RV RENTALS KELOWNA

Kelowna BC is located at the heart of the Okanagan Valley, with the only bridge on the Okanagan Lake that takes you to the other side of the area’s largest lake which extends from Vernon, through Kelowna to Penticton. The Interior’s largest city at just over 132,000 people, Kelowna has all the attractions and shopping opportunities you would expect from a major population center. Theaters, music festivals, watersports, as well as some of the larger provincial parks in the area.

Kelowna is accessed from the Lower Mainland using three major highway systems. The Hope-Princeton is also known as Hwy3 which accesses the southern part of the Okanagan Valley. The Coquihalla Highway, or Hwy5, starts at Hope, comes up through the Coastal Mountains to Merritt, then branches off to West Kelowna on Hwy97C. The Trans-Canada Highway runs from Hope up to Cache Creek, across to Kamloops then travelers access the Valley at the north end using Hwy97. From Calgary, take the TransCanada to Sicamous and hit southbound Hwy97A.

Kelowna is very much a tourism hotspot in the interior with five-star resorts along the lakeside, but persons traveling in RVs and trailers will find some amazing provincial parks and private campgrounds to enjoy not far from the city.

Bear Creek Provincial Park is located across Okanagan Lake from Kelowna, accessed by Westside Road. Recently expanded to 178-ha, this lakefront campground offers 400m of sandy beaches, 5km of well-marked hiking trails and a playground. Swimming, canoeing, and fishing are all popular activities here, but if you need a boat launch for watersports you’ll need to find Fintry Delta Road or Killiney Beach Community Park as the in-park boat launch has closed. Total campsites number 143 and they need to be reserved before-hand at the provincial government website. For persons in rental RVS, Bear Creek does offer some partial-service pads with 30- and 50-amp options and water connections. Hot showers and flush toilets are housed on site. They also have a pay-per-use sani-station to travel home a little lighter.

Further along Westside Road is Fintry Provincial Park. This is the most well-rounded campground on the north end of Okanagan Lake, with all manner of water activities available. It is also a heritage site with a restored manor house, as this property sits on 360-hectares of the former Fintry Estate. There are one hundred reservable sites, including some double sites. On-site showers and flush toilets are provided but electricity is not. The park offers two sani-dump facilities, located at the day-use parking lot.

The other local provincial parks offer recreation opportunities and tenting, but no vehicle-accessible campsites. Be sure to check out Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park and Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park for some of the best scenery in the Valley.

Travelers in rented RVs or trailers who require more complete services and hook-ups while camping in the Kelowna area would be better served looking at the private campgrounds as their base camp.

Willow Creek Family Campground is 2.5km south of the Kelowna Bridge along Lakeshore Rd. It offers a range of sites from tenting to full-service pads for RVs and trailers. The sites are tightly packed, but the proximity to downtown Kelowna can’t be beat. This proximity also brings with it rules regarding fires, noise, and gate closures, so bear this in mind when booking.

Hiawatha RV Park is further along Lakeshore Road, in close proximity  to Rotary Beach. 89 sites on the Creekside property provide the range from tenting to full-service RV sites. The property is centrally-located and nicely treed for shade from the Okanagan sun, offering amenities such as their outdoor pool and hot tub, hot showers/flush toilets, coin-op laundry, Wifi hotspots, playground, games room and even cable at the full-service RV sites. The website indicates it is a short distance from several beaches, sixteen golf courses, shopping centers, orchards, watersports, wineries and wine festivals, and everything else that Kelowna offers for entertainment. It should be noted, pets are not allowed in this park.

Kelowna Urban Farm and RV Park off KLO Road provides full-service, pull-through sites for even the largest rental RVs and trailers that re surrounded by trees, ponds and vegetable gardens. Minutes from the activities and shopping of downtown Kelowna, the site offers free Wifi, hot showers, flush toilets, and coin-op laundry for your convenience. And since wood fires are banned, each site is outfitted with a propane fire pit, with propane for sale on-site.

TOP AREA ATTRACTIONS:

The Okanagan Valley has been a growing area for wineries for decades, and some of the best wines in the world are now produced in the Okanagan Valley. Mission Hill Estate Winery offers tastings, tours, and wonderful afternoons enjoying their patios and restaurants. Summer months sees a series of musical concerts on the grounds, but tickets are required for those. The architecture and vista views at Mission Hill set it apart from the other wineries, but be sure to check out the tasting rooms of others in the area before picking which bottles to bring home.

Big White Ski Resort, while not technically in Kelowna, uses Kelowna as their hub city for winter sports and summer hiking and biking adventures. A world-class resort, the mountain has opportunities for all levels of outdoor enthusiasts any time of year.

Not far from downtown Kelowna is Waterfront Park, which includes a boardwalk running along the lake shore to City Park, grassy areas for afternoon reading or picnics, and an amphitheater on the lake. At the north end is a wildlife sanctuary that hosts many different regional species. The park also has a beautiful sandy beach, concessions and bathroom facilities. Watch for the landscaped gardens, waterfalls, fountains and public art installations as you walk through.

For those who want to learn more about the area’s history, a visit to the Okanagan Heritage Museum will take you back to the early days of the Okanagan Valley, and show you the steamships that used to ply the local waters from station to station along Okanagan Lake, the local indigenous histories, area wildlife and also introduce you to the Central Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame.