Ellison Park

Over six kilometres of easy walking trails, with some steep sections, access many of the park’s natural features and viewpoints. 

Trails along the tops of the rocky headlands offer panoramic vistas of Okanagan Lake north to Spallumcheen and south to Fintry as well as Terrace Mountain and the communities of Westside Road. Please use caution while hiking these trails as they are more difficult.

For your own safety and the preservation of the park, obey posted signs and keep to designated trails. Taking shortcuts destroys plant life and soil structure. 

Warm waters and gradually sloping ground provide excellent swimming at Ellison Park’s three main beaches. The swimming areas are designated with buoys to keep boats out. The park also features western Canada’s only freshwater dive park, where sunken artifacts add to the fascinating plant and animal life. 

Swimmers itch may be present at times. For more information, see the staying safe page. 

Canoes and kayaks are welcome at Ellison Park. There are several boat launches just 10 minutes from the park. 

Houseboats can pull ashore at Sandy Beach. The standard camping fee is charged for overnight use. 

Mooring buoys offshore in South Bay and Otter Bay are part of a marine park system sponsored by the Okanagan’s yacht clubs. 

There are no boat launches or rentals at the park.

Various freshwater fish are available in Okanagan Lake. 

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. Contact the park operator for more information.

Sandy Beach, a beach you can attend with your leashed pet, is accessed from the trail leading out of the campground between sites 11 and 12. Pets must be leashed at all times while at this beach. 

Outside this area, pets must be leashed at all times and are not allowed in other 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 the potential for problems with bears and other wildlife.

Ellison Park offers fantastic biking opportunities for a wide range of skill levels. Cycling is allowed on roadways and designated trails. In partnership with BC Parks, the North Okanagan Cycling Society has added a network of scenic multi-use trails.

Bicycle helmets are mandatory in British Columbia. 

Bicycles with electric assist motors (e-bikes) are permitted on signed or designated trails within Ellison Park, provided they meet the criteria outlined on our cycling page.

There are scuba diving and snorkelling opportunities at the underwater dive park located at Otter Bay.

The small granite cliffs by South Bay offer climbing suitable for beginners. Ellison Park also has opportunities for scrambling, bouldering, and top-rope climbing in short pitches. Local recreation groups offer guided rock climbing and outdoor recreation day camps in the park.

Accessibility information is available for this park.

Campfire rings are provided at each campsite. Firewood can be purchased in the park or you may bring your own. You can help the environment by minimizing the use of fire, keeping your campfire small, and bringing a camping stove for cooking. 

To preserve vegetation and ground cover, please do not gather firewood from the area around your campsite or anywhere else 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 valuable organic matter to the soil.

Cold spring water is available for cooking and drinking. Six taps are located throughout the campground.

Ellison Park includes day-use areas with beaches, 50 picnic tables, a group picnic area, and parking nearby. The two main day-use beaches, Otter Bay and South Bay, are accessed by a steep, coarsely paved trail with benches conveniently located at the switchbacks. A third day-use area, Sandy Beach, is ideal if you are visiting with pets. 

Otter Bay 

The picnic tables at Otter Bay line the crescent-shaped beach of coarse pink sand, providing excellent views of the lake. The day-use area is shaded by well-spaced Douglas fir trees. The picnic tables are on cement pads and the ground is pebbly gravel. There are two fire pits but no barbeque attachments for the tables. There is a pit toilet, a fountain tap, and a volleyball net. The bay is sheltered by rocky headlands making it a great spot for swimming. The swimming area is marked by buoys.  

South Bay 

At South Bay, the picnic tables sit slightly above the large sandy beach and are separated from it by a low rock wall. Ponderosa pines are interspersed among the tables, creating some shade. The area offers great views of the lake and the Fintry delta. The swimming area is marked by buoys and mooring buoys stretch towards Sandy beach.  

Sandy Beach

This pet-friendly beach is accessed by a trail of hard-packed dirt from between campsites 11 and 12. The beach has coarse pink sand and is the smallest of the three beaches. 

Ellison Park has ten flush toilets and four pit toilets. The washrooms have no hot water and no electrical outlets. There is a shower building in the campground, which does have electrical outlets and hot water (see ‘showers’, below). 

There is a children’s adventure playground in a corner of the irrigated lawn flanked by campsites 51 to 59 and 62 to 71. 

There is a shower building in the campground, which has electrical outlets and hot water. There is also an outside cold-water shower at the beach area, to aid in the prevention of swimmer’s itch.