What is the most scenic drive from Kelowna?

The drive up Westside Road to Fintry is the most scenic, but it's also the most stressful, with lots of tight, winding corners. For an easier scenic drive, head south on Highway 97 toward Penticton and the Naramata Bench.

Do I need winter tires to drive out of Kelowna?

Yes. By law, you need proper M+S or mountain snowflake tires from October 1 to April 30 on all highways outside of Kelowna. Don't attempt the Coquihalla or Highway 33 in December without them.

How far is Vancouver from Kelowna by car?

Vancouver is about four hours from Kelowna by car if traffic is good and the weather holds up. Take Highway 97C up the hill to Merritt, then the Coquihalla (Highway 5) straight down into Hope and the Lower Mainland.

Can you do a day trip from Kelowna to Banff?

No. Banff is a solid six to seven-hour drive from Kelowna depending on construction through Rogers Pass. It's strictly a multi-day trip. If you want mountains for a day trip, drive to Revelstoke instead.

Which is the fastest route to Kamloops from Kelowna?

The fastest route is Highway 97 North through Vernon, then across to Kamloops, which takes about two hours. Highway 97C west to Merritt and then north on Highway 5 takes about the same. Do not take Westside Road.

What is the best day trip from Kelowna?

The best day trip from Kelowna is the Naramata Bench, about an hour south, for small wineries with lake views. For something active, the Myra Canyon trestles in East Kelowna are under an hour away and work for all ages on foot or by bike. Penticton is the best pick if you want beaches and wineries in one day.

What is the closest wine region to Kelowna for a day trip?

West Kelowna is the closest wine region, with several wineries within a 15 to 20 minute drive. For a bigger wine day, Summerland's Bottleneck Drive is about 45 minutes south and the Naramata Bench is about an hour.

Can you visit several wineries in one day trip from Kelowna?

Yes. On the Naramata Bench or Summerland's Bottleneck Drive the wineries sit close together, so three or four tastings in a day is easy. Book ahead on summer weekends and take a wine tour or a designated driver.

Best Road Trips and Day Trips From Kelowna

The best road trips from Kelowna are the Naramata Bench, Vernon's Kalamalka Lake and Revelstoke, and the best short day trips are Penticton, Summerland's Bottleneck Drive and the Myra Canyon trestles. This guide covers ten drives as far as Nelson, then a day-trip section for places within about two hours, with the drive time, where to eat and what to watch out for on each.

Summer in town is crowded. Bridge traffic is heavy from 3 PM to 6 PM every day, the beaches in the Mission fill by 10 AM, and lakeside parking runs at premium rates. The highways out of Kelowna reach noticeably different climates within two hours.

Destination	Drive from Kelowna	Route
Naramata Bench	1 hour south	Hwy 97
Vernon and Kalamalka Lake	45 minutes north	Hwy 97
Revelstoke	2.5 hours	Hwy 97, Hwy 97A, Hwy 1
Osoyoos	2 hours south	Hwy 97
Salmon Arm	1.5 hours north	Hwy 97, 97A, 97B
Kamloops	2 hours northwest	Hwy 97
Fintry Provincial Park	45 minutes	Westside Road
Nelson	4 hours east	Hwy 33, Hwy 3
Keremeos	1.5 hours south and west	Hwy 3A
Hope	2.5 to 3 hours west	Hwy 97C, Hwy 5

Naramata Bench

Penticton & Naramata Road
1 hour south on Hwy 97. Tastings are $15–$25.

The Naramata Bench is a winding strip of small wineries above Penticton, and it's the quieter alternative when bachelorette parties fill the best wineries in Kelowna. Expect slow highway traffic through Peachland; the drive is easy after that. The vineyards sit high on the clay cliffs, so the lake views are better than in Kelowna.

Poplar Grove Cheese (1060 Poplar Grove Rd) is known for its Tiger Blue. For tastings, start with Poplar Grove Winery for its Pinot Gris, Lake Breeze Vineyards for the patio and the Merlot, and Therapy Vineyards, which has a guesthouse for an overnight stay.

Worth knowing: Penticton's main beach is overcrowded in July. A winery lawn is the better choice. Deer are common on the road after dark, so drive the return trip carefully.

Vernon and Kalamalka Lake

Kekuli Bay & Okanagan Rail Trail
45 minutes north via Hwy 97. Free to use; check local outfitters for paddleboard rental rates.

Vernon's Kalamalka Lake and the Okanagan Rail Trail, past Glenmore and the airport, are the pick for biking along the water. Kalamalka is greener and clearer than Okanagan Lake, and it's known as the Lake of a Thousand Colours because the marl in the water shifts its shade through the season. It's also much colder.

Kelowna has good bike trails such as the Mission Creek Greenway, but the Okanagan Rail Trail runs along the water for kilometers with no car traffic. Station BBQ (3131 29th St) in Vernon is the post-ride stop for brisket. With kids, add Davison Orchards (3111 Davison Rd), a family farm with an orchard train and apple picking in September.

Worth knowing: Parking at Kekuli Bay, the Vernon end of the rail trail, fills on weekend mornings. Arrive before 9 AM. By noon, the overflow parking is a mile up the highway.

Revelstoke

Revelstoke Mountain Resort & Town
2.5 hours north and east via Hwy 97, Hwy 97A and Hwy 1. Check the resort site for current lift ticket prices.

Revelstoke, or Revy, is a mountain town and ski resort and the main alternative to the whiteouts and lift lines at Big White. The vertical drop is the draw, and it's hard on the legs. The Village Idiot Bar and Grill (306 MacKenzie Ave) is the après stop: loud, fast service, big pizzas.

Worth knowing: Highway 1 between Sicamous and Revelstoke closes often in winter for avalanche control, and a closure can mean five hours idling on the highway. Check DriveBC before leaving Kelowna.

Osoyoos

Osoyoos Desert & Nk'Mip Cellars
2 hours south on Hwy 97. Check the winery for current tasting fees.

Osoyoos is a desert town on the US border, past Penticton and Oliver, with the warmest lake in Canada. By mid-August the water is bath-warm. Nk'Mip Cellars (1400 Rancher Creek Rd) is an Indigenous-owned winery with a big patio. With a passport, it's a short hop into Washington state for cheaper gas and cheese.

Worth knowing: Late July and August can reach 40 degrees Celsius. June and September are more comfortable. Rattlesnakes are present off the main trails.

Salmon Arm

Downtown Salmon Arm & The Pier
1.5 hours north via Hwy 97, 97A and 97B.

Salmon Arm, on Shuswap Lake north through Vernon, is best known for the Shuswap Pie Company (331 Alexander St NE) and its big savoury meat pies. The giant wooden pier is a short walk away. On the way back, DeMille's Farm Market (3710 Trans-Canada Hwy) combines a corn maze, farm animals and local produce.

Worth knowing: Houseboat season makes the lake loud and busy in July. Swimmer's itch can occur in late summer, so avoid shallow, stagnant sections.

Kamloops

Downtown Kamloops Craft Breweries
2 hours northwest via Hwy 97.

Kamloops is a city most drivers pass straight through on the way to Vancouver, but its craft beer scene is worth a stop. North of Falkland on Highway 97, the landscape turns to sagebrush and dry, rolling yellow hills. Red Collar Brewing (355 Lansdowne St) is downtown, and Bright Eye Brewing (292 Tranquille Rd) is across the river on the North Shore.

Worth knowing: Kamloops is industrial, and a pulp mill smell drifts in depending on the wind. The downtown core is least affected.

Fintry Provincial Park

Fintry Falls & Campground
45 minutes up Westside Road. Park entry is free; check BC Parks for current camping fees.

Fintry Provincial Park is a lakeside park with a big waterfall and a campground. Westside Road follows the west side of the lake and is very winding, so take motion-sickness medication if needed. Roughly 400 wooden stairs climb beside the waterfall, a hard leg workout.

The campground by the water is heavily treed and mostly quiet. The old Fintry Estate was a working farm, and its remaining buildings are open to walk around.

Worth knowing: Many drivers take Westside Road's blind corners too fast. Let large trucks pass rather than drive with one on your bumper.

Nelson

Baker Street & Kootenay Lake
4 hours east via Hwy 33 and Hwy 3. Book hotels early for summer weekends.

Nelson is a Kootenay town on Kootenay Lake and works best as a weekend trip. The route leaves through Rutland and climbs Highway 33 into the Kootenays. The town is built on a steep hill, often compared to San Francisco, with snow-capped mountains and a strong counterculture. Oso Negro Cafe (604 Ward St) is known for some of the best coffee in the interior and a courtyard overgrown with plants.

Worth knowing: It's a long drive. Highway 3 ices up quickly in the fall, and cell service drops out for long stretches, so download maps and audio before leaving. The hills are steep; avoid a manual transmission if hill starts are a problem.

Keremeos

Highway 3 Fruit Stands
1.5 hours south and west. Bring $40 cash for fruit.

Keremeos is the place to buy fresh Okanagan fruit. The tourist stands in the Mission are overpriced. Past Penticton on Highway 3A, dozens of independent stands line the main road selling peaches, cherries and apples at about half the price, picked from the orchards behind them.

The Grist Mill and Gardens (2691 Upper Bench Rd) is a historic working mill with heritage gardens and a seasonal tea room. Call ahead outside summer.

Worth knowing: Bring cash. Many older stands don't take debit, and ATMs in Keremeos are scarce. The valley is windy and dusty.

Hope

The Coquihalla Highway to Hope
2.5 to 3 hours west via Hwy 97C and Hwy 5.

Hope is a highway town at the bottom of the Coquihalla, reached by the Connector out of West Kelowna and the long, steep descent on the Coquihalla. It's best known as the filming location for First Blood. The Home Restaurant (665 Old Hope-Princeton Way) is a classic highway diner with big portions and bottomless drip coffee.

Worth knowing: Coquihalla weather is unpredictable. It can be 30 degrees in Kelowna and snowing at the summit, so keep a jacket in the car. The speed limit is 120 km/h, but traffic often runs at 140 km/h. Slower drivers should keep right.

Day Trips Within Two Hours of Kelowna

A day trip from Kelowna is any of the places below: all within about two hours, so you can drive there, spend the day and be home before dark. Several of the road trips above (Naramata, Vernon, Fintry, Salmon Arm and Keremeos) also work as day trips. These are the shorter ones.

Myra Canyon Trestles

Location: Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park, East Kelowna
The Myra Canyon trestles are a restored stretch of the old Kettle Valley Railway above East Kelowna, with 18 trestles and two tunnels along a flat gravel trail. The wooden decks cross the canyon with a long drop below, and there's nothing else like it in the valley. The grade is gentle enough for kids on bikes. For riding, see our Kelowna mountain bike trails guide.

Summerland's Bottleneck Drive

Location: Summerland, BC
Bottleneck Drive is a Summerland wine route about 45 minutes to an hour south, through orchards, vineyards and cideries. It's more relaxed than Naramata. Giant Head Estate Winery sits on the benches under Giant's Head Mountain with a big lake view, and Thornhaven Estates is a small family-run winery known for its aromatic whites. Book tastings ahead on summer weekends.

Penticton

Location: Penticton, BC
Penticton is a lake town about an hour south, between Okanagan Lake and Skaha Lake. Skaha Beach is the calmer, more local choice when the main Okanagan beach is packed. Cycle a section of the KVR Trail, walk downtown, and visit the Penticton Farmers' Market on Saturday mornings in season for produce and crafts. It pairs easily with the Naramata Bench in one day.

Peachland

Location: Peachland, BC
Peachland is a small lakefront town about 25 minutes south that needs no planning. Walk the promenade, have lunch on Beach Avenue or a picnic by the water. The Peachland Museum covers the town's history and is a quick stop.

Bear Creek Provincial Park

Location: West Kelowna, BC
Bear Creek Provincial Park, about 20 minutes across the bridge, has a lakeside campground, a beach and a canyon trail along Bear Creek. The trails are short and kid-friendly, and the swimming is good. It's the closest escape from town that still feels like one.

Kaloya Regional Park and Wood Lake

Location: Oyama, BC
Kaloya Regional Park is a small park on Wood Lake in Oyama, roughly halfway between Kelowna and Vernon. It has a swimming beach and a short trail and is much quieter than anything on Okanagan Lake. It's an easy stop on the way to or from Vernon.