Page 265 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Pacific Northwest

BRITISH C OL UMBIA  263

w Okanagan Valley Tour Tips for Drivers

The Okanagan Valley is actually a series of valleys, Tour length: 110 miles (176 km).
linked by a string of lakes, that stretches for 155 miles Starting points: On Highway 97
from Vernon in the north,
(250 km) – from Osoyoos in the south to Sicamous Osoyoos in the south.
in the north. The main towns here are connected When to go: Blossom and fruit
by Highway 97, which passes through the desert festivals are held in spring and
landscape near Lake Osoyoos, and on to the lush summer, when roadside stalls
offer a cornucopia of fruit. Wine
green orchards and vineyards for which the valley tours are available year-round.
is most noted. Mild winters and hot summers have
made the Okanagan Valley one of Canada’s
favorite vacation destinations.
Kamloops 5 Vernon
Surrounded by
farms and orchards,
Vernon owes its
lush look to the
expansion of
irrigation in 1908.

Lake
Country
Monashee
4 Kelowna Mountains
The largest city in the Okanagan,
Kelowna lies on the shores
of Okanagan Lake between
Penticton and Vernon, and is
the center of the wine- and
fruit-growing industries. Okanagan
Peachland Lake
3 Summerland
This small but charming
lakeside resort town boasts Naramata
several 19th-century
buildings and stunning
views from the top of
Giant’s Head Mountain.
Lake
Scaha
6 Historic O’Keefe Ranch
2 Penticton Founded by the O’Keefe family
This sunny lakeside in 1867, this historic ranch
town is known for the displays original artifacts
long Okanagan Beach, Okanagan belonging to the family that
windsurfing, and local Vancouver Falls lived here until 1977. The
winery tours, as well original log cabin remains, as
as for its Peach Festival, does the church and store.
held every August. Nelson
0 km 25
0 miles 25
US Border
1 Osoyoos
Visitors are drawn here
by hot summers, the warm Key
waters and sandy beaches
of Lake Osoyoos, and the Tour route
nearby pocket desert. Other road

For keys to symbols see back flap

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