Southern Okanagan Lake Boating Map

Click any star on the map to the right, or link in the article below, for a look at photos taken around that particular area of interest.

Southwestern Shores of Okanagan Lake

We will be starting off at the south end of Okanagan Lake where the city of Penticton sits between two beautiful lakes, Skaha to the South and Okanagan to the North.

The beaches in Penticton are big and sandy and get very busy during the summer months. There is the Penticton Yacht Club with a few transient slips available for temporary moorage along with a fuel dock and a boat launch close by.

There are accommodations and some really cool restaurants that sit along it's shoreline just across from the sandy beaches. At the southwest corner of the lake sits the retired S.S. Sicamous, a paddle wheeler that transported passengers and supplies up and down the lake for over 30 years. The vessel is now beached and used as a museum.

 As you head north on Okanagan lake by boat, you will see Hwy. 97 running along the west shore which takes you along a scenic drive up the lake past Summerland, Peachland and the Westside on your way towards Kelowna.

There are a few parks and beaches for picnicking and swimming between Penticton and Summerland that are great stops for lunch or to just view the lake and its eastern shores. A very popular day park is Sun-Oka Beach Park just south of Trout Creek, which has washrooms, a playground and a beautiful sandy beach. There is a small area at the south end to pull your boat into, but the rest of the beach is protected for swimmers and kids.

Highway 97 passes through Summerland up above the lakeshore on its way to Peachland and Kelowna. There is a scenic drive along the shoreline below Summerland that takes you past waterfront homes, parks, a boat launch, a few small businesses and the Summerland Yacht Club.

This is right where the C.P.R. wharf was located as a drop off point for the early paddle wheelers that took passengers and goods up and down the lake before roads were eventually built.

North of Summerland is a Provincial Campground called Okanagan Lake Park. This is a very popular campground in the summer months with water access, a boat launch, beaches and water sports everywhere.

North of the campsite on Hwy 97 you will pass by another vineyard and housing development called Greata Ranch. The shoreline is quite rugged below, scattered with some waterfront homes, until you reach Antlers Beach. Antlers Beach is a point of land where the highway comes back down off the hillside to the waters edge.

When the wind is blowing hard out of the south, large rollers hammer onto the beach, and is an area to be avoided during these conditions. Water funnels or spouts can be witnessed during certain months of the year off this point that can rise hundreds of feet into the air.

Just north of Antlers Beach is Peachland. Here you can find boat fuel, a boat launch, restaurants, groceries, liquor store, artisans and some public docking.  There are still quite a few waterfront summer cottages mixed with newer homes that stretch along Peachland's shore that have been there well over 60 years and gives you the feeling of summertime living dating back a few generations.

Southeastern Shores of Okanagan Lake

Heading north along the southeastern shore from Penticton, you will pass by  the Penticton Yacht Club and see several vineyards and waterfront homes with a few public beaches and a boat launch.  

As you head north before you reach the little hamlet of Naramata, you will pass below the Naramata Benchlands. There are many small cottage wineries that can make for an enjoyable day trip of wine tasting and food.

Naramata is a quiet little community that has a lot of history, with an old hotel, general store and yacht club. It is a great stop over for lunch and a walk or a little wine tasting at some of its world class wineries.

Naramata is near the end of the paved public road on the East side of the lake. There is a gravel road up high, along the mountain tops on the famous abandoned Kettle Valley Railway that connects Penticton to Kelowna.

Just north of Naramata along the lake is the start of Okanagan Mountain Park. This is the park where the incredible fires burned in the summer 2003. The lake shore becomes very rugged along here, with steep cliffs and little bays.

You will then pass by a great cove called Commando Bay, which was the training ground for the British Special unit forces and was used to train commandos before the Second World War. It is still a very popular diving destination. 

There are a few mooring buoys just north, right below Wild Horse Canyon. An outcropping of amazing steep cliffs that look down upon you before you round Squally Point.

Squally Point is where Ogopogo supposedly lives in a deep cave.  History tells us the local Indians would paddle over from their settlements on the Westside, near Peachland, to sacrifice animals on behalf of our beloved sea monster. This was to ensure they could have safe passage across the rough and windy waters. There are some large caves situated along the rock wall under Squally Point cliffs.

The lake takes a slight bend towards the northeast here around Squally Point. Just a few miles north you will pass by several bays and a rugged shoreline as you head towards Rattle Snake Island. 

There are still signs of a mini-putt golf course that was built on the Island back in the 1970’s but was never maintained. A few mooring buoys sit just south of the Island for an overnighter if weather conditions permit.

You can pass through between the Island and eastern shore during most times of the year. Always be careful of other boats as it is tight for two vessels to pass by one another at the same time.

Heading north of Rattle Snake Island the sloped hills roll down below the steep mountains in the background. Burned trees are still visible from the Okanagan Mountain Park fire as you will start to see the lakeshore homes and developments coming into sight.

There is one hazard along this stretch of shoreline called Scruggins Reef that has some shallow rocks that sit a couple hundred feet off shore. When the lake is a little lower you can see a propeller graveyard that sits just below the water line. This is where we will end the Southern section of Okanagan Lake and will continue onto the Central section of Okanagan Lake.

MAPS - Southern Okanagan Lake - Central Okanagan Lake - Northern Okanagan Lake

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