Kamloops sits at the confluence of the North and South Thompson Rivers in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, a sun-drenched plateau city of 100,000 whose semi-arid grasslands, sagebrush-covered hills, and 2,000 hours of annual sunshine make it one of the driest and warmest cities in Canada. The Secwepemc people called this land Tkemlups, meaning the meeting of the waters, and the modern downtown is a walkable grid of 1880s Canadian Pacific Railway heritage buildings, brick warehouses converted to breweries and galleries, and new waterfront developments along Riverside Park. The city runs on ranching, mining, forestry, and Thompson Rivers University with its 15,000 students, and the outdoor scene has been transformed over the past decade by a wave of mountain-biking trail building, tournament-grade golf courses, and river-based recreation.
Book an airport transfer to Kamloops
Fixed-price private transfers with English-speaking drivers. Meet-and-greet included.
Getting to and around Kamloops
The single biggest pull for active visitors is mountain biking. Kamloops Bike Ranch at Valleyview is the birthplace of Canadian slopestyle and freeride mountain biking with 50 purpose-built jump, drop, and flow trails over 850 metres of vertical. Jim Lynn, Chris Kovarik, and a generation of Crankworx-circuit athletes have shaped trails like Ultimate Frisbee and Fried Mind. The public Bike Ranch is free to enter. Stake Lake cross-country trails 15 kilometres south of town holds 30 kilometres of singletrack. Harper Mountain 30 kilometres northeast runs lift-accessed downhill in summer. A full Kamloops mountain-bike day pass at Sun Peaks Resort, 50 kilometres north, is 95 Canadian dollars. Shuttle services like Kamloops Bike Shuttle charge 50 dollars per lap on the biggest descents.
River and lake recreation fills another full day. Riverside Park in downtown has a sandy swimming beach on the South Thompson, a 2.5-kilometre Rivers Trail paved walking loop, and the Kamloops Heritage Railway's 2415 Steam Locomotive ride along the river running Sundays from June to August at 28 dollars per adult. Paul Lake, 20 kilometres north, has a provincial park with paddle-board rentals at 30 dollars an hour and picnic beaches. Kamloops Lake west of the city is a 28-kilometre glacial lake with a free public boat launch at Savona; sturgeon-fishing charters from Savona start at 420 dollars a half-day. The Thompson River itself runs Class III whitewater at Rainbow Canyon, and Kumsheen Rafting Resort in Lytton, one hour southwest, runs full-day trips from 195 dollars per person.
Cultural stops include the Secwepemc Museum and Heritage Park on the north shore, adjacent to the Tkemlups te Secwepemc First Nation reservation; the 5-hectare outdoor interpretive site includes a reconstructed winter pit-house, a summer matlodge, and salmon-drying racks along a traditional fishing path at 12 dollars entry. The Kamloops Museum and Archives downtown holds ranching, mining, and railway exhibits across three floors for free. The Kamloops Art Gallery rotates Indigenous and contemporary BC art with weekend programming. The BC Wildlife Park 20 kilometres east is home to grizzly bears, wolves, and the Miniature Steam Railway; adult entry is 21 dollars and the cougar feeding at 1 pm is a big draw. The Historic Hat Creek Ranch 60 kilometres northwest preserves the old Cariboo wagon-road stagecoach stop with costumed staff and a 1861 Sterret roadhouse.
Rent a car in Kamloops
Compare 800+ rental companies. Free cancellation on most bookings. 23–54% reward rate.
Affiliate partner widget — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Things to see & do in Kamloops
Food and drink has caught up with the active scene. The Red Beard Cafe and the Hello Toast on Victoria Street cover the brunch end, both at 18 to 24 dollars per plate. Terra in the Hotel 540 serves a locally-sourced tasting menu with Kamloops-ranch grass-fed beef at 85 to 140 dollars a head. The Art We Are is the hippie holdout with latte art and acoustic singer-songwriters. Red Collar Brewing on Lansdowne, Alchemy Brewing on the river, and Iron Road Brewing on the south shore are the three main craft-beer stops; flight tastings run 12 dollars for four 4-ounce pours. Privato Vineyards and Monte Creek Winery 25 minutes east produce cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and are open for tastings with lunch. The Kamloops Farmers Market on 4th Avenue runs Saturdays 8 am to noon from May through October with ranching, orchard and bakery stalls.
Kamloops Airport (YKA) sits on the city's west fringe 7 kilometres from downtown and handles direct flights from Calgary, Vancouver, and Prince George via WestJet, Air Canada Jazz, and Central Mountain Air. A pre-booked private transfer from YKA arrivals to a downtown or Sun Peaks hotel lands at 45 to 180 Canadian dollars depending on destination, with meet and greet at the exit. Uber launched in Kamloops in 2023 and is reliable for airport rides at 18 to 30 dollars to downtown. The Kamloops Transit #3 bus runs every 45 minutes from the airport to the Lansdowne Exchange for 2.50 dollars. For long-haul transfers, a private run to Sun Peaks Resort 50 kilometres north typically runs 160 to 240 dollars and takes 45 to 55 minutes on Highway 5. VIA Rail's Canadian passes through Kamloops North Station three times a week en route between Vancouver and Jasper.
The calendar year splits into distinct summer and winter seasons. Summer June through August brings 28 to 35 degree days, 2 a.m. dusk at midsummer, swimmable rivers and lakes, and the core mountain-bike season. Kamloopsa Pro Rodeo in July packs the Memorial Arena for three days of bronc and bull events. The Kamloops International Buskers Festival draws 40 street performers to Riverside Park each July. Fall September and October colour the grasslands gold and bring the Kamloops Film Festival. Winter November through March runs Sun Peaks ski resort, the second-largest in BC by ski terrain at 4,270 acres, with 138 named runs and dry champagne powder averaging 600 centimetres annual snowfall. Spring April to May is the awkward shoulder with early-season mountain biking and riverside cherry blossom but cooler lake temperatures.
Top tours & experiences in Kamloops
Book ahead — the popular ones sell out.
Affiliate partner widget — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Neighborhoods & food in Kamloops
Neighborhoods for staying split into four areas. Downtown Kamloops puts you on the Rivers Trail with walkable restaurants, breweries, and the Riverside Park beach. Hotels here include South Thompson Inn riverside resort at 220 to 340 dollars, Hotel 540 at 240 dollars, and the boutique Plaza Hotel at 180 dollars. Aberdeen and Sahali on the south hills have the big-box hotel cluster at the Trans-Canada exit with Coast Hotel and Ramada at 160 to 220 dollars. Valleyview puts you closest to the Bike Ranch trailhead with budget-friendly Accent Inn and Mountainview Inn at 130 to 190 dollars. Sun Peaks Resort 50 kilometres north is a standalone base for ski-in-ski-out winter or summer bike access with Sun Peaks Grand at 360 dollars, Nancy Greene's Cahilty Lodge at 240 dollars, and a dozen condo-rental options.
Hiking and backcountry trails sit all around Kamloops's ring of hills. Kenna Cartwright Park, the largest urban park in British Columbia at 800 hectares, drops from a 500-metre plateau into ponderosa pine groves with 40 kilometres of connected trail; the Grind Ridge loop climbs 300 vertical metres in 2.5 kilometres. Peterson Creek Park in central Kamloops runs along a wooded ravine with a paved multi-use path past the Peterson Creek Falls. The Dewdrop-Rosseau Creek Provincial Park on the north shore overlooks the Thompson River valley with 15 kilometres of singletrack trail and late-May wildflowers. On the south, Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected Area protects 15,700 hectares of endangered grassland and has guided Parks BC ecology walks in May. The full Battle Bluff via the Lac du Bois trailhead is a 7 kilometre round-trip to a river-viewpoint plateau with nesting bluebirds and golden eagles.
Golf has grown into a Kamloops specialty with a Canadian sunshine season stretching from late March through October. Tobiano on Kamloops Lake, voted Canada's best new course in 2008, runs 7,367 yards along the lake cliffs; green fees are 145 to 240 dollars in peak season. Sun Rivers Golf Resort in the east valley plays 6,805 yards through sagebrush benchlands at 95 to 155 dollars. The Dunes at Kamloops is an affordable 6,041-yard municipal course at 65 to 85 dollars. Rivershore Estates and Golf Links in the east Thompson Valley plays 7,007 yards at 145 dollars. The Big Horn Ranch Golf Club 45 minutes north plays through the semi-arid desert canyons. Twilight rates after 3 pm across most courses drop 30 to 50 dollars and add two to three cooler hours of play.
Powered by Stay22 — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Practical info & when to visit
Wildlife viewing beyond the BC Wildlife Park captive population is a local specialty. Tranquille on the Thompson wetland walk on the north shore has 200 resident bird species including great blue herons, Canada geese in rotation, and rarer yellow-headed blackbirds in May. Bighorn sheep graze openly along the Trans-Canada Highway above Savona Beach west of the city. Mule deer and white-tail deer are a nightly sight in Valleyview and Dallas residential neighborhoods. Black bears venture into suburban Aberdeen and Juniper Ridge orchards in late August through October; carry bear spray on hillside trails. Rattlesnakes are active in the semi-arid hills May through September; watch where you step on open slopes. For Kermode spirit bears or grizzly bears, a longer trip northwest to the Bella Coola valley is needed.
Kamloops rewards three to four days as a standalone trip or two days as a Vancouver-to-Jasper break on the Trans-Canada Highway. Day one: downtown and Riverside Park with a Rivers Trail walk, Red Collar or Iron Road Brewing, and a steam-train ride. Day two: Kamloops Bike Ranch if you ride or the BC Wildlife Park and Paul Lake if you do not. Day three: Sun Peaks Resort for a summer chairlift hike or winter ski. A fourth day can add the Secwepemc Heritage Park, a sturgeon-fishing charter on Kamloops Lake, or a wine-tasting loop at Monte Creek and Privato. Pack layers because the interior plateau swings 20 degrees between day and night, and bring good sun protection because clear-sky UV in July routinely hits level 9.