Okanagan Falls, British Columbia
| Okanagan Falls | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s): OK Falls | |
 Okanagan Falls
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| Coordinates: 49°21′00″N 119°34′00″W / 49.35000°N 119.56667°WCoordinates: 49°21′00″N 119°34′00″W / 49.35000°N 119.56667°W | |
| Country |
 Canada
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| Province |
 British Columbia
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| Area code(s) | 250, 778 |
Okanagan Falls (also known as OK Falls) is a community located on the south end of Skaha Lake in British Columbia. In 2012, Okanagan Falls expressed interest in incorporating as a municipality.
Originally named Dogtown, which was derived from the name Dog Lake ("skaha" means "dog" in the Okanagan language), the current name derives from the former small set of the falls that used to lie on the Okanagan River at the outlet of the lake.
Nestled at the head of a giant spillway formed as the discharge of Galacial Lake Penticton was constrained between Mount McLellan to the west and Peach Cliff to the east. Okanagan Falls has a diverse assemblage of geological attractions.
Peach Cliff is a dominant landmark to the east of Okanagan Falls. It consists of trachyte of Eocene age. Peach Cliff is home to herds of mule deer and a sizeable herd of California bighorn sheep. Perched high on a spur of Peach Cliff is Balancing Rock, a large glacial erratic supported by a couple of granitic cobbles.
Southwest of Okanagan Falls, are the ragged cliffs of Indian Head, one of the most unusual rock formations in the Okanagan. Consisting of dark volcanic rocks overlying a lighter conglomerate. This formation contains spectacular megabreccia, volcanic and plutonic rocks up to 70 meters across and metamorphic rocks of up to 500 meters across.
South of Okanagan Falls lies meromictic Mahoney Lake, home to spectacular blooms of purple sulphur bacteria. This purple is contrasted by nearby Green Lake, which is coloured by the precipitation of calcium carbonates in the water column.
The Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory is a research facility founded in 1960 and located southwest of Okanagan Falls and Penticton.
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