Giant's Head.

How Giant's Head took shape

Giant's Head is the residential area around kłt'əpus, the ancient volcano in the middle of Summerland, named for the face like profile on its south side. Okanagan Baptist College stood on its slopes from 1906 to 1915, the summit became a park in 1967, and today detached homes, view lots and small orchards ring the mountain.

Giant's Head rises from the middle of Summerland, an ancient volcano whose south face glaciers carved into the profile that gives it its English name. The District's community plan uses its nsyilxcən name, kłt'əpus. The name Giants Head first shows up officially in 1905 survey notes for land claimed by merchant James Ritchie. One 1890s pioneer later said oldtimers never used the name, and claimed the mountain looked like Lord Shaftesbury before its rocky beard wore away. The slopes drew settlers early. , and it soon built Ritchie Hall and Morton Hall on College Hill along Giants Head Road, with a gymnasium at the base of the hill. The college closed in June 1915 because of money troubles.

Ritchie Hall burned in 1941, Morton Hall became a hotel before it was moved to Penticton in 1988, and today only the concrete pad of the Giant's Head skating rink remains. The Gutormusson home on Giants Head Road, built in 1910, shows early Tudor Revival woodwork. For Canada's centennial in 1967, the mountain became a municipal park, and a time capsule was buried under the summit boulder, to be opened in 2067. The park now covers 87 hectares, and a trail redevelopment plan adopted in 2018 was completed in 2026. The streets around the mountain mix established detached homes, hillside view homes and small orchard and vineyard parcels, with downtown to the north and Trout Creek to the south. Giant's Head Elementary closed in 2025, and its students moved to Summerland Elementary.

1. 1905The name Giants Head first appears officially, in survey notes for lot 2561 claimed by James Ritchie. Source
2. 2018Council adopts the Giants Head Mountain trail redevelopment plan, completed in 2026. Source

The homes & their setting

Established detached homes, hillside view homes and small orchard and vineyard parcels around the base of the mountain, mostly freehold. The mountain itself is an 87 hectare municipal park.

Building age, tenure, amenities and permitted uses vary by address. Explore the actual property documents with Elaine and the appropriate specialists.

Places with a story

• Giant's Head Mountain Park and time capsule — Park since 1967; the centennial time capsule under the summit boulder is due to be opened in 2067. History source
• Okanagan Baptist College site, College Hill — One of B.C.'s first colleges (1906 to 1915); only the skating rink's concrete pad remains. History source
• Gutormusson home, 8206 Giants Head Road — A 1910 Tudor Revival home noted for its woodwork. History source
• Volcanic rock columns — Natural rock columns on the mountain's western slope are listed in Summerland's heritage inventory. History source