Secret Spots in the Okanagan
Tucked-away parks, gardens, waterfalls and quieter beaches — the places worth seeking out once you have seen the famous ones. Each card says why it’s a gem.
How we pick our Secret Spots
Secret Spots are the Hidden Gems that are places to explore rather than places to eat: parks, gardens, waterfalls, trails and quieter beaches. We choose each one by hand, looking for spots a local parks, tourism or community source points to as quieter or lesser known, the kind you’d only find if someone told you. They aren’t picked or ranked by popularity or ratings. Each card says why it’s worth seeking out.
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Rocky Ridge Park (Turtle Mountain)
Vernon's quickest 360-degree view. A flat 0.4 km trail and a wooden staircase lead onto the open rock of the ridge, with Greater Vernon, Swan Lake and Okanagan Lake all…
Why it’s a gem: Vernon's quickest 360-degree view, a short climb to a ridge-top park most visitors never find.
Free
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Vaseux Lake Provincial Park
Vaseux Lake is the Okanagan beach for people who want the lake without the engines: as a Migratory Bird Sanctuary it bans motorized boats, so the beach, which runs the…
Why it’s a gem: A motorboat-free lake in a migratory bird sanctuary, with a calm beach most drivers zoom past.
Free Dogs OK
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Inkaneep Provincial Park Campground
The smallest provincial campground in the South Okanagan, with seven riverside sites walled in by wild rose thickets.
Why it’s a gem: A tiny riverside campground under tall cottonwoods north of Oliver, loved by birders and often with sites free.
From $18 / night Dogs OK +1
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Gellatly Heritage Regional Park
Gellatly Heritage Regional Park is a 2.6-hectare park that tells the story of the pioneering Gellatly family.
Why it’s a gem: A small Westbank park built around a pioneer family cemetery where Gellatlys have been buried for more than a century.
Free Dogs OK +1
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Kingfisher Interpretive Centre
A volunteer-run Chinook salmon hatchery on the Shuswap River with riverside trails. Its free Salmon Egg Take on the Thanksgiving weekend is a hands-on family event.
Why it’s a gem: A volunteer-run salmon hatchery on the Shuswap River where you can see salmon in their habitat.
Free Dogs OK +1
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Cedar Creek Park
Cedar Creek Park is the biggest off-leash dog beach in Kelowna, and on a hot summer’s day that is the whole point: a beach and swimming area on Okanagan Lake where you…
Why it’s a gem: Kelowna's biggest off-leash dog beach, with a swim area, mountain views across the lake and a big field for dogs to socialize.
Free Dog Friendly
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Thomas Hayes Ecological Reserve Trails
A rare ecological reserve with walking trails: two easy loops through wetlands and open country near Otter Lake, the 4.3 km Coyote Loop and the 1.7 km White Tail Wander.
Why it’s a gem: Easy loop trails through protected Douglas-fir forest, bordered by Spallumcheen farmland.
Free
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Kickininee Provincial Park
Kickininee Provincial Park is three tiny lakeside picnic areas tucked between Highway 97 and Okanagan Lake, 10 km north of Penticton, each with a buoyed swimming area…
Why it’s a gem: Three tiny lakeside picnic coves hidden between Highway 97 and Okanagan Lake, great for a quiet swim or snorkel.
Free
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Brigade Trail & Priest Camp Historic Park
Priest Camp Historic Park at the Garnet Valley Dam is the trailhead for the Brigade Trail, a 4.1 km path that follows part of the original Okanagan fur brigade route.
Why it’s a gem: A preserved fur-brigade camp and a stretch of the original trail, a route used for at least 6,000 years, up in Garnet Valley.
Free Dogs OK +1
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Kopje Regional Park
Kopje Regional Park is a serene spot on the Carr’s Landing shore of Okanagan Lake with a view across to James Grant Island, a protected bird sanctuary, and the historic…
Why it’s a gem: An eight-acre lakeside park in Carr's Landing with a heritage house and views to Grant Island, mostly known to locals.
Free Dogs OK
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Hardy Falls Regional Park
The easy waterfall walk at the south end of Peachland.
Why it’s a gem: An easy, shaded 430-metre walk over Deep Creek bridges to Peachland's waterfall, where kokanee spawn each fall.
Free Dogs OK
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Mill Creek Regional Park
A cool, shaded surprise east of Kelowna's airport.
Why it’s a gem: A cool, shaded creekside walk under cedars, a surprising bit of rainforest right by Kelowna's airport.
Free Dogs OK
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Maude-Roxby Wetland (Bird Sanctuary)
A raised boardwalk winds through willows and cattail marsh to a viewing platform over Okanagan Lake.
Why it’s a gem: A boardwalk through a lakeside bird sanctuary hidden at the end of a residential street in Pandosy.
Free
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Father Pandosy Mission Heritage Site
The first permanent non-Indigenous settlement in the Okanagan, founded by Oblate priest Father Pandosy in 1860.
Why it’s a gem: The historic buildings of an 1860 Oblate mission, open daily with a $5 voluntary admission, tucked off Benvoulin Road.
Free Groups +1
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Sarsons Beach Park
Sarsons Beach Park is the Lower Mission beach to choose when you would rather not share the beach with a crowd: the City describes it as usually quieter and less crowded…
Why it’s a gem: A Lower Mission beach the City says is usually quieter than the big lakeshore beaches, with a swim area and playground.
Free
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McKinley Mountain Park
The City of Kelowna's "Mini Knox": a 17-hectare hillside park in the McKinley area where a short hike of about 1 km uphill ends at a wide view along Okanagan Lake to…
Why it’s a gem: Kelowna's 'Mini Knox': a short 1 km climb in the McKinley area to a big view up and down Okanagan Lake; the City lists it as a hidden gem.
Free Dogs OK +1
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Raymer Bay Regional Park
Raymer Bay is, in the Regional District’s own words, a hidden gem off Westside Road and the perfect spot to spend a day at the beach.
Why it’s a gem: A quiet Westside Road beach the Regional District itself calls a hidden gem, with a playground, picnic shelter and mooring buoys.
Free
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Mount Conkle Park
A District park on Mount Conkle above Prairie Valley, a local favourite for mountain biking and trail running.
Why it’s a gem: A quiet hillside park above Prairie Valley with Summerland views, overshadowed by nearby Giant's Head.
Free Dogs OK
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Kaloya Regional Park
Kaloya Regional Park is a peninsula that juts into Kalamalka Lake at Oyama, with a sandy beach and swim area on one side and a lilypad pond on the other, which makes it…
Why it’s a gem: A little peninsula on Kalamalka Lake at Oyama with a sandy swim area and that famous turquoise water, minus the Kal Beach crowds.
Free
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Rock Ovens Park
A regional park for hikers and cyclists along the old Kettle Valley Railway above Naramata.
Why it’s a gem: Stone ovens built in 1911-1915 still stand beside the old Kettle Valley Railway grade above Naramata.
Free Dogs OK +1
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Cools Pond Park
A small rural wetland just north of Vernon with a short, flat pathway and a covered wooden platform over the water.
Why it’s a gem: A small rural wetland north of Vernon that's the North Okanagan's easiest birding stop.
Free
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Summerland Ornamental Gardens
Fifteen acres of heritage trees, lawns and xeriscape beds on the bench above Trout Creek, growing since 1916.
Why it’s a gem: Fifteen acres of heritage trees and gardens on the canyon rim above Trout Creek, planted by the Dominion Experimental Farm in 1916.
Free Dogs OK +1
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Trepanier Creek Greenway Regional Park
A natural, forested greenway that follows the canyon of Trepanier Creek through Peachland.
Why it’s a gem: A shaded canyon greenway along Trepanier Creek, Peachland's cool escape on a hot day.
Free Dogs OK
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Rotary Beach Park
Rotary Beach Park is Oliver’s only public swimming area, a family-friendly park in the southwest corner of Tuc-el-Nuit Lake with a playground for ages five to twelve…
Why it’s a gem: Oliver's only public swimming area, a family beach with a playground tucked into the southwest corner of Tuc-el-Nuit Lake.
Free Dog Friendly
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Naramata Creek Park Waterfall Trail
Naramata's waterfall walk is a 2.5 km round trip on a packed trail up the forested creek to a series of falls.
Why it’s a gem: A 2.5 km forested creek walk to a series of waterfalls just outside Naramata village, loved by families and dog walkers.
Free Dogs OK
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Gellatly Nut Farm Regional Park
Gellatly Nut Farm is a century-old nut orchard on the shores of Okanagan Lake with a small beach at its edge, which makes for a different kind of beach visit: swim, then…
Why it’s a gem: A small lakeshore beach on a century-old nut farm, pairing a swim with flat orchard paths and heritage buildings.
Local Favourite Free Dogs OK
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Dickinson Family Farm
Orchard RV campground in Summerland with u-pick cherries from over 6 varieties each July
Why it’s a gem: A family cherry U-pick that has the World's Tallest Tripod Orchard Ladder, about 30 feet high and built in 2000.
Dogs OK Kids OK
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Nuyens Park
Nuyens Park is a tiny pebbled beach on Okanagan Lake in Carr's Landing, with a lakeside bench and room to park only one or two vehicles.
Why it’s a gem: A short grassland walk to a tiny pebbled beach in Carr's Landing, with parking for just one or two cars.
Free Dogs OK
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Munson Pond Park
A 9.8-hectare urban wetland with a one-kilometre gravel loop around a pond, past boardwalks and two viewing platforms. More than 225 bird species have been recorded here.
Why it’s a gem: A small urban wetland ringed by rare cottonwood forest, where herons, ospreys and wood ducks are often just steps away.
Free
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Kalamoir Regional Park
Kalamoir is the West Kelowna regional park for people who like to walk to their swim: beautiful trails at varying levels of difficulty lead along Okanagan Lake to…
Why it’s a gem: Forested trails that wind down to quiet coves on Okanagan Lake, a West Kelowna local secret.
Free Dog Friendly
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Glen Canyon Regional Park
A 95-hectare canyon along Powers Creek in West Kelowna, with views of its unusual geology and a waterfall.
Why it’s a gem: A 95-hectare canyon along Powers Creek in West Kelowna, with unusual geology and a 24-metre waterfall a short hike in.
Free Dogs OK
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BX Creek Trail & BX Falls
The BX Creek Trail follows the creek from the mountains above Vernon down to the valley bottom, with BX Falls as its centrepiece.
Why it’s a gem: A 9-metre waterfall in a little canyon just minutes from downtown Vernon, reached by a short trail and stairs.
Free Dogs OK
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Bertram Creek Regional Park
Bertram Creek is a tranquil regional park at the south end of Lakeshore Road, with plenty of space on the grass and the shore to enjoy a day at the beach.
Why it’s a gem: A tranquil regional park at the very end of Lakeshore Road, where the beach stays calm while the downtown beaches fill.
Free
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Kuipers' Peak Mountain Park
A short hike with a big reward in Kelowna's Upper Mission: a view of Okanagan Lake from the peak.
Why it’s a gem: A five-to-ten-minute climb in the Upper Mission that pays off with a sweeping lake and city view.
Free Dogs OK +1
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Powell Beach Park
Powell Beach Park in Trout Creek is the shady one, and on a July afternoon that matters: the District calls it a great swimming venue and there is lots of shade for its…
Why it’s a gem: Trout Creek's shady swimming beach, with picnic tables under the trees, a softball field and tennis courts alongside.
Free
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White Lake Grasslands Protected Area
A broad, bone-dry basin of bunchgrass, sage and antelope-brush west of Okanagan Falls, with a white alkali lake at its centre.
Why it’s a gem: A wide-open bowl of sage and bunchgrass west of OK Falls where the South Okanagan feels untouched.
Free Dogs OK
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Penticton Ikeda Japanese Garden
A quiet Japanese garden on Penticton's Okanagan Lake waterfront, with koi-filled ponds, graceful bridges and plantings that burst into bloom each April and May.
Why it’s a gem: A peaceful Japanese garden with koi ponds and little bridges, tucked beside Penticton's busy waterfront.
Free Lake view
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Osoyoos Oxbows Trail
The Osoyoos Oxbows trail follows dikes along the old meanders of the Okanagan River at the north end of Osoyoos Lake, and it's a favourite stretch for birders.
Why it’s a gem: Flat dike walks along old Okanagan River meanders at the north end of Osoyoos Lake, a quiet spot for birding.
Free Dogs OK
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Manitou Park
Manitou Park is tucked into a corner of Naramata, and its long, beautiful stretch of white-sand beach makes it easy to settle in for a swim, a picnic and an afternoon in…
Why it’s a gem: A long white-sand beach tucked into a quiet corner of Naramata village, away from Penticton's crowds.
Free Dogs OK
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Kaleden Hotel Park
The striking concrete shell of the Kaleden Hotel, built in 1911, now a heritage ruin that photographers love.
Why it’s a gem: The heritage shell of a 1911 hotel that closed during the First World War, right beside the KVR Trail in Kaleden.
Free Arts & culture
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Kasugai Garden
Tucked behind a wall off Water Street, Kasugai Garden is downtown Kelowna's secret calm: stone lanterns, sculpted pines, a waterfall and a koi pond celebrating the…
Closed for the season.
Why it’s a gem: A walled Japanese garden off Water Street with a koi pond, waterfall and stone lanterns, free and steps from the lake.
Free
Looking for cafés, breweries and other under-the-radar places? See all Hidden Gems →