Float The Channel
Looking for a leisurely way to spend a few hours soaking up some sun in Penticton? Float the river channel! It runs from Okanagan Lake south to Skaha. Put-in is on Riverside Drive. Bring your own floaties (buy them at discount stores all over town) or rent them from Coyote Cruises. Leave a vehicle near the bridge at Fairview Road (the midway point) or at the far end of the channel, or talk to the folk at Coyote Cruises about booking a ride back to Riverside Drive on their bus. Coyote Cruises will have an idea of how long it’s likely to take to reach Fairview or Skaha, but depending on wind conditions and water flow the full cruise will usually take a few hours. Slather on some sun block before you go and if you have children, rig up some shade with a towel or an umbrella. Bring drinks and snacks, or stop at the Fairview pull-out and nip up to the concession. There are public toilets here, and at the Skaha Lake end of the channel. Tips from experience: Planning to rope your rafts together? You might want to wait until you’ve passed under the highway bridge. If you are tied together, don’t get caught in the current with a raft on either side of the bridge pilings. Usually the second part of the trip, between Fairview and Skaha, is slower than the first leg. If the wind’s cooperating, locals use a bit of ingenuity to speed things up by rigging a “sail” from towels and oars, or by having the most energetic in the crew hang out the back and provide some kick power. 
The trail you’ll notice along the channel’s west side is the KVR. (You can walk or cycle this path for miles and miles; from the channel, it crosses Highway 97 and heads south along Skaha Lake to Okanagan Falls and beyond.) If your float is getting a little too long, there are a few places where it’s pretty easy to climb the bank and hoof it to the parking lot.
|
