Four Nights in Canada’s Okanagan Region
If you’re craving a long weekend away this summer but you want to avoid booking flights, it’s always worth remembering that British Columbia is just a border crossing away and has a ton to offer—plus, with the current strength of the U.S. dollar, you can essentially get four nights for the price of three!
While Vancouver and Victoria are often top-of-mind for those of us on the west coast, I spent four nights in June experiencing the Okanagan region (just north of Oroville) and it was more than worth the longer drive east. From soothing waterfront walks and incredible mountain views to indulgent meals, delicious wines, and over-the-top ice cream cones, there’s something for every kind of traveler.
Penticton
Water recreation and laid-back refinement are the name of the game in this lakeside town, where you can get almost everywhere on foot or by bike. The Okanagan Lakefront Resort is the perfect place to park your car and throw on your swimsuit—it’s literally across the street from the beach, and between the location and the self check-in it couldn’t be easier to get settled in. After your swim, rinse your feet with the hose at the front so you won’t track sand into your comfy bed!
Besides the beach right out front, Penticton offers a whole host of activities for all ages. Skaha Lake Park, on the south end of the city, includes a kid-friendly beach and two playground areas for the little ones. For a more grown-up sort of physical play, hit up the Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) Trail for a hike—or bring a mountain bike for a bit more thrill factor. Grab a big inner tube and float down the channel with Coyote Cruises, or stay dry and wet your whistle at one of the many craft breweries and wineries in town.
When you’re not in the water or biking or hiking, you’ll probably spend much of your time in Penticton eating (isn’t that what vacation is all about, really?). For a higher-end experience, check out OROLO Restaurant + Cocktail Bar, inside TIME Family of Wines. Even my 2-year-old went nuts over the incredible Prawn Cocktail with bravas cocktail sauce, and he also stole about half my Chinook Salmon, which was butter-soft without being undercooked. My husband’s Duck Breast was equally tender and flavorful, but somehow escaped our son’s thievery.
More casual fare—without any dip in quality—can be had at one of the many breweries in town. The Barley Mill Brew Pub and Family Bistro served us the most perfect, crunchy, tangy Deep Fried Pickle Spears I’ve ever had, alongside a mean Bloody Caesar and a Steak Sandwich that didn’t quit. And Highway 97 Brewery’s dog-friendly patio was the perfect place for a Peach Kolsch and a Baked Bavarian Pretzel or Piggy’s Mac and Cheese (so named for the chewy bites of bacon embedded in the sauce).
Photographed by Anne Godenham
But meals aren’t everything. A beach weekend calls for ice cream, and there’s no better place in Penticton to get it than Cherry on Top Shake Shack, home of Crazy Shakes and Crazy Cones that include toppings like thick wedges of layer cake and cotton candy. Plus, if you’re always “doin’ it for the ‘gram,” like I am, you’ll love the cherry-laden backdrop to your very Instagrammable treat.
Photographed by Anne Godenham
Don’t forget about breakfast! We had the definition of elevated toast at Wayne & Freda; my Spring Toast included a housemade kale pumpkin seed pesto that gave the layer of mashed avocado a bit of extra oomph, and my husband’s Salmon Toast hosted some of the best smoked salmon I’ve had in ages. I’d love to tell you about the chocolate croissant, but my son bogarted it. I can tell you my iced latte was so good I should have gone back for a second—but what’s a vacation without regrets?
Photographed by Anne Godenham
On our way out of town on the second morning, we stopped for a simple breakfast sandwich at The Bench Market and were blown away by the quality of the ingredients, down to the grainy dijon mustard on our Eggwiches. Owner and Head Chef Stewart Glynes is dedicated to using local ingredients wherever possible, and keeping quality high in everything from condiments to baked goods—everything is made with real butter and sugar, and the result is as delicious as it sounds. As it was ‘Donut Friday,’ we couldn’t resist indulging in a sprinkle-covered treat for the road. It did not disappoint.
Osoyoos
About an hour south of Penticton, very nearly at the U.S. border, is often referred to as “Canada’s desert” because of its dry climate and rocky, scrub-covered land—that’s a misnomer, though. The region is actually a semi-arid shrub-steppe, with the town perched on the edge of Osoyoos Lake and surrounded by dramatic mountains. The location makes for stunning light at sunrise, and the terrain has proven itself perfect for a range of wine grapes, making Osoyoos one of the top wine regions in the country.
To experience the steppe, the lake, the wines, and the culture of Osoyoos, there’s no better place to stay than Spirit Ridge Resort, Unbound Collection by Hyatt. The all-suite hotel is thoughtfully designed to embrace the local Osoyoos Indian Band culture and harmonize with the surrounding hills; the metal sculptures by Okanagan artist Virgil Smoker Marchand tie everything together. The property includes two pools (one for families and one for adults only), a spa, two restaurants, a nine-hole golf course, a cultural center, and North America’s first indigenous-owned winery (more on those last two below).
Photographed by Anne Godenham
Our one-bed suite was the perfect place to cool off and unwind, the view from the balcony was breathtaking, and the full kitchen made it easy to take home leftovers or mellow out with a coffee in the early mornings. In fact, the resort was so well-appointed that we barely felt the need to leave the property.
We ate at the lakeside restaurant, Footprints Beach Bar & Grill, on our first night, and while the weather was brutally hot the drinks were cold, the food tasty, and the water gorgeous. But the star of the food scene was definitely the hotel restaurant: The Bear, the Fish, the Root & the Berry. The menu is designed around the Syilx Okanagan people’s captikʷł (chaptik) story of the Four Food Chiefs representing the core elements of indigenous cuisine—Black Bear (meat), Chinook Salmon (fish), Bitterroot (vegan/vegetarian), and Saskatoon Berry (dessert)—and our only disappointment was our own inability to order something from every section. We couldn’t resist ordering two seafood dishes (the Clams in a Bowl and the Pacific Lingcod, both of which were stellar) alongside the Sage Basted Bone-in Elk Rack (just as delicious as it sounds), and we simply couldn’t fit dessert into our stuffed bellies.
Photographed by Anne Godenham
The grape vines that trail over the resort’s rolling hills aren’t just for show; they were planted during the development of the winery in the late 1990’s as an addition to the original vineyard, which was planted by the Osoyoos Indian Band in 1968 with the intention of creating jobs and bringing band members back to the region. The band started with 340 acres, selling the grapes to what was then T.G. Bright Wines. When Vincor, a large Canadian wine corporation, requested to lease a further 1,000 acres from the Band, the leadership agreed, on one condition: they wanted first pick of the grapes grown on their land and support in starting their own winery. And so Nk’Mip Cellars (pronounced in-ka-meep), the first Indigenous-owned and -operated winery in North America, was born.
The winery produces anywhere from 18-20,000 cases a year, depending on how the growing season goes, and the grapes they grow range from full-bodied reds like Cabernet Sauvignon to lighter whites like Pinot Blanc. They even make ice wine in the winter!
“This is the only region in the world that can produce both the full-bodied reds and ice wine on the same land,” Estate Manager Troy Ravndahl says, gesturing at the bright green vines sloping down to the lake.
Photographed by Anne Godenham
I was lucky enough to do a tour and tasting while my husband and son took a midday nap. Ravndahl showed me around Nk’Mip’s vineyard and cellars while giving me a run-down of the winery’s past and present. Winemaker Justin Hall started at Nk’Mip 21 years ago as a cellar hand and worked his way up to assistant winemaker, eventually taking over when the previous winemaker retired in 2021. Hall emphasizes quality over quantity, and the resulting wines are incredible. The five bottles I tasted at the end of my tour were some of the most delicious and layered wines I’ve had in recent years. The ice wine was an especially pleasant surprise: sweet without being cloying, and light enough to be enjoyed alongside (not just after) a meal.
After my solo indulgence, I met back up with my family to visit the Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre, also on the Spirit Ridge property. The center is made up of an interior gallery and museum, the architecture of which blends perfectly into the desertlike surroundings, as well as extensive outdoor grounds with a trail that takes visitors through interactive displays of everyday Okanagan life. The structures in the display village were particular favorites of my son, but the entire space—both inside and out—offered all three of us an immersive education in the history, stories, and present-day culture of the Okanagan people.
Photographed by Anne Godenham
Off campus, we learned more about the geography and wildlife of the region at the Osoyoos Desert Centre. The 1.5km self-guided tour winds through the brush on an elevated boardwalk, designed to protect the ecosystem’s delicate microbiotic crust, with shaded seating at intervals along the way to help visitors recover from the heat. We learned about the native flora, in particular the endangered antelope brush, and practiced identifying animals by their footprints and their scat. It was fascinating, and I could have spent another hour there if only we’d had more sunscreen! (The center does provide umbrellas for shade, though, which is a lovely—and in many cases necessary—touch.)
After a walk through the not-quite-desert, a little dessert is in order. We hit up Scoopsies on Main Street for a couple of enormous scoops of their housemade ice cream: cherry for me, pistachio for my husband, and cookies ’n cream for the little guy. The heat made our treats melt fast, but chasing the drips down our hands was a delicious task!
As a true Washingtonian, I was also on the hunt for good, strong coffee whenever we left the resort. The first morning in town, we went to Gino’s Coffee House for breakfast, and not only was the coffee great (I picked up a second iced latte to go on the way out) but the food hit the spot just right. Plus, the pretty, shaded back patio was a lovely little oasis from the bustle of Main Street, and the tables were painted with chalkboard paint so our son had a great time coloring while we all ate.
We had to leave early on our last day, but the sun greeted us by just kissing the mountaintops and coloring them a gorgeous shade of orange while we packed. On our way out of town, we stopped at Junction 3 Coffee House for strong coffee, great breakfast wraps, and a chocolate croissant that kept the kiddo happy in his carseat all the way across the border.
All in all, it was a fantastic trip, and all three of us were sad to say goodbye to Canada when we crossed back into Oroville. Luckily, the drive home was stunning—a perfect reminder that no matter how beautiful and fun a vacation may be, there’s no place like home.
