Penticton, British Columbia is situated between Okanagan Lake to the north and Skaha Lake to the south, in BC’s Okanagan Valley. The landscape of Penticton is beautiful and dramatic. Mountains rise out of the lakes. There are dense forests, desert sands, and mile after mile of vineyards. The air is clear and cold in the winter, hot and dry in the summer.
To the west of Penticton BC, the Cathedral Lakes Cliffs stand sheer and tall. To the south, the Skaha Climbing Bluffs is one of the finest training areas for climbers on the continent; programs operate year round, providing avalanche, crevasse and ski touring courses in the winter, and technical training for climbers and backpackers in the summer. The Desert Sands – Canada’s only desert – are visible south and west of Skaha Lake.
Outdoor activities are popular here, and with good reason. In one long day it is possible to ski Apex Mountain and lay on the beaches of Skaha and Okanagan Lakes. Bike or hike the trails of the old Kettle Valley Railroad, which cover more than 160 kilometres, or golf on one of the nearly 30 courses carved out of the cliffs and hidden between vineyards.
Penticton BC is the hub of Okanagan Valley’s wine industry – there are well over 50 wineries in less than an hour’s drive. Wine tasting is a popular activity here, and visiting the wineries may be richly rewarded; many are small, and it can be difficult to find their excellent wines elsewhere. Ask your Penticton BC Bed and Breakfast innkeepers about their favourite local wines.
It is hard to visit Penticton without stumbling across a festival. Wine festivals fill a good portion of the calendar, and are joined by such events as the Penticton Square Dance Festival and Peach Festival, both in August, and the Pentastic Jazz Festival in September. Though it may not be a festival, it should be noted that there is an Ironman Canada Triathalon in Penticton each year, at the end of August. Those athletes sleep soundly in their Penticton Bed and Breakfasts.