Current Travel Info

Free Spirited Adventures

You like the best of the best (at least the best of what you can afford) when you travel. For the Free Spirit, going on vacation is all about sampling everything a destination has to offer. This is why you hours planning your trip. You don’t want to miss a thing! You’re naturally drawn to exotic and exciting adventures and like to surround yourself with others who feel the same way. Whether you’re young, or young at heart, you travel for the thrill of it and you can’t wait to share the tales of your adventures with everyone you meet.

Top Experiences for Free Spirits

  1. Feel your glutes burn as you summit Smokey the Bear in Cathedral Lakes Park and don’t forget to snap your photo at the top to share with all your friends
  2. Earn bragging rights by floating the Similkameen River all the way from Bromley Rock down to Keremeos Red Bridge
  3. Saddle up for a stay out on the open range, one of the most unique vacations you’ll ever have
  4. Be one of the first to taste the Similkameen’s newest releases at exclusive winery dinners held between the vines
  5. Sample some of the best Thai food you’ll have outside of Thailand in the most unexpected location — in the heart of Keremeos
  6. Try to land the big one! Our lakes and rivers are notorious for their trophy size fish, one of the best back road and fishing adventures can be found at Pine Mountain
  7. Get a birds-eye view of the life of a gold miner, 1-kilometre above Hedley, then challenge yourself to climb back up 589 steps back to the tour van
  8. Try your hand at the latest trend — Geo-caching. A treasure hunt for young and old, there are more than 80 caches on the trails surrounding Tulameen and Coalmont
  9. Hike the Big Burn at Manning Park where blueberry and huckleberry patches attract all sorts of wildlife, making a walk in the woods just a little more thrilling
  10. Take a adrenaline fuelled ride at China Ridge Trails, where mountain bikers ride where four wheels would never let you go
Discover the backcountry
Discover the backcountry

The Similkameen — Free Spirit Style

Uncover a secret corner of British Columbia where rugged wilderness adventures abound. It’s all here, a mere three-hour drive from the urban amenities of Vancouver or Kelowna.

Shaking things up is completely your style. So start in the Similkameen and climb to the highest elevation hiking lodge in Canada. Since you’re there, don’t forget to snap a photo of yourself at the summit and share it with the world. In the valley, drop a raft in the river and float all the way from Bromley Rock to the Big Red Bridge. Your toes may wrinkle, but spending an entire afternoon floating the river is worth it.

Put on your cowboy hat and head to a dude ranch. It’s time to see what home on the range is all about. Then spoil yourself with an evening of indulgence. Join local winemakers and their chef friends for an intimate evening in the vineyard. It’s a night of fun, sampling the latest releases and sharing good times.

You could do it all in one vacation, but we recommend splitting it up over several visits. After all, the best things in life are meant to be savoured!

Sample the organics
Sample the organics

Free Spirit, Similkameen Valley

A Peak Experience

Take a ride in a Unimog, 2073 m (6800 ft) up to the core of Cathedral Provincial Park. There you’ll find the highest-elevation hiking lodge in all of Canada. It’s an alpine Shangri-La waiting for your hiking boots! Check peak after peak off of your list roaming 100 km (62 mi) of high alpine trails one at a time. You could spend the night camping under the stars by the shores of glacier fed lakes, but even the most free spirited traveller needs a little indulgence sometime. For you, there’s the comfort of Cathedral Lakes lodge. Get a cozy night’s sleep in one of their private cabins.

Manning Park toboggan run
Manning Park toboggan run

Float the day away

It’s a summer tradition here in the Valley to drop your raft into the Similkameen River and float your cares away. Most folks just hang out at Bromley Rock. The more adventurous types like to put on their sunscreen and drift all the way down to the Keremeos Red Bridge. Make sure you have someone at the other end to pick you up! Some sections of the river run faster than others, making it just that much more thrilling than your average river float.

Unusual Accommodations

When was the last time you saddled up on your vacation? Vermillion Lodge in Tulameen is a completely outfitted log home and suite on Otter Lake. It’s a recreational paradise! Come and ride horses, canoe, golf, water ski, swim, golf, hike, fish, and pan for gold. Avid sportspersons and those who love quiet solitude will enjoy their time exploring the scenic Trans Canada Trail.

Wine tasting, Corcelettes
Wine tasting, Corcelettes

Taste the latest releases

Take a day or two and explore the Similkameen’s wine route one winery at a time. To really get a feel for what our wines (and winemakers) are all about, sit down at a table and break bread together. Indulge in an exclusive evening of wining and dining right in the vineyard. Select wineries host special occasions and welcome visitors to join them between the vines for an evening of dining and imbibing their latest releases.