Ahh Vernon, the small town located in BC’s southern interior. What is there to do in Vernon BC? Well you’re in luck, because there are many things to do do in Vernon BC!
We had been living about 25 minutes outside of Vernon for the entirety of the summer finishing up our ambulance conversion and spending time with our newborn niece. We love the Okanagan, and we found ourselves enjoying the many sights and attractions that Vernon has to offer.
Below you will find our tried and true list of the top things to do while in beautiful Vernon British Columbia.
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Kalamalka Lake
An Okanagan classic!
This is the main attraction of Vernon BC. Boaters and swimmers alike flock to the lake of a thousand colours from all over Canada. It’s especially popular with Albertans!
Rotary Pier at main beach is the most popular hangout spot boasting a big sandy beach, some trees for shade and a volleyball net. The views here are incredible, showing the mountainous landscape that slopes down into the water. Feeling hungry? There’s Kal Lake Food Services, a little Mexican themed concession located on the beach (there are veggie dogs available as well!) Need to cool off? Check out Kalavida Surf Shop located just northwest of the beach where you can rent a stand up paddle board. If you happen to be going in mid-late August you can catch the Kalamalka classic stand up paddle board festival as well. Make sure to get there early to get a spot as it gets busy quick!
For those of you looking to get away from the crowds there are plenty of smaller beaches and hideouts all around the lake worth exploring for. We would typically hike around Rattlesnake Point to look for a secluded place to hangout and have a picnic. Rattlesnake point itself is a beautiful view as well!
Ellison Provincial Park
A fantastic spot for camping, swimming and rock climbing!
That’s right, rock climbing! There are quite a few spots located all around the beach and throughout the trails, we’re not climbing experts ourselves but we have spent many days at the beach watching the climbers ascend the boulders.
The beach itself is sandy with lots of large trees and picnic tables around. This beach is much less busy than rotary pier at Kal Lake and it’s located on the other side of Vernon on Lake Okanagan. It’s about a 10 minute walk from the parking lot to the beachfront (stroller friendly).
Davison Orchards
A great place to start your day if you’re cruising around Vernon in our opinion.
Davison Orchards is a quaint little orchard nestled just west of the city centre where you can start your day with a coffee from the farmhouse cafe, and grab something sweet or savoury from the farmhouse bakery. All of the produce is locally grown so make sure whatever you’re after is in season!
A fantastic place for children. Davison orchards features a 1 acre wide playground with treehouses, slides, hay stack tunnels and even a barn with farm animals for kids to feed. Sure to keep your kids busy so you can enjoy your coffee.
BX Falls
A short hike with an incredibly photogenic and mellow waterfall!
BX Falls is a gorgeous little waterfall and a great spot to take some photos and enjoy the view. Located just 12 minutes from downtown Vernon it’s worth the trip if you’re keen to see some BC waterfalls! It’s a good place to bring kids as the trail is wide and mostly flat followed by lots of steps (not stroller friendly). Be careful if you’re going when its wet or below freezing as the wooden steps can be slippery. Like we mentioned its a great place to get some photos of your kids or to get that impromptu insta shot. We’ve even seen wedding photos taken down here!
BX-Press Cidery
Our favourite cidery in Vernon!
The BX-Press Cidery is a 5 minute drive from BX Falls meaning if you’re going to one, you’re going to the other! You could also sneak a cider or two to check out the falls if you’re feeling cheeky (not that we recommend it *wink*)
BX-Press features a wide range of different ciders to choose from. All of the ciders are grown from local apples right on their orchard. Enjoy sitting out in the orchard while eating one of their variety of wood fire pizzas which complement and pair well with the ciders (all of which can be made vegan). Be sure to ask if they have anything special that season as they often have a one-of-a-kind drink for that year.
BX-Press is also kid and pet friendly lots of fun options for your little ones to enjoy. Enjoy the “Big Bug Walk” through the orchard and see if you can spot all the ladybugs. They also feature live music every night on the weekends!
Silver Star Mountain Resort in Vernon, BC
Great in the summer or winter!
Perched over 5000ft above sea level is Silver Star Mountain Resort, a cute little mountain village featuring bars, clothing shops, bakeries and sporting good stores.
Silver Star is a ski/snowboard resort in the winter and a mountain bike park in the summer with over 40 trails to ride down. Not a fan of action sports? Silver Star Resort is still a great place to grab a coffee and hop on a gondola ride to see the beautiful views of the forest from above.
All in all, Vernon BC is a great little city to live in or explore. If you’re interesting in moving to Vernon or the Okanagan Valley in general, find our write up on what it’s like here!
Is the Okanagan too snowy for you in the winter? Same. We also wrote about our experience living in Vancouver, BC. You can find that here!