Okanagan Lake
Winter storms close Kelowna’s busiest boat launch at the height of summer
KELOWNA - Stormy weather last winter has left behind a sandbar in Okanagan Lake big enough to shut down the city’s busiest boat launch. Located near the mouth of Mission Creek, the Cook Road boat launch will be closed for a week at the height of the summer boating season for dredging, park planning manager...
Possibly missing hiker or hikers in Okanagan Mountain Park
KELOWNA – RCMP have a mystery on their hands as they investigate a possible missing persons case involving camping equipment found abandoned in Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park. Police say a tent and a cooler were discovered near the shore of Okanagan Lake, south of Commando Bay between Goode’s Creek and Van Hyce Beach in the...
Teen rescued after failed attempt to swim Okanagan Lake
VERNON – A 19-year-old from Alberta was rescued from Okanagan Lake after a failed attempt to swim from Ellison Provincial Park near Vernon to the other side of the lake. RCMP called Vernon Search and Rescue at about 5 p.m., Friday, June 12, and the volunteers launched their boats. The teen was found an hour...
Province to hold public meetings on second Okanagan Lake crossing
KELOWNA - It’s at least twenty years before it will be built but the province still wants to hear what you have to say about a second lake bridge in the Central Okanagan. A press release from the Ministry of Transportation says two open houses are scheduled next week, one in Kelowna and the other...
Newest Interior beer festival promises greatness
KELOWNA – The Great Okanagan Beer Festival in Kelowna next weekend is all about the world of craft beer. The main event is Saturday, May 9 in Waterfront Park on Okanagan Lake with an estimated 2,500 people expected to sample beers from over 40 breweries. Gibbons Festivals and Events have three days of events planned...
Highflying rescuers stage exercise on Okanagan Lake
PENTICTON – Penticton Search and Rescue teamed up with RCAF 442 Squadron for a joint exercise above Okanagan Lake Saturday morning. Two local Search and Rescue swift water technicians were dropped into the lake off Three Mile Point from a hovering helicopter in a simulation of an overturned boat with survivors. “The RCAF Cormorant approached...
Backyard pools contaminating Okanagan Lake
OKANAGAN - Backyard pools are a source of fun and relaxation for many Okanagan homeowners but if improperly drained they are a source of excess chlorine and contaminants for Okanagan Lake. “Chlorine is unfriendly to the lake and the surge of people emptying their pools and hot tubs in the spring and fall adds to...
Man stuck with fine for illegal dock work on Okanagan Lake
VERNON - If you’re a waterfront property owner who’s ever built a dock on the lake, a B.C. Supreme Court Judge says you need a permit for that. It’s a rule cottage owner Laurent Desautels didn’t know about in March 2013, when he hired Okanagan Pile Driving Inc. to install piles into Okanagan Lake as...
Half marathon combines wine and natural Okanagan beauty
KELOWNA – The Kelowna Wine Country Half Marathon is based on the success of a similar event held in California’s famous Napa Valley. The Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon first combined a marathon with natural beauty and wine over a decade ago. Destination Races brought the idea to the Okanagan Valley for the...
City of Vernon buys another high-priced lakeshore property
VERNON - It’s all part of the big picture. Over the last two decades, the City of Vernon has been buying lakeshore property on Okanagan Lake as it pieces together enough land for a public waterfront park. The latest is the property at 2602 Lakeshore Road for $707,500. A pretty good price considering councillors have...
Top 7 romantic places in Vernon
VERNON - From postcard perfect lake views to snow covered mountains, this picturesque valley we call home has no shortage of lovely locales. This Valentine’s Day, we’ve decided to celebrate the romantic locations our city boasts, and to help us round up the top seven we caught up with some local photographers. Who better to...
Why this Okanagan woman took not one, but 12 polar bear dips
OKANAGAN - If you thought this week’s Polar Bear Swim participants were nuts, you won’t believe what this Okanagan mom has been doing for the past three months. Along with her sister and 14-year-old daughter, Kelowna resident Mix Hart has been taking a dip in Okanagan Lake once a week for the past 12 weeks....
PHOTOS: New Year’s Day frigid plunge into Okanagan Lake
KELOWNA - About 100 brave souls walked, waded, ran and dived into the fridge waters of Okanagan Lake at Kelowna's City Park on New Year's Day. The annual Polar Bear Swim not only tested the participants ability to survive in icy water, it was a fundraiser for the Community Recreation Initiatives Society. The icy spash...
VIDEO: Hauntingly beautiful mist rises from Okanagan Lake
KELOWNA – It doesn’t happen often because the weather conditions and the temperature of the water in Okanagan Lake have to be just right. Kelowna wedding videographer Jerry Mason posted a time-lapse video to YouTube he took last weekend of arctic sea smoke on the lake. The very cold air mass that flowed into the...
Okanagan Lake and S.S. Sicamous get revamped
PENTICTON - The Okanagan Lake waterfront will soon get another new look, thanks to city staff who are putting together a plan to revitalize the area around the S.S. Sicamous. Options for the plan were presented to city council last night, who will ultimately decide what they want to see in the new park. The...