Okanagan. 
Know before you go
Advisories
Safety information
Rattlesnakes
The dry grassy hillsides above the campgrounds provide habitat for a variety of snakes, including rattlesnakes. This is no reason to avoid the area, just remember to wear heavy pants and high boots and avoid putting hands and feet into crevices that you can’t see into. People who encounter rattlesnakes along trails should detour around them and go on their way. Rattlesnakes will not chase after people and cannot strike beyond the length of their body.
Review the detailed guides under visit responsibly for more information on staying safe and preserving our natural spaces.
Visit responsibly
Follow these guides to ensure your activities are safe, respectful, and ecologically friendly:
Maps and location
Getting there
This park is located 11km north of Summerland on Hwy 97.
Camping
Frontcountry camping
This park offers vehicle-accessible campsites in two campgrounds: North Campground and South Campground. Campsite reservations are accepted and first come, first served sites are also available. During the peak season, all of the sites are and non-occupied reservation sites can accommodate first come, first served customers for one, or perhaps more nights, depending on availability.
The North Campground has 80 sites, including nine double sites, all of the 80 sites are reservable. The campground gate is closed in the off-season. There is an information shelter listing site availability and a phone down the hill towards the beach. Please follow directional arrows painted onto the pavement as some roads are one-way to provide the best access to the sites. This campground is laid out in a series of three terraces overlooking Okanagan Lake. The sites are large and well spaced with lawn and trees in between for improved privacy. The sites are located only on the lake side of the roads which increases privacy and allows for better views of the lake. The campsite pads are gravel and have fire rings and picnic tables. Wide, well packed trails lead to pit toilets and in between the terraces.
The South Campground has 94 sites, which are reservable. There is a gatehouse at the entrance to the campground where guests must register. The gate is open until snowfall with winter rates in effect though no services are provided. This is a very different campground than the north campground. All of the sites are at lake level and very close together though there is variation in site layout. Some sites are long, narrow gravel and back onto the hillside. These sites are close together but still separated by trees and shrubs. Other sites are long, narrow and paved with the picnic table and fire ring located behind the site down three or four concrete stairs to a treed lawn area. A third style is short but wide gravel where a tow vehicle must be parked beside the trailer. These sites are not suitable for motorhomes or long trailers. These sites are separated only by cement parking barriers and are similar to double sites. The beauty of this campground is the easy beach access from all sites and the large treed lawn areas shared by some of the sites. There is a phone by the shower building.
Vehicle-accessible camping fee: $35.00 per party per night
Frontcountry campgrounds
Walk-in camping
There are eight reservable walk-in campsites in the south campground.
Walk-in campgrounds
Winter camping
The South Campground has sites for winter camping. Payment can be made through the self registry box and only cash is accepted. THere are no services or firewood sales. Please take out what you brought in.
Things to do
There is a 1km trail above the landslide zone connecting the two campgrounds. For your own safety and the preservation of the park, obey posted signs and keep to designated trails. Shortcutting trails destroys plant life and soil structure.
There are swim areas for each park marked with swim buoys. The beach is pebbly and not sandy.
There are no lifeguards on duty in BC Parks.
Various freshwater fish can be found in Okanagan Lake.
For information about freshwater fishing, including regulations, restrictions and limits, please check the freshwater fishing regulations synopsis.
Anyone fishing in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.
The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC has a fun, hands on, Learn to Fish program that teaches basic angling skills to youth under 16 years old. Check back to this page or ask the park operator for information.
Pets and domestic animals must be on a leash at all times and are not allowed in beach areas or park buildings. You are responsible for their behaviour and must dispose of their excrement. Backcountry areas are not suitable for dogs or other pets due to wildlife issues and the potential for problems with bears.
Bicycles must keep to roadways. Bicycle helmets are mandatory in British Columbia.
Please note that bicycles with electric assist motors (e-bikes) are not allowed on the trails within Okanagan Lake Park. E-bikes are restricted to park roads and areas where motorized use is permitted. The only exception to this policy will be for authorized and identified trail maintenance bikes conducting work on behalf of BC Parks.
Facilities
There is a concrete boat launch available at the south campground which has a paved L-shape turnaround and 5 parking stalls. It has an adjacent high wooden dock where some boats could tie up temporarily but it is not wheelchair accessible. Additional parking is available in the upper parking lot near the campground entrance. It is not recommended to anchor in front of the park due to strong winds.
While campfires are allowed and campfire rings are provided at each campsite, we encourage visitors to conserve wood and protect the environment by minimizing the use of fire and using campstoves instead.
Firewood can be purchased in the park or you may bring your own wood. Fees for firewood are set locally and may vary from park to park.
To preserve vegetation and ground cover, please don’t gather firewood from the area around your campsite or elsewhere in the park (this is a ticketable offence under the Park Act). Dead wood is an important habitat element for many plants and animals and it adds organic matter to the soil.
This park has a day-use area along the lakeshore, with picnic tables.
The shower building at the North Campground is found roughly 100m uphill from the beach area beside site 80. Both the men’s and women’s sides have two sinks with plug-in above, one toilet and two shower stalls.
The new shower building at the South Campground is situated in the center of the park beside the playground. The women’s washroom consists of three showers with change stalls, three sinks with plug-ins and mirrors, and two toilets. The men’s washroom consists of three showers with change stalls, three sinks with a plug-ins, one toilet, and one urinal. This washroom is also wheelchair-accessible with its own stall designed for persons with disabilities and families with young children. This spacious washroom consists of a shower, sink with a plug-in above, toilet, and hand-rails. Each washroom also has soap dispensers and hands free dryers. In addition, the exterior of the building is paved around it for easy access and there are four sinks located outside at back for dishwashing.
About this park
Created in 1955, this park shows what effective park planning can achieve. In the late fifties, thousands of non-native trees were planted on a barren hillside between the highway and the lake. Today, this area is a natural arboretum and the extensive tree cover is home to various bird types.
Though the campground areas are dotted with irrigated lawn and non-native trees, the park still falls into two basic zones with bunchgrass found in exposed areas at low elevations and stands of Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir found in the upper sections. Many wildflowers can be seen along the nature trail away from the more developed areas of the park. Of special note are the chocolate lily and the Columbian lily.
The close proximity of the highway and the fencing on the uphill side prevent movement of large mammals such as deer into the campground. Though sightings of large mammals may be infrequent, the park still has a variety of wildlife to see. Harmless gopher snakes and colonies of Columbian ground squirrels can be seen along upland hiking trails. Bats are quite common in areas bordering lakes and may be seen from the park, though they generally prefer areas with less human presence. The Western toad and Western painted turtle have been spotted in the park which also provides habitat for a variety of birds such as Cedar waxwings, quail, Northern shafted flickers, Western meadowlarks, hummingbirds, and a blue listed bird species, the Lewis’s woodpecker. Insect life is extremely diverse in the park with the Ant Lion being, perhaps, the most interesting. They live buried in conical shaped traps in the sand in ambush for other insects.
Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples
BC Parks honours Indigenous Peoples’ connection to the land and respects the importance of their diverse teachings, traditions, and practices within these territories. This park webpage may not adequately represent the full history of this park and the connection of Indigenous Peoples to this land. We are working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to update our websites so that they better reflect the history and cultures of these special places.
Contact
| Reservations, changes, and cancellations | Our call centre is open from 7 am to 7 pm Pacific Time. There is a $5 fee for reservations, changes, or cancellations made by phone.
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| Park operator | This park is operated by Kaloya Contracting Ltd. Please specify the park name when sending or leaving a message. |
| General questions and feedback for BC Parks | We answer emails weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm Pacific Time. |
