take anywhere from 2-4 hours. I liked how the shuttle picks you up and drops off at your hotel (door to door service), and at the end of the float, it picks you up and brings you back. (As it turned out, our hotel was across the street from the business, so we just walked there. But we sure were glad the shuttle picked us up when we were miles down the river, at the end point of the channel!). A few things to note: -This business is literally right beside Coyote Cruises. The address for Float Penticton is 270 Riverside Drive. Not sure why a totally incorrect address is showing for this business here on Yelp. I suggested a correction. -Whereas Coyote has a large building site and many large orange buses, Float Penticton is a small, family-run business. They are located in a blue tent beside Coyote. Float has a smaller white van as a shuttle. -Both Coyote and Float offer single inner tubes and quad/"party" inner tubes. My kid and I rented a double inner tube from Float. I'm not sure if Coyote offers double tubes. -I liked how we had the option to go down the entire length of the channel or get off halfway. -I really liked our double inner tube. It was really well-made and stable, with backrests and a central compartment for our bags and food and drinks. It even had small sections in the front to accommodate cans! Bougie! -our shuttle driver was incredibly friendly, and he gave us a lot of really great recommendations for restaurants and other things to do in Penticton. Super helpful! One issue my kid and I had: they only gave us one paddle (they gave the quad tube people two paddles, which is WAY more helpful to actually steer and propel the tube! And the one paddle they gave us was so short, I liken it to a toddler's shovel that comes with a pail, to make sand castles on the beach. Super short. It wasn't helpful at all to push ourselves away from the channel banks- and there were huge beaver dams in areas on these banks! And big beavers! - and it sure wasn't helpful to steer or propel ourselves. A larger paddle, or ideally two, and perhaps a long stick to push away from the banks, would've been super helpful). All in all, though, we had SO much fun! It was the BEST time ever, on such a beautiful day! If you go, remember your sunblock and water bottle, and a snack perhaps too, as you could be there 4 hours or so! (In retrospect, I would also bring my small waterproof speaker, so we could listen to tunes, too).

SO many times I've read reviews that say a particular hike is "easy", or "gentle", or "family…read morefriendly"....and it turns out to be a killer! (For me, anyhow! I'm not great with inclines so mountains are usually really hard for me). However, THIS PARTICULAR HIKE IS TRULY EASY! I am emphasizing this fact to let other folks like me know, this is more of a walk, with a super gradual incline, and it's very short, and totally do-able. And it's SO WORTH IT, as the view from the top is breathtaking. There's a parking lot practically at the summit so after you leave your car, it's but a 5-10 minute stroll up the wide, flat path to the top. We saw a lone deer on the hilltop about 1/4 mile away. There's a gazebo at one stop (very picturesque spot for a photo), and lots of benches along the path going up to the top of the mountain. (Note: even I didn't have to stop to rest. And that says a LOT!). I can't impress how postcard-pretty the view is. We came at sunset. It was like magical. Surprisingly, there weren't any people here. (It was a warm July night, too). Parking and visiting here is totally free. Honestly, this little walk up here and the view was a highlight of the trip, it was so spectacular. I can't recommend it enough.

Anyone who's driven along Highway 97 near Penticton can see the Hollywood style PENTICTON letters…read moreon the hillside on the E shore. Had no idea it a) is accessible to the public, and b) is really easy to access. Parking is available in the small lot. Not sure how busy it gets during the summer, but it was nice and empty when I was there. The hike to the letters doesn't even take 5 minutes from the parking lot. Maybe 5 minutes if one takes the flatter scenic path. Plenty of park benches along the way, which is great for soaking in the view from this vantage point. The actual peak is a bit farther up from the letters. Takes another minute or so to get there. Pretty cool stuff. Definitely worth a pit stop if the weather is good.

I concur with the other reviewers here: this is a great beach! But WHY, you ask? Why is it great?…read more Let me count the ways! This long stretch of beachfront is in the city core, so there are restaurants right across the street, along with an ice cream shop (that's open late, too!), and lots of beach-centric kiosks on the sidewalk, selling beach-y things (think: sunglasses, beaded bracelets, swim wraps, etc). There is lots of free 2-hour parking (perhaps longer periods on certain days or at certain times). Being a longer beach, it doesn't get crazy crowded. People and families can spread out. (We were there for 2.5 days in July. It was hot during the days we were there. And we were pleasantly surprised that it wasn't crazy crowded). The beach is super well-maintained. The sand is pristine. There are well-marked trash and recycle cans everywhere - and they are all used. We saw no trash on the ground. Zero. There are small slides in the water by the shoreline for the little kids, and ample lifeguards about. I loved all the public artwork on the sidewalk along the stretch of beachfront. Some were whimsical, some were more abstract and thought-provoking. (I love when cities make art a priority). On one end of the beach is the S.S. Sicamous steamship museum and Riverside Park, with its picnic tables and kiddie amusement park (LocoLanding) and youth skate park. (See my review for Riverside Park). At the far other end of the beachfront is the Lakeside Hotel and, adjacent to that is the place we rented our kayak from (Pier Water Sports), a lovely gazebo and pathway along the lakefront, with picturesque sculptures and benches. In this part of Penticton, one could spend a whole day, just doing nothing and relaxing on the beach, or swimming in the beautiful lake, or having the kids play in the various parks, or kayaking or paddle boarding, or eating at casual bistros or fancier restaurants, or just going for ice cream. There is something for everyone, from families with young kids, teens, history buffs, beach-goers, water sports enthusiasts, folks who like to check out public art installations, or folks who like to dine out. This long, beautiful beach anchors it all.

Clean sandy beach. Explore B.C. Bring your kids and grandchildren. It's a good spot.read more