Looking for a new adventure destination? Look no further! This post is all about the Best Places in Kelowna for Outdoor Adventures – whether you want a long weekend escape or a summer long stay, Kelowna and the Oakanagan Valley is a must do.
Will and I spent the Thanksgiving Long Weekend visiting friends in Kelowna and were reminded of what a great outdoor adventure destination it is! We have now spent over a month exploring the Okanagan Valley through a variety of seasons and think it’s one of Canada’s top adventure destinations.
No matter the season, you can enjoy high quality outdoor adventure facilities and parks. In this post, we are sharing our top recommendations for the Best Places in Kelowna for Outdoor Adventures. Our outdoor adventure recommendations are for folks in the novice to intermediate skill category for each sport including mountain biking, climbing and skiing!
All links should be considered affiliate links. By clicking these links and perhaps purchasing something or signing up, you are helping support the blog. I will only refer items to you I think provide good value and wouldn’t hesitate to use myself.
Weather and When to Go
Kelowna and the Okanagan Valley south of the city is a semi-arid climate making it a very comfortable place for outdoor sports of all kinds.
Spring (March-May) and fall (September-Early November) are ideal seasons for adventurers because it’s dry, with warm days and cool nights and trails/parks are open. This is peak climbing season at Skaha, so be sure to arrive early if you want to be able to park or get on a certain route.
Summer is Hot! June through early September means busy beaches and lots of water activities. Need some Canadian heat? This is the place to come and enjoy it. With hot days, you need to restructure your adventure day to look like this; 6am-12pm outdoor activity, 12-6pm water sport or relax in the shade, 6-10pm evening activity.
Winter here means just below freezing or just above freezing temperatures and snow that lasts from mid November to early March at higher elevations. While it’s usually raining in the valley, it’s snowing in the mountains making for amazing skiing.
For more weather info check out this article about Okanagan weather.
Where to Stay
Kelowna and the surrounding Okanagan Valley has a place for every budget. For affordable accommodations, we like Air Bnb or freecamping.net. We have used both in the area and enjoy a warm Air bnb during the winter and camping in the warmer months. When exploring the Best Places in Kelowna for Outdoor Adventures be sure to consider things like;
- Can I dry my ski boots here?
- Are their any forest fires burning? Where? What is the wind direction? What will I do if I encounter a wildfire?
Best Places in Kelowna for Mountain Biking
With a dry climate, the bike trails are always in amazing shape! Mountain biking is pretty much a year round sport in the area, since the valley bottom doesn’t receive much snow and it’s barely below freezing.
Smith Creek Trails in West Kelowna
This trail network features long, gradual climbs and mainly blue and black trail options. We rode ‘Feel the Love’ which is rated blue but above my comfort and skill level. The trails provide awesome views over Okanagan Lake and the entire valley from their 1000-1200m high points.
I loved this area for it’s large trees and open space. This is a great place to ride on a windy day!
Knox Mountain in Kelowna
Situated within city limits, this smaller trail network is perfect if you only have a couple hours. With easy access via the paved Know Mountain Drive road to the summit, we were able to ride the Apex trail in under 2 hours. Even though the area was busy on a weekend day, the bike trails weren’t and we had the trial mostly to ourselves.
Kettle Valley & Trans-Canada Trails
Iconic and accessible, these two trails offer scenic cycling for long distances. The Myra Canyon is a popular route for a day ride due to it’s high bridges, tunnels and level terrain. Jenna and I are discussing a spring bike pack trip of the TCT from Kelowna to Castlegar.
For a guided experience, check out this Bicycle Tour on the Historical Kettle Valley Railway from Myra Canyon to Penticton
For more trails in the region, check out Trailforks – Kelowna.
Best Places in Kelowna for Rock Climbing
Skaha Provincial Park
Spring/Fall is peak season. Summer/Winter is low season.
Will and I climbed here for a whole month in July. We took advantage of low crowds and early light to spend 4-6 hours per day climbing this iconic area. The Daycare quickies climbing area is great for warming up and getting back in to leading. Many days wwere spent in the Red Tail Group practicing our lead climbing. We particularly liked;
- Another Buttress – this area hosts a nice selection of 5.7-5.9 sport routes as well as top rope accessible routes
- Lower Red Tail – this area also features a great variety of sport routes varying from 5.7-5.10a’s
Upon returning to the area over the Thanksgiving Long Weekend, we got to see first hand what high season looks like. Cars and people everywhere! We were forced to find another climbing area and access the area from another point. Canoe Trail crag turned out to be a great spot – easy to access and friendly routes varying from 5.7-5.10 lead.
We use mountainproject.com for all our route research. Here’s the link for the Okanagan Valley.
New to climbing or just want a local guide to show you the ropes? Try these guided experiences.
- Want to learn? Skaha Bluffs 5-Hour Intro to Rock Climbing Course
- Prefer a guide? Rock Climbing Skaha Bluffs – Guided Group / Family Activity
- Okanagan Rappel Experience at Skaha Bluffs Provincial Park
Best Places in Kelowna for Skiing
Resort Skiing at Big White and SilverStar
Surrounded by three mountain ranges, Kelowna and the Okanagan Valley boast some pretty epic skiing despite the comfortable valley temperatures. Sitting up at 1000+m elevation in the Monashee mountains, Big White and SilverStar boast consistent amounts (read: 750cms +) of dry powder snow all winter long.
Jenna and I skied Big White in 2019 thoroughly enjoying the dry snow and blue level tree runs. What was really cool was the boarder cross track and the snow ghosts!
- Go Big White
- Big White Shuttle Service and Sightseeing
- Ski SilverStar
- Get the SilverStar Ski Shuttle From Vernon
Backcountry Skiing within the Kootenay Boundary Regions
Being novice backcountry skiers, we tend to stick to simple terrain unless conditions are ideal for complex terrain. This winter we hope to explore the following areas in the Kelowna region because they are predominantly simple terrain and have easy access.
- Idabel Myra & Little White Mountain
- Graystokes Plateau via Graystoke Provincial Park
We use https://www.avalanche.ca/planning/trip-planner to find areas suitable to our skill level.
Remember, backcountry skiing is inherently dangerous and requires advanced skiing and avalanche rescue skills as well as specialized equipment. Check out MEC’s Backcountry Ski Touring Checklist for the essentials.
Kelowna and Okanagan Adventure Resources
- MEC has a store in Kelowna! Forgot something or need a bike tune up? Stop in and let MEC get you geared up.
- Grab a BC Backroad Mapbook or GPS maps to explore the area further
- All Climbing Routes in the Okanagan Valley
- All Mountain Bike Trials in the Okanagan Valley
- Avalanche Canada – Trip Planner
- Kelowna Weather – gc.ca
- Adventure How To: Packing for Adventure Travel
This post, Best Places in Kelowna for Outdoor Adventures will be updated as we get time to explore and learn more about the area. Stay tuned for updates! Will and I love Kelowna and now that our good friends, Jenna and Colin are living there, theres even more reason to head west and play in the Okanagan Valley!