Skaha Bluffs Provincial Park

Skaha Bluffs is the South Okanagan's rock-climbing destination: a 554-hectare park of sun-warmed cliffs above the east side of Skaha Lake, reached from Lakeside Road up Smythe Road along Gillies Creek. Climbing is permitted only in the northern section of the park, and BC Parks warns that the trails used to reach the routes can be difficult, so this is a place for sure feet even if you never touch rope. The bluffs are essential habitat for bighorn sheep — keep your distance, they are territorial — and dogs must be leashed at all times to protect the fragile ecosystem. Mountain biking is confined to the designated routes in the Gillies Creek corridor. Pit toilets are at the parking lots, and the access-road gate opens from 7 a.m. to dusk; it is closed for the season from mid-November to mid-March.