Beaches in Vernon, BC
5 verified beaches in Vernon.
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Ellison Provincial Park
Ellison Provincial Park rewards the drive south of Vernon with a different kind of Okanagan Lake day: multiple beaches with buoyed swim areas, a playground for the kids, and around 50 picnic tables plus a picnic shelter to spread out at. Otter Bay is Western Canada’s only freshwater dive park, so divers share the park with swimmers, and there is canoeing, hiking and fishing on top of that. Flush toilets and showers are on site, but there is no boat launch and no lifeguards. Sandy Beach is the park’s pet beach; dogs are not allowed on the other beaches. The season runs roughly April 1 to October 12, and the beaches are about a half-kilometre walk from the parking lot. Ellison is also a campground and a viewpoint park: 71 sites (61 reservable, 10 first-come) with a hot-shower building, spring-water taps and fire rings, and more than six kilometres of trail along the rocky headlands with panoramic vistas of Okanagan Lake north to Spallumcheen and south to Fintry.
🐾 Dog Friendly
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Hurlburt Park
Hurlburt Park is where Vernon swims with its dog. This pet-friendly Eastside Road beach pairs swimming with a designated off-leash area and a separate on-leash area, and it is a perfect place to launch a canoe, SUP or kayak. A dock and a swimming platform give you somewhere to swim out to, and picnic tables let you settle in afterwards. There is parking for twenty cars, plus a drop-off space for unloading canoes, kayaks and boards.
♥ Local Favourite 🐾 Dog Friendly
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Kekuli Bay Provincial Park
Kekuli Bay sits on a peaceful bay on the west side of Kalamalka Lake, with calm waters that make it a popular launching point for kayaks, SUPs, waterskiing and boating, and the Okanagan Rail Trail right at hand for a walk or ride. The swim area is rocky, and a busy boat launch shares the bay, so it suits visitors who like a lake with some activity on it. There is a playground for younger visitors, and flush toilets and showers in the park. Parking inside the park is limited in summer; BC Parks asks trail users to consider the Regional District lot above the park, off Highway 97. Dogs are not permitted on the beach and there are no lifeguards. The campground above the bay has 76 sites including four walk-in tent sites, all reservable through BC Parks, four with power, with warm showers, flush toilets, drinking water and fire rings; 2.6 km of gentle gravel trails wind through the grassland around it, and the whole campground looks out over Kalamalka Lake.
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Kin Beach
Kin Beach is the easy option on Okanagan Lake: a grassy park where the kids can play on the jungle gym and splash in the shallow water while the adults strike up a volleyball game or settle in at the picnic shelter with a snack. It keeps a family afternoon simple, with washrooms on site. Dogs are not permitted on the beach. The adjoining Canoe Beach on Lakeshore Road is a separate RDNO park operated in partnership with the Okanagan Indian Band; dogs are not permitted on that beach either, but are allowed on leash along its pathway.
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Paddlewheel Park
Paddlewheel Park Beach is a local favourite, and for good reason: it is built for a full-day family outing. Swim from the beach, then move between the playground, the basketball, tennis and volleyball courts and the picnic shelter, with plenty of shade and washrooms close by. A public boat launch shares the park, so expect boats coming and going; launching a trailered boat needs a pass ($10 per day or $60 per season, also valid at Coldstream’s Kalavista launch). Dogs are not permitted on the beach.
♥ Local Favourite