South Okanagan

This year's National Day for Truth and Reconciliation happens to be on a Monday. Thankfully, South Okanagan-Similkameen Transit provides regular service on this day. I decided to take this opportunity to tour South Okanagan by public transportation.

Sep 29, 2024
Osoyoos

Mountain Man Mike's runs buses from Vancouver to Kaslo every Thursday and Sunday, passing through Osoyoos, which is perfect for my Sunday-Monday trip. The bus departs Vancouver at 6:30 am and arrives in Osoyoos at 1:00 pm, with numerous bathroom breaks en route.

Osoyoos is a small town, but the two most famous natural sites, Spotted Lake and the Osoyoos Desert Centre, are too far from the town center to reach on foot. There are no car rental companies in Osoyoos, so I decided to rent a bike from Sessions Outdoor Sports. They are closed on Sundays, but a couple of bikes are available for rent through their app. The bike I rented happened to be a regular one (I was told it's an ebike but the "Power" button didn't work), so it was quite a workout to bike to the Osoyoos Desert Centre. The centre is a good educational place to learn about this unique ecosystem in Canada. Although it doesn't look like a "traditional" desert, it meets the definition of a desert, such as low precipitation, dry and windy air, etc.

Since I had a good view of Spotted Lake from the bus, I didn’t bike there. Instead, I returned the bike and walked to Osoyoos Lake—first to Gyro Beach, then across the bridge to Cottonwood Beach. The lake is nice but not particularly spectacular. I tried to sit on the lakeside benches several times, but it was too windy, so I didn’t spend much time there.

Osoyoos Desert Centre

Sep 30, 2024
Penticton - Kelowna

There are only two buses from Osoyoos to Penticton, Monday to Friday. The morning one departs at 7:15 am opposite Osoyoos Town Hall. It takes a little over an hour to reach Peachtree Square, a transit hub in South Penticton. From there, I walked 20 minutes to Skaha Lake at the south end of Penticton. There are two beaches on the lake: Skaha Beach is smaller, but there are plenty of benches around (there are also public washrooms open in the summer until Sep 30); Sudbury Beach is bigger, but I only saw two benches at the east end of the beach.

After relaxing at the beach for about an hour, I took bus No. 3 to another lake at the north end of Penticton, Okanagan Lake. I first checked out Ikeda Japanese Garden, then walked along the lake all the way to S.S. Naramata, passing Chong Fah Cheong's sculpture "The Romp" at the northwest corner of Rotary Park. It was a nice walk.

Bus No. 70 (Monday to Friday only) took me to Kelowna in one hour. I had been to Kelowna twice in the past. This time, I went to two parks not well-known to tourists: Boyce-Gyro Beach Park and Rotary Beach Park—both were very quiet when I was there.

Before taking my bus to Vancouver, I checked out two sites downtown: Kasugai Gardens and Okanagan Heritage Museum. Kasugai Gardens is another Japanese garden, but larger than Ikeda Japanese Garden in Penticton and with more visitors. Visiting Okanagan Heritage Museum on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation had special meaning, as all donations go to Indigenous communities.

"The Romp"

Summary

Though challenging, taking public transportation is an exciting way to visit South Okanagan. For me, Osoyoos is the best due to its natural sights, including the Canadian desert and the unique Spotted Lake. In Penticton, I met the friendliest people on this trip—several strangers said 'morning' to me, and even the bus drivers were super nice. At the Okanagan Heritage Museum in Kelowna, I wrote my 'pledge' on an orange card, making an excellent end to my South Okanagan trip.