The name Peachland evokes images of summer sunshine, warmth and peach trees with juicy, ripe fruit. We believe one of the best features of this community in the central Okanagan is its lakefront walkway.
The Beach Avenue Walk, also known as Centennial Way, is an eight-kilometre paved pathway. It is a wonderful waterfront walking experience at any time of the year.
Beach Avenue, along Okanagan Lake, has bed and breakfasts, restaurants and tourist-oriented businesses along one side of the street and a linear lakefront park, docks and beaches on the other side.
“This is one of the best examples of how a small town can showcase itself to the world.”
John
Peachland is a community of a little more than 5,000 people, 25 kilometres south of Kelowna and 40 kilometres north of Penticton. A number of beautification projects in recent years have helped to make this community, especially the waterfront area, an amazing tourist destination in the region.
People from nearby communities will stop here for a day trip, and visitors from the rest of the province and beyond will often include Peachland and its lakefront as part of their Okanagan Valley vacation experience.
While there is plenty of parking along Beach Avenue, it tends to fill up quickly, especially on summer weekends.
The multi-use path attracts children and teens on scooters, rollerbladers, skateboarders and plenty of people out for a walk or a jog. The path is dog-friendly, and there are plenty of bag dispensers along the way. However, if you want your dog to go into the lake, look for the designated areas as dogs are not permitted on all waterfront or grassy areas.
The waterfront walk is flat and leisurely, with plenty of benches, picnic tables and other places to stop for a rest along the way.
We recommend starting at Bliss Bakery and picking up a Canadian Bliss or any other hot coffee on a cool day. In summer, there are plenty of cool drinks available as well.
The bakery, a Peachland landmark, also features a selection of meals, snacks, cookies, bars and more. Expect a lineup, especially on the weekends. They have a large outdoor dog-friendly patio, although we tend to get our coffees to go, to enjoy on our walks.
“The cookies at Bliss Bakery are delicious. They once were broken into and the thief stole multiple cookies. Talk about a cookie monster.”
Kim
From Bliss Bakery, walk southwest past the Peachland Visitor Centre, the Little Schoolhouse Society and the Beach Avenue businesses, ending up near Blind Angler Grill near the end of Beach Avenue. This portion of the walk is 1.8 kilometres each way along a flat, paved pathway.
Walking the entire length of the walkway is a round trip of roughly eight kilometres. Northeast, beyond Bliss Bakery, the walkway continues along the shore of the lake but away from the busier parts of Beach Avenue. This area is less travelled, but equally enjoyable.
The view of Okanagan Lake from Peachland is spectacular at any time of the year, and the lake never looks the same two days in a row.
Photographers will want to stop often to get stunning pictures of the shoreline, the water and Rattlesnake Island, where Ogopogo, the legendary lake monster, is said to live.
“Did someone suggest a walk? Count us in! There’s so much for us to explore.”
Porter & Merlot
While the waterfront park has long been a favourite day excursion of ours, it has recently been expanded.
In May, 2019, the Ray Kandola Heritage Pier was opened near the south end of the walk. The 120-metre wooden pier is designed for fishing and to be fully accessible for anyone with a disability.
We haven’t seen anyone out fishing from the pier, but each time we stop in Peachland, we see plenty of couples and families out enjoying a leisurely stroll along the waterfront pathway.
