Secret Beaches in the Okanagan
Quieter beaches and tucked-away lakeside spots that are easy to miss — the places to find a patch of sand away from the summer crowds.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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
All places on this page, A–Z (42)
- Bertram Creek Regional Park
- Brigade Trail & Priest Camp Historic Park
- BX Creek Trail & BX Falls
- Cedar Creek Park
- Cools Pond Park
- Dickinson Family Farm
- Father Pandosy Mission Heritage Site
- Gellatly Heritage Regional Park
- Gellatly Nut Farm Regional Park
- Glen Canyon Regional Park
- Hardy Falls Regional Park
- Hidden Lake Recreation Site
- Inkaneep Provincial Park Campground
- Kalamoir Regional Park
- Kaleden Hotel Park
- Kaloya Regional Park
- Kasugai Garden
- Kickininee Provincial Park
- Kingfisher Interpretive Centre
- Kopje Regional Park
- Kuipers' Peak Mountain Park
- Manitou Park
- Maude-Roxby Wetland (Bird Sanctuary)
- McKinley Mountain Park
- Mill Creek Regional Park
- Mount Conkle Park
- Munson Pond Park
- Naramata Creek Park Waterfall Trail
- Nuyens Park
- Osoyoos Oxbows Trail
- Penticton Ikeda Japanese Garden
- Powell Beach Park
- Raymer Bay Regional Park
- Rock Ovens Park
- Rocky Ridge Park (Turtle Mountain)
- Rotary Beach Park
- Sarsons Beach Park
- Summerland Ornamental Gardens
- Thomas Hayes Ecological Reserve Trails
- Trepanier Creek Greenway Regional Park
- Vaseux Lake Provincial Park
- White Lake Grasslands Protected Area
Looking for cafés, breweries and other under-the-radar places? See all Hidden Gems →