Thompson Okanagan
A landscape as diverse as the adventures within it
Welcome to the Thompson Okanagan, a region covering approximately 71,600 km² / 27,644 mi², roughly the same size as Ireland. Located on the traditional territory of three Interior Salish Nations: the Syilx, Nlaka’pamux, and Secwépemc peoples, the region is composed of diverse climates of rocky mountains, rolling hills, raging rivers, peaceful lakes, a dry desert, and a temperate rainforest.
Here, you will find many year-round activities suitable for thrill seekers, leisure travellers, and everyone in between. In the warmer months, you can enjoy scenic hiking trails, beautifully carved mountain biking trails, local farmer’s markets, turquoise coloured lakes, and rafting down rushing rivers. The colder months offer scenic cross country skiing and snowshoeing trails, fluffy snow covered slopes, frozen lakes ideal for ice fishing, and accommodations perfect for cosy getaways. In the backcountry, one can enjoy gliding through the powdery snow in the winter and hiking through the tallest peaks of the Rockies in the summer. The local climate is also excellent for vineyards, allowing for four different wine regions to thrive, offering wine tastings year round.
Along with the Thompson Okanagan’s great outdoors, there are over 120 welcoming communities, including 33 Indigenous communities, “Canada’s smallest city,” quaint and quirky villages, and larger urban centres. Many of these communities, large or small, feature an incredible selection of local and Indigenous artisans, delicious farm-to-table restaurants, and historical and cultural attractions.
There is so much to discover in the region along with the availability of extensive resources and services to help any adventurer explore it. Whether you are looking for a guided tour, a family vacation, a couples’ or friends’ getaway, or accessible options for all, you will find it and more in the Thompson Okanagan.
Kelowna
A sunny, laid-back city set in
BC’s wine country
​
On Okanagan Lake’s east shore, Kelowna is a sun-kissed, easygoing city surrounded by vineyards.
Set in British Columbia’s wine country, good food and drink are central to Kelowna, as is golfing, skiing, and boating on the lake. Go wine or cider tasting, shop at an orchard fruit stand, cycle, hike, and snowshoe. Active adventurers will enjoy a visit Myra Canyon on the reclaimed Kettle Valley Railway, where you can cycle through tunnels and over trestles, alongside a steep canyon rock face.
Pictured: Quail's Gate Winery
Kamloops
Explore BC’s sunny canyon
and hoodoo country
​
The north and south Thompson rivers meet in Kamloops, where a desert-like interior boasts wide-open grasslands, sagebrush, ponderosa pine forests, sandstone canyons, and chiseled hoodoos.
With abundant sunshine, the second-largest city in BC’s Interior has 100+ lakes within easy reach, ideal for fishing and paddling. Mountain biking and golfing are also popular, and in winter, you can snowshoe, cross-country ski, as well as downhill ski and snowboard at Sun Peaks Resort and Harper Mountain.
Pictured: Downtown Kamloops at Victoria & 1st Avenue
