Pack the sunscreen and a comfy towel because beaches, waterparks and boat launches are open for the weekend.
The north end of the beach at City Park is open for beachgoers as well as Tugboat Beach at Waterfront Park, Boyce-Gyro Beach Park, Sarsons Beach Park, Cedar Creek Park and Paul’s Tomb and Lochview Trail with more beaches expected to progressively reopen in the coming weeks as flood protection measures come down, according to a City of Kelowna release.
Lighting along the City Park promenade will be back on starting tonight and the park will return to typical hours of operation, closing at 11 p.m. rather than dusk.
Sections of interior roads and parking lots at City Park will reopen within the next week. Pedestrians and cyclists are also able to access the tunnel under the William R. Bennett bridge, from Hot Sands Beach to Lake Avenue, however, the pedestrian bridge on the south side of the bridge remains closed.
Those looking to cool off at a water or splash park can visit Ben Lee Waterpark (900 Houghton Road) with extended hours, or Quilchena Splash Park (347 Quilchena Drive).
City Park Waterpark will need to remain closed until significant repairs can be made following flooding of the mechanical and electrical systems. Waterpark schedules can be found on the city’s website.
Certain boat launches are open and include:
Cook Road Boat Launch - 500 Cook Road
Water Street Boat Launch - 1354 Water Street (one lane only)
Cedar Creek Park - 5200 Lakeshore Road
This boat launch is only suitable for launching small boats and parking is extremely limited.
Residents and visitors planning to head out on the lake for boating are encouraged to follow the guidelines for respectful boating. Boaters can view the boating wake maps, which indicate no and low wake boating areas in order to protect against wave action and shoreline erosion. Once lake levels reach more reasonable levels, regular boating activities will resume.