Penticton
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By Car
Most travelers will arrive in Penticton by automobile. Highway 97 is the major north-south route through the city. Travel times are about 4 hours from Vancouver, 8 hours from Calgary and 5 hours from Seattle or Spokane. Penticton is a 40 minute drive south from Kelowna. The US/Canada border crossing to the south on Highway 97 is open 24 hours a day; other border crossings in this region are closed overnight.
By Plane
Penticton has a small airport with domestic flights from Vancouver. US and some international flights will land in Kelowna, 60 kilometers to the north. Most international flights will land in Vancouver where an alternate mode of transportation will be needed to make it to Penticton. There are no scheduled commercial flights between Kelowna and Penticton, however, you may charter a flight with Carson Air or Southern Skies.
By bus
Transit operates a local bus service in Penticton with five regular routes and a night route. Service ends at 7PM for regular routes and 10PM for the night route. There is no service on Sundays except for the Lake-to-lake shuttle.
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S.S. Sicamous
9AM-9PM in high summer, shorter hours at other seasons. This paddlewheeler was the last commercial ship to operate on Okanagan Lake. Built in 1914 and retired in 1936, the large ship now spends its days drydocked on the edge of Okanagan Lake. The ship is open daily for tours in the summer, and includes a large HO scale model railway on the main deck, depicting the local Kettle Valley Railway. The smaller S.S.
Munson Mountain Park
is home to the large 'Penticton' sign (a la 'Hollywood') that greets travelers coming in to town from the north. The sign was created with thousands of small white stones. The original stones have since been replaced with letters made of concrete. The park itself affords visitors with stunning 360 degree panoramas of the South Okanagan valley. To get there head east on Vancouver Ave. and follow the signs.
Penticton Ironman Triathlon
The last Sunday in August sees Penticton pretty much shutdown as everyone moves to Lakeshore and Main Street to watch the thousands of competitors in this gruelling event. The triathlon includes a 3.86km (2.4mi) swim, 180km (112mi) bike, and finally, a full marathon of 42.2km (26.2mi). The professionals complete this in 8-10 hours. The event is often chosen as the Canadian championship for this sport.
Penticton Roundabout
The Penticton Roundabout (junction of Front Street, Ellis Street, Marina Way, and Vancouver Hill) features changing art installations. A work nicknamed Frank (actually called The Baggage Handler) was moved because of vandalism and controversy with local puritans due to the anatomical correctness of the piece. Today you can see Frank at his permanent home at Red Rooster Winery, and the roundabout has a less contentious piece.
Penticton Museum & Archives
785 Main Street, Features over 8000 artifacts, photographs, and documents that tell the story of Penticton's pioneers days, as well as local First Nations pieces. Located in the same building as the Penticton Regional Library. There is a gift shop on site.
January - March
October - December
Information not available
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