City: Kamloops
Top Things to do in Kamloops
10 Things to Do in Kamloops That You Shouldn't Miss
Boasting rolling hills, two converging rivers, 82 parks, a sparkling lake and world class sporting facilities, Kamloops is a paradise for the active traveler. One of Canada's sunniest destinations, Kamloops enjoys on average over 2000 hours of sunshine a year and makes the perfect spot for a round of golf, a rugged bike ride through the hills or an exhilarating excursion to nearby downhill or cross country skiing facilities.
Restaurants in Kamloops
1. Sun Peaks Ski Area
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 402 reviews
Whether you come for the diverse ski terrain or for the variety of summer activities, Sun Peaks is a haven for recreational fun in a three-mountain alpine area. Located in the Interior of British Columbia, Sun Peaks boasts Canada’s second largest ski area with 4,270 acres of terrain. With 6 meters of light, dry snow falling annually and over 2,000 hours of sun each year, guests enjoy spectacular winter conditions for downhill skiing, snowboarding and cross country skiing. Off the slopes, more winter adventure awaits with dog-sledding tours, snowmobile and snowshoe tours, horse-drawn carriage rides and more. Summer at Sun Peaks offers just as much recreational fun. Sun Peaks is home to BC’s highest elevation golf course. Guests can explore the alpine with lift-access hiking and world-class mountain biking trails, with opportunities for canoeing, kayaking, Segway tours and horseback riding. Sun Peaks’ vibrant European-style village is nestled at the base of Tod Mountain, Sundance and Mt. Morrisey. The village offers a wide selection of accommodations, restaurants and shopping boutiques.
Reviewed By Yannick777 - Vancouver
We visit Sun Peaks couple of time every year. It’s always great. Very kids friendly with lots of activities for them and the rest of the family such as tubing, skating etc....This year the snow was fabulous....powder, powder, powder! Great restaurant and lodging with ski in ski out. Recommend it to all!
2. Riverside Park - Centre of the City
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 572 reviews
Reviewed By Tim E - Invermere
All around decent park, just outside of my hotel of choice, the sandman signature. Swimming, music, festivals. Clean and appropriate for little ones. Good family park.
3. Monte Creek Ranch Winery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 121 reviews
Just a 10-minute drive outside Kamloops city limits, Monte Creek Ranch Winery aims to follow in the footsteps of the area's early explorers. Come experience the beauty and bounty that first brought these pioneers out West. Enjoy a wine tasting, a regionally inspired seasonal alfresco menu on the Terrace and shop for local products. The Tasting Room is open May to October 10-6 daily and November to April 11-5 daily. The Terrace Restaurant is open from 11-6 daily from June to August. Come discover the Thompson Valley's next frontier in winemaking.
Reviewed By DaleL943 - Kelowna, Canada
First visit to this winery. It has spectacular views of the Thompson River from their patio. Can’t wait to go back in the summer for lunch. The white wines were good. I thought the Reserve Chardonnay was best but a little pricey. The Hands Up...MoreHowdy DaleL943, Thank you for the wonderful review! We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed your time with us. We look forward to hosting you again in the summer for a meal. Cheers!
4. Kamloops Wildlife Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 587 reviews
This Wildlife Park has over 60 different animal species and serves as a rehabilitation facility for injured creatures.
Reviewed By JoyBritishColumbia - British Columbia
The Kamloops Wildlife Park resident animals are those that have been injured or abandoned in the wild. At the park their enclosures are spacious and similar to those the animals may have in the wild. Special shows are offered to educate visitors on the birds and animals and the main centre is jam packed full of educational experiences and exhibits. In the winter the wildlife park hosts the Christmas Wildlights show - again fun for young and old alike.
5. McArthur Island Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 164 reviews
Reviewed By Kathair - Ferndale, Washington
We were passing through the area and spent the night in Kamloops. Next morning, we wanted a nice walk before getting back in the car. This park is a very nice city park. It is located on an island in the river and has a number of sports facilities, but also has a trail around the island. We spent a pleasant hour strolling through looking at "wildlife" (ducks, geese, chipmunks, etc.) and enjoying the view.
6. Kenna Cartwright Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 107 reviews
Reviewed By WithFamilyWillTravel - Vancouver
We were looking for a walk near our hotel and found this Park. It has been developed for mountain biking and hiking and has a variety of easy trails. It climbs some hills so you get exercise but there are direct (steepish) and indirect options for most destinations in the Park. A great way to see the grasslands and Kamloops forest and on the viewpoints, get great views of the meeting of the North and South Thompson Rivers. A delightful park for a relatively easy mountain bike ride, run, or walk.
7. Sagewood Winery
Overall Ratings
5 based on 40 reviews
Reviewed By Koverton - Kamloops, Canada
Without the grandiose of many nearby okanagan wineries but bearing the accolades of one most accomplished, sagewood exceeded my expectations. Small tasting room & with parking challenges I would advise visiting during off peak times. $5/5 tasters with fee waived upon purchase.
8. Lac le Jeune
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 73 reviews
Reviewed By boethe - Portland, OR
When our plans to camp at Wells Gray were suddenly cancelled due to forest fires, we scrambled to find a non-reservable site elsewhere. At the advice of a kind staff member at the Merritt visitors' center we tried Lac Le Jeune and found plenty of spots to choose from on a Sunday afternoon. We spent four lovely nights this week at the park. Here are our pros:
1) Spacious campsites, most with trees or shrubs to provide privacy. Some are more shaded than others. Our site overlooked an open meadow and we could see other campsites in the distance but nothing was visible close by. Some campsites have lovely lakeviews and one was open but we chose not to take it because it was less private. Definitely bring a canopy of some type in case your site doesn't have shade as it became quite hot in the afternoons. There are flush toilets near most of the campsites (a few pit toilets too) but no showers. The layout of the campground is a little confusing and there were no maps to be had. We biked around quite a bit to figure out how the roads connected. Park employees were few and far between. The gatehouse was never staffed during our time there and the only time we interacted with an employee was the one who came by to register us our first evening. The park was quite full and it would have been helpful to have "open hours" posted at the gatehouse so we could have found someone to ask questions about the area. Instead we drove into Kamloops and found their visitors' center quite helpful but it's a 30 minute drive away.
2) Beautiful lake with a wide open grassy beach and lots to do. Our kids learned to fish thanks to a free program on Wednesdays provided by BC Fisheries. (Sadly nothing was caught.) We were looking forward to renting kayaks or canoes from the boat launch but were disappointed to find it closed on a Wednesday (closed Thursdays too). There were plenty of people on the beach those days so it was odd that it was closed mid-week during the high season of July. The water is very cold but our kids swam, waded and dug in the sand/ dirt. We had a small blow-up boat they enjoyed as well. There is a lovely path that seems to go all the way around the lake, although we only walked a small portion of it each night. There is a playground which we discovered on our last day because there is no signage whatsoever. There is an unmarked trail off of Lac Le Jeune drive about halfway down next to a garbage can on the north side of the road. It's a huge play structure our kids loved but we wished we had noticed it sooner!
3) Lots of area activities. We were not at all prepared or knowledgeable about what to do around Kamloops, since we hadn't planned to be in that area. The staff at the Kamloops Visitors' Center were very helpful. We weren't able to fit in all the activities that sounded appealing but we enjoyed what we did. We spent a day walking the riverside of Kamloops, playing in the big playground on the water, and eating downtown at the Noble Pig Brewery (very kid-friendly). We ended the day swimming at the Tournament Center near the university which has a huge indoor swim park, a water slide, and lap swimming. One downside of Lac Le Jeune is there are no showers so we showered at the pool instead. At only $3.95/person (plus the Kamloops visitors' center kids' brochure has coupons for free admission) this was a great deal and a fun afternoon activity on a hot, smokey day from all the wildfires in the area. We also spent a day hiking in the alpine meadows of Sun Peaks resort. Such a great area with a gondola ride to the top followed by miles of hiking or mountain biking options. Sun Peaks is a lovely town where we could have easily spent more time but mostly we just hiked and got ice cream.
Overall we loved our four days at Lac Le Jeune and I hope we have the opportunity to return. We relaxed, explored and made lovely family memories which is really the purpose of our travels.
9. Privato Vineyard and Winery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 53 reviews
Situated on the banks of the North Thompson River in Kamloops, Debbie and John Woodward invite you to their "Private Heaven". The result of their years of patience, care and quiet passion: PRIVATO. Crafted in small quantities, PRIVATO creates premium-quality, single-vineyard Burgundy wines. From their quaint and intimate tasting room to the picnic area and vineyards, the experience truly exudes a sense of charm. And as Debbie puts it, "there is not a day that goes by that we don't truly appreciate and marvel at the loveliness of the vineyard right outside our back door. I'm convinced that the experience our visitors have here along with the quality of the wine is what brings them back again and again." TASTING ROOM HOURS May through October Thursday through Sunday 11:00 am to 5:00 pm December 1-20 10:00 am to 4:00 pm For private tastings on any other day or time please call to reserve. VINE TO WINE TOURS $10.00 per person Groups of 4 or more people Reservations required Pets and Children Welcome Wheel Chair Accessible
10. Kamloops Rivers Trail
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 64 reviews
Reviewed By Ydnar - British Columbia
I finally took a walk on the North Shore portion and it was highly enjoyable. Paved and flat (of course) which makes for easy walking. Very scenic, even some wildlife (I saw a snake and a marmot). I'll return to take a much longer walk next time and pack some water and sunscreen as well.
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