Parks & Trails
Memorial Park
This urban park within the downtown core is a focal point for many festivals and events. Large grassy areas, mature shade trees, picnic tables, washrooms, playground, benches and a band-shell create an inviting environment for the community and its visitors.
Peach Orchard Beach Park
Large grassy areas, sandy beach, volleyball court, playground, walkway, picnic tables and benches, washrooms, a boat launch and a floating dock make this park a little piece of paradise. Parking adjacent.
Spirit Square
Located in Peach Orchard Beach Park the Spirit Square includes a large covered gazebo with stage area. Also included are 6 interpretive historic signs, 8 picnic tables, an operating sundial sculpture and the whole area is handicap accessible.
Summerland Millennium Spray Park
Located in Peach Orchard Park the Spray Park was built in 2000 and contains 15 pieces of apparatus including water cannons and 25 ground sprays. The park is open daily from May until September and contains both timer and motion sensors for water efficient operation.
Dog Beach
At the south end of Peach Orchard Park is an enclosed area of beach where dogs and their owners can enjoy the lake. Dogs must be kept under control at all times.
Gordon Beggs Rotary Beach
This well used beach attracts locals and visitors alike with its fine sand that is machine-cleaned regularly. This beach offers docks, floating docks, washroom facilities, shade trees, park benches and the popular historic Kiwanis Pier.
Powell Beach Park
Located in the Trout Creek area of Summerland this beach includes not only a great swimming venue but also a softball field, tennis courts, washroom facilities and lots of shade for the numerous picnic tables and park benches.
Mount Conkle Park
This 268-acre natural park features a stone cairn proclaiming the dedication of the park which stands on the Rodeo Grounds and includes a time capsule to be opened during Summerland’s bicentennial (2106).
The mountain was named after William H. Conkle who homesteaded in the area with Alexander McLennan in 1886. Conkle moved to Midway in the early 1890s where Conkle Creek and Lake were also named after him. Mount Conkle is located above and to the south of Prairie Valley and Kettle Valley Railway was built along its slope. The park borders the Rodeo Grounds and is backed by crown land behind the mountain itself.
A portion of the Trans Canada Trail winds its way through Mount Conkle Park. The view of orchards and vineyards set against spectacular mountains will thrill you as you make your way along the Trans Canada Trail.
Summerland Centennial Trail
The 4.5 kilometer Centennial Trail explores the area that was the first townsite of Summerland when the elegant sternwheeler ships plied the lake bringing adventurous settlers to the small lakeside community.
The trail begins at Peach Orchard Road and the Highway 97 underpass and follows Aeneas Creek, a deciduous wooded area with small bridges spanning the creek.
About 30 meters before the trail exits the woods, a climb up a grassy hillside takes you to Bristow Road which heads south to a junction with Solly Road. Interpretive signage explains the grand view below; the site of Summerland’s first hospital and the sweeping vista of Okanagan Lake and the original townsite of Summerland.
Where Bristow Road ends, the trail parallels Highway 97 to meet up with Prairie Gulch, a former roadway between the original townsite and the “flat” where the present day townsite is located. Following the Gulch road takes you down through the silt bluffs beside Prairie Creek, and over two bridges to Butler Street. A left at Shaughnessy Street leads to Lakeshore drive, once the main highway and business section through Summerland. Lakeshore Drive and a series of park pathways take you past Rotary Beach, Summerland’s Spirit Square and Peach Orchard Beach Park to the junction of Peach Orchard Road and an uphill walk to the trailhead.
Summerland Rotary Trail Lakeshore Loop
This loop is 6km and the trailhead is at the Peach Orchard Beach Park. Head north along Lakeshore Drive, which follows the shoreline of Okanagan Lake to Crescent Beach. A small park at the entrance to Crescent Beach features picnic tables for your convenience. Crescent Beach, now a quiet residential area was once called Storehouse Point, a port for boats loaded with supplies to be hauled overland to the gold mines at Granite City in the Tulameen. Early Summerlander’s used the area as an Athletic Grounds where a racetrack and grandstand were found.
A marked trail heads west up onto a bench to Slater Road from this point and continues on along municipal roadways through orchards and vineyards to the junction of Fosbery and Switchback Road. Traveling down this road, you’ll understand the naming of its steep decline as the road doubles back on itself just above Peach Orchard Cemetery. Switchback Road meets up with Peach Orchard Road across from the Municipal Campground, where there is another interesting diversion to Adams Bird Sanctuary. To return to the trailhead take Peach Orchard Road down the hill to Lakeshore Drive and Peach Orchard Beach Park. The Spirit Square is located on this loop.
Trans Canada Trail
The Summerland portion of the Trans Canada Trail features two bridges and spans 61 kilometers between Summerland and Osprey Lake.
Within the District of Summerland, the trail is connected from the Trout Creek Bridge to the developed trail at Fyffe Road by a series of municipal roadways.
Spanning the Trout Creek Canyon is the 73m/240ft high Trout Creek Bridge which was the highest bridge span constructed on the Kettle Valley Railway. You can access the north end of the bridge from Canyon View Road by vehicle, where there is a rest area and good vantage points for taking photos. At the south end of the bridge is the Summerland Ornamental Gardens which must be accessed from Highway 97. Use extreme caution when the train is in the area.
From Fyffe/Fenwick Road access follow the old flume line along Mount Conkle to the Summerland Rodeo Grounds where you will find a map, parking area and pit toilets. This portion of the trail includes a gazebo outlook and stunning views of Prairie Valley, a patchwork of orchards and pastures. Across the road from the Rodeo Grounds is the Prairie Valley Station of Kettle Valley Steam Railway where you can find a map of the trail with one-kilometer markers all the way to Princeton.
Hikers, cyclists and horseback riders are welcome to continue on the trail which runs beside the tracks past the railway station to the community of Faulder, then west to Osprey Lake. Portions of the trail are wheelchair and stroller friendly.
Giant’s Head Mountain Park
Giant’s Head Mountain, one of Summerland’s most familiar landmarks, can be seen from every location within the community. The Giant’s Head is a core remnant of a volcano.
As you approach the southeast face of Giant’s Head Mountain you’ll see a man’s profile surveying the community that has made him a focal point for more than 100 years! The Giant appears on the Municipality’s Coat of Arms accompanied by the motto “A Giant in Stature.” For Canada’s Centennial in 1967, a community effort created Giant’s Head Park and upon completion, the Park was touted as “one of Canada’s most imaginative centennial projects.” A long and winding road leads to a picnic area and washroom facilities. From there, two paths cut to the top, one steep path called Confederation Trail and one more winding and gradual, called Centennial Trail.
The Summerland Trail, heads to the north and offers spectacular views of the lake and town site. The summit, which is 2,771 feet (845 meters) above sea level, is home to a huge granite boulder set in concrete that holds a time capsule to be re-opened in 2067. Along the summit’s perimeter a 360-degree panorama awaits. Take a look at points of interest through various viewing tubes.
You can gain access to the park from Giant's Head Road at Milne Road. Iron gates mark the entrance. You can park there and begin your hike or drive up to the parking area, one kilometer from the summit.
The Park road will be open to vehicles noon - 9:00pm and closed to vehicles on Sundays starting April 15th and ending October 30th.
Click Giant's Head Mountain Park Trail Map 2019 (675KB PDF) for trails map…
The Brigade Trail and Linear Park
In the years 1812 – 1846 the Okanagan Valley was used by the Hudson Bay Company fur traders. The fur traders journeyed along the western edge of Okanagan Lake with a pack train of up to 300 horses carrying supplies. This formation was called a “brigade.” Progress was slow, and camps were set up approximately every 14 miles.
The Brigade Trail Linear Park is a section of the original Okanagan brigade Trail linking to one of the frequently mentioned encampment sites, Priest Camp.
As you drive along Garnett Valley Road you are actually following the original Brigade Trail. Restroom facilities are located at the Garnett Valley Dam (Priest Camp Historic Park) where the trailhead is located.
The trail is 4.1 km long and at the end of the trail you are offered one of the most sensational viewpoints of Okanagan Lake. The Brigade Trail served as a part of the Cariboo Gold Rush Trail and later as the original automobile route to Peachland before the lakeshore road and Highway 97 were built.
The Brigade Trail is open from May through October.
- Responsible alcohol consumption is permitted at Peach Orchard Beach, Rotary Beach and Powell Beach in June, July and August between the hours of 12 noon and 9:00 pm (pilot project for 2023).
- Fires only permitted when there is no campfire ban and only in identified fire rings.
- No smoking, drugs, or vaping.
- In consideration of other users, please refrain from loud music.
- Please keep our beaches clean – dispose garbage and recycling in receptacles.
- Dogs are not permitted on beaches unless otherwise signed or designated.
- Dog are permitted on-leash in the grassy park areas year-round and off-leash between October 1 and May 1 (IE Peach Orchard Beach Park and Powell Beach Park).
- Information on Bylaws are available at www.summerland.ca/bylaws.
- To report any issues, please email recreation@summerland.ca or call 250-494-0447.
- Be prepared – proper clothing and footwear are important.
- Sunscreen is a must.
- Be alert and respectful of wildlife.
- Take plenty of drinking water with you.
- Do not drink from open water sources you may encounter along the trails and use caution when you are near them.
- Cell phone coverage may not be available on all trails.
- Some of the trails included on this map are used for recreational purposes by cyclists and horseback riders. Please keep that in mind as you enjoy our wonderful trails.
- Please respect the rights of other trail users and keep to the right when passing.
- Beware of blind corners – anticipate that other trail users may be hidden from view.
- Please stay on the designated trails.
- Fires are prohibited and no smoking is allowed on the trails.
- Please do not leave any litter on the trail.
- Keep your dog on a leash or under control at all times and please carry along a plastic bag so you can take any pet waste with you.
- Pet-waste bag dispensers are located at most trail heads.
- Leave all gates open or closed as you found them or as signage directs.