Skaha Lake

Skaha Lake is a freshwater lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, situated immediately south of the city of Penticton and separated from Okanagan Lake by the urban corridor through the city.

The lake is used for swimming, boating and wind-based water sports in summer, and its shores include public parks and boat launches that provide easy access to the water. Nearby cliffs at Skaha Bluffs attract climbers to established sport routes and boulder problems.

The basin that contains Skaha Lake was shaped by glacial and post-glacial processes that formed the chain of lakes in the Okanagan Valley; local First Nations have long used the valley for fishing and settlement and the lakeshore later supported European-Canadian recreation and settlement.

Skaha Lake lies in southern British Columbia’s Okanagan region, directly south of Penticton. The lake and its parks are part of the populated Okanagan Valley landscape known for vineyards, orchards and recreational lakes.

• Location and recreation: Located immediately south of the city of Penticton in the southern Okanagan Valley, the lake is a local hub for swimming, boating and wind sports in summer.
• Climbing area: Skaha Bluffs on the lake's eastern shore is a noted climbing area with numerous bolted routes on steep rock faces, busiest from late spring through early autumn.

What to See #

• Skaha Bluffs: A well-known rock-climbing area of steep basalt cliffs and crags on the lake's eastern shore, popular with sport climbers and boulderers during the dry summer months.
• Skaha Beach / Skaha Lake Park: A public waterfront park with sandy beach and boat launches on the northern shore adjacent to the city of Penticton, providing primary access for swimming and small craft.