British Columbia Okanagan Road Trip
10 Day Circle Trip.
Starting from Calgary, AB Canada, we booked accommodations at:
Radium
Nelson
Osoyoos
Kelowna
Vernon
Revelstoke
Last year we travelled the BC CIRCLE Hot Springs loop and this year we decided to extend our vacation into the beautiful Okanagan, which is known for adventures, wine tours and lakeside relaxation. It seems the perfect way to spend the next ten days!
Radium Hot Springs
We packed up our van and headed to Radium Hot Springs, which is 2.5 hours from Calgary. My parents have an RV spot and Radium Valley Vacation Resort. We started our first three days of vacations with Oma and Opa. RVVR is an excellent resort for RV’ers; they also have many cabins that you can rent through VRBO and Airbnb. There are endless activities with an indoor and outdoor pool, tennis courts, mini-golf, giant chess board and paths for biking. The kids are never bored here.
We usually take an afternoon to soak at the Radium Hot Spring Mineral pool. It has both a Hot Springs as well as a cold pool, where the kids enjoy jumping off the diving board. The cost of admission is so affordable at $25 for our family of 5.
Don’t forget to stop and get an ice cream at Screamers.
We said goodbye to Oma and Opa packed up the van for our next stop was Nelson, BC, where we stayed at the Kokanee Glacier Resort. Nelson is about 4 hours from Radium.
Nelson, BC
On our way to Nelson, we stopped for Breakfast in Kimberly, which is about an hour from Radium. We ate at Our Place. This is a MUST — basically same menu for the last 25 years, why mess with perfection. Eggs benny with special hash browns is divine, yum yum! We try to hit the fantastic stop a least once a year, you won't be disappointed 😉 Kimberly is the cutest Bavarian town, make sure to take a look around the platzel.
Once we arrived in Nelson we stopped at Gyro Park which has a small pool; Gyro Park is an enchanting getaway right in the centre of town. A spectacular viewpoint at the park offers a birds-eye view of Nelson’s heritage downtown and waterfront. The rest of the time, we played in the lake right across the street from our resort. The lake access was incredible. It was like we had an entire beach all to ourselves.
Stop two - Lake Side Park, you must find this circle and clap 👏🏻 your hands in the middle....it is a phenomenon 👻 👽 thank you to my sister for sparking our imagination this afternoon...,and making us look crazy, in the best way!!
From Nelson we travelled to Osoyoos BC, this was my favourite accommodation and location of the entire trip. We stayed three nights at the Watermark Beach Resort.
Osoyoos, BC
You must stop at TickleBerry's Ice Cream shop just outside Osoyoos; it is adorable, so much charm and cuteness!! Plus the ice cream selection is 👍👍
Day one, we checked out Rattle Snack Canyon. Rattle Snake Canyon is a western mining town themed amusement park that offers quality entertainment at affordable prices. There is no admission fee to enter. You can purchase tickets individually for any of our attractions or purchase an All Day Pass. The kids had a blast on the rides, panning for gold, but the bumper boats was the highlight.
We ate dinner the first night at the Golden Chopsticks, which is considered the best Chinese food in South Okanagan. We also checked out CAMPO Italian eatery, and the BC wine list was fantastic.
Kelowna, BC
From Osoyoos, we headed to Kelowna. We stayed four nights at the Barona Beach Resort in West Kelowna. We had a two-bedroom condo which we rented from VRBO. This resort reminded me of Maui. It was paradise found.
There are many things to see and do in Kelowna.
First up, is the Kangaroo Creek Farm. You have to check out the baby kangaroos, emus and all the wildlife. It is a perfect way to spend a 1/2 day. It is a bit more expensive but worth the price of admission.
The kids wanted to try an Ariel course and have an adventure. So the next day we drove to the other side of Kelowna to check out Myra Canyon Adventure Park. This location is the spot for endless adventures, ariel course, zip lines, rope course and endless views. It’s perfect for all! Ages 12 and under will find the kid’s course a challenge for $23. The bigger course is about $44 but worth it if you love thrills, heights and challenges. There are walking courses and breathtaking views everywhere!! Plan a couple of hours here unless you plan to picnic than a whole day would be fun!
If you are looking for a quiet space to unwind and reflect within the downtown area? Take a step away from the hustle and bustle and into Kasugai Garden Park - one of the unique parks in Kelowna.
The rest of the time we were on the lake and in the pool. Never-ending water activities can be found in Kelowna.
Places to eat:
The Jammery is a great spot for breakfast. Think all you can eat waffles and endless delightful jam. So delish! But mostly we made use of BBQ at our resort and cooked our meals.
Vernon, BC
After Kelowna, we decided to check out Vernon. We booked accommodations at the Predator Ridge Resort. Which features two beautiful golf courses, this Okanagan resort provides majestic views of the countryside. We rented a two-bedroom unit. You have a kitchen so you can cook your meals, which is a plus. Families can play golf, bike, hike or swim. Vernon city centre is 10 minutes away.
We knew we only had one night here, so we decided to check out the Atlantis Water-slides was top of the list. We had so much fun. Our favourite family slide was the river riot. There is a concession on-site, but you can always bring a picnic as well. We would suggest hitting this location first thing in the morning or later in the day....it was jam-packed for a holiday Monday. We paid $70 for our family of 5.
You must eat at EATology this cafe-style restaurant is family-friendly. Food was so divine. All we could say was YUM YUM
On our way out of town, we decided to check out Friesens Countrytyme Resturant. Since this is my moms maiden name, this was a must-try place. We had a great spot on the patio, which was adorned with beautiful floral planters. The portion sizes seemed generous, so we shared a few options between the five of us.
After we left Vernon our final destination was Revelstoke. We booked accommodations at Sutton Place. Our Favourite place to stay in Revelstoke.
On route check out Crazy Creek Resort. Note there is a cost, but the waterfalls, swinging bridge and pathways make it a great stop!! This resort is continuing to grow... we will be back to try their cabins once opened!
Revelstoke, BC
Once we arrived on the mountain, we booked into our room and were lucky to get a free upgrade to a two-bedroom unit. We dropped our bags and headed to buy tickets to The Pipe, which is a thrilling mountain roller coaster. You want to get your ticket number so you can get a sense of wait times. We had about a 2 hour wait time for our ticket number. Note: If you have smaller children, they can double up with their parents for the ride down. There is an option when purchasing tickets to add on the Ariel Course, Axe Throwing as well as reverse bungee. So many activities on the mountain. After we finished with all the activities, we headed to the outdoor pool to cool off and swim around.
Time to go back home!
Sadly, we knew it was home time. We had a few more stops on route to YYC we wanted to check out. WE must soak up every last bit on vacation.
A short drive from Revelstoke check out skunk cabbage. This boardwalk pathway is about 1.6km and easy for little ones. You can see birds, frogs and water paths.
For our final stop, which is a quick drive down the road is the Giant Cedars Boardwalk. a 0.5 km boardwalk that takes you through the heart of the Mount Revelstoke forest. It is a quick trail, very majestic and magical.
Now homeward bound.
From our suitcase to yours, happy travels!
