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How to find Alice the dinosaur in Penticton

When you think “Penticton” and “tourist attraction”, a few obvious ideas come to mind. Close your eyes and focus. You are definitely imagining beaches, wineries, steam trains, cycling trails and giant peaches selling lemonade. But did you imagine dinosaurs? Close your eyes again. You should be imagining one extremely oversized, shiny, metal tyrannosaurus rex named Alice. Yep, that’s right. Penticton is now home to a brand new tourist attraction and her name is Alice. 

Where is the giant T-rex dinosaur in Penticton?

Alice the giant T-rex dinosaur is officially located at 331 Lower Bench Rd but she is only viewable from the KVR trail. Park on Vancouver Place and walk for about 600m along the KVR and you will find this giant metal dinosaur in Penticton.

Map to the dinosaur in Penticton

How did Alice the dinosaur come to be in Penticton?

If you are wondering how she physically made her way to Penticton, she was delivered in separate pieces on a flatbed truck from Chilliwack. Did she take Highway 3 or the Coquihalla? I’m not sure. However her why is a very interesting story. 

Alice the dinosaur is 7 meters tall and weighs 5 tonnes. Her permanent home is on a vacation property just below Munson Mountain and viewable from the Kettle Valley Rail Trail just outside of Penticton. Her owner is Frank Schilling, who grew up in the Okanagan and apparently LOVES dinosaurs. He loves them so much that he commissioned metalworking artist Kevin Stone from Chilliwack to build him a dinosaur so big that it cost nearly $400k in labour and materials. I wish to one day have that kind of money to spend on my passion. 

However Frank didn’t want Alice to be for his viewing only. He even tried to work with public officials to find a home for Alice that could be enjoyed by everyone. When public officials said ‘no thank you’ that didn’t stop Frank. Lucky for us, Frank actually owns a luxury vacation property with a giant backyard that overlooks the KVR! Problem solved. Now Alice is on display for all of Penticton to enjoy. 

How can you visit Alice the dinosaur in Penticton?

There are two ways to visit Alice the dinosaur. One involves a 600m walk down the KVR. The other involves a $1599+/night stay at an Airbnb. If you really want to see Alice up close and personal you’re going to have to splurge on the Airbnb. Worth it? Maybe. (Frank if you’re reading this hit me up with an invitation, I’d be happy to weigh in on the matter). 

Option 1: Stay at the Eden Park Lakehouse

Picture from Airbnb

This luxury vacation home is unfortunately a few dollars outside my usual nightly accommodation budget. So I can only admire it from the photos on my laptop. The listing doesn’t explicitly mention Alice, which is interesting. A 7-meter-tall dinosaur would be a unique surprise to find at your luxury Airbnb. 

From the listing, it is unclear how close you could get to Alice when renting this property but I imagine you could get right underneath?! Again, Frank: I’m happy to investigate further, just hit me up. 

The Airbnb is of course, stunning. Have a look for yourself.

Option 2: 600m walk along the KVR

For those of us with a lean budget, the walk on the KVR is an *almost* equally luxurious way to visit Alice. Park on Vancouver Place to access the trail and start walking. 600 meters is only about a 10-minute walk but if you are with a 3-year-old on a bike who likes to stop to inspect the dirt every couple of meters it might take you longer. 

A word of warning: If you are walking with your eyes straight ahead you might miss her until you turn around to return! She is on the right but visible best when you are looking south on the trail.

Concluding thoughts about the 7-meter dinosaur in Penticton

Alice is a sight that is not to be missed. A new local legend, for sure. I am however left with a few questions about her future. What will her role be in the evolution of the Okanagan as a tourist destination? What will the merch look like? And what other shiny, metal, prehistoric surprises await the city of Penticton? All good things to ponder on my next stroll down the KVR.

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