Summer has always been a popular time to visit the lakeside community of Kelowna, but I prefer travelling to B.C.’s southern Interior in autumn, when the air is crisp and the foliage turns to bright yellows, oranges and reds. Seems I’m not alone.
A spokesperson for the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association says there’s been a noticeable increase in visitors to the region in the shoulder season.
“As a local, the fall is my favourite time and that sentiment is spreading,” says TOTA communications manager Jenna Labossiere.
“It’s a secret we like to share. It’s less crowded, the sun is still shining and the colours are beautiful.”
Besides the colours, what’s most noticeable about visiting Kelowna in autumn is the stillness of Okanagan Lake. There are no crowds on its shores or boat traffic on its surface and the destination’s biggest draws — the wineries and local hiking trails — remain open before snow’s arrival, when skiing takes prominence.
Labossiere, who lives next to Knox Hill, says she’s noticed more locals and tourists are coming to Kelowna’s local mountains daily for hikes well into the shoulder season.
“In Kelowna we’re known for July and August, but there’s still so much to do into the fall. It’s a magical time to be outside. The Kettle Valley Rail trestle, other hiking trails and the wineries are still open. The harvest for fruit and veggies is still on and the restaurants are offering amazing seasonal foods on their menus.”
Who doesn’t like a slice of pumpkin pie or fresh apple cobbler? Restaurants in the fall also have the added benefit of not requiring reservations in the less hectic shoulder season. And best of all, peak season hotel prices have dropped, making it a more affordable time to visit Kelowna, only an hour flight away from Victoria.
Over three days in October I stayed at the Royal Kelowna, a luxury resort in downtown Kelowna where all suites have a view of either Okanagan Lake or the lagoon.
The resort, which backs onto the lake, is within walking distance to many of the activities I was interested in doing during my mini-vacation, like bowling at nearby BNA Brewery Co., having a Nordic Spa experience at Loyly Floating Sauna in the harbour, going on an e-bike winery tour with Lakeside Eco-Sports, and taking a Thai cooking class at Lakehouse Kitchens Cooking School, which offers over 85 different cooking classes.
The hotel also has bikes available for guests to borrow. One nearby destination worth cycling to is Knox Mountain, Kelowna’s largest park encompassing 385 hectares. Or if you want to save your energy for the hike you can simply drive 10 minutes there from the hotel.
Afterwards, you can enjoy the hotel’s rooftop infinity pool and hot tub, which came in handy after my nearly 30-km bike ride the previous day to local wineries on the hillside overlooking downtown Kelowna. While I soaked in the hot tub I only saw two other guests come and go, unlike the summer months when the pool is often fully occupied. Yet another reason to love travel in the fall when all the amenities seem to be for your own private use.
You can’t go to the Okanagan and not visit wineries, so my friends and I found the best way to visit three of them was by e-bike with Lakeside Eco-Sports.
Visitors can rent one of the company’s 20 e-bikes or do a guided bike tour through the Okanagan Valley. We opted for the latter and stopped at three different venues — Sperling Vineyards, SpearHead Winery and Meadow Vista Honey Wines, where we also enjoyed lunch.
Owner and tour guide Gareth Brown tells me if a biker was to travel the 29.6 km route it should take 1.5 hours, without stopping, but we had five hours to do the full route with leisurely breaks.
While I certainly enjoyed the wineries, and the ease of getting up the hills, thanks to the e-bike’s pedal assist, my favourite part was biking along the lakeside and through an area bordered by trees with golden-hued leaf displays.
The company, which just completed its third season, won the Viator Experience Award for Top Beverage Experience in Canada in 2024 for its e-bike wine tour with tastings and lunch.
Other great places to visit in the quieter shoulder season are local farms to pick the last of the season’s crops.
At Paynter’s Fruit Market, a 40-acre farm in the heart of Kelowna, the farm grows over 100 varieties of fruits, with pumpkins and apples primarily taking centre stage in fall. I ended up coming home with a much heavier carry-on suitcase, packed with red delicious, pink lady, golden delicious and green apples.
The family farm was started 105 years ago by Edwin Paynter and is now run by his great-granddaughter Jennay Oliver, who says one of her favourite aspects about the farm is providing a place for families to learn about farming.
“It’s cool to bring people out and let them pick their own food, and see where their food comes from and get them back to having that connection again,” she says.
Another family farm I visited in the Thompson Okanagan region was the 129-acre Davison Orchards, an hour’s drive from Kelowna in Vernon, which is open from May 1 to October 31.
Four generations of the family has been farming here since 1933, with apples as their signature fruit. They also have the distinction of selling their fruits and vegetables directly to consumers, eliminating the middleman.
In 1985 the family added an ever-expanding retail division, which includes a gift shop, fruit and veggie market, a cafe in the original farmhouse and ice-cream stand. Visitors can also take a train ride around the property and have free access to the farm animals and the kids’ playground. It has become one of Vernon’s top tourist attractions, with about 500,000 visitors annually.
IF YOU GO
Where to stay
The Royal Kelowna, in the heart of downtown Kelowna on the lakefront, has one, two and three-bedroom suites with either a patio or balcony and a fully-equipped kitchen with a full-size fridge, gas stove, dishwasher, microwave and in-suite laundry. There’s also a jetted tub in the primary bathroom, gas fireplace and a dining room table. Hotel amenities include a fitness centre, rooftop pool, hot tubs and both an outdoor and indoor lounge. Also, a rooftop fire pit and barbecue.
Where to eat
BNA Brewery Co. is the perfect place where you can order meals like a burger and fries or opt for a fancier choice like salmon or a clam dish and choose whether to eat in the dining room or in the bowling alley. I went the gourmet route while bowling, eating dan dan noodles with Sichuan-spiced tofu and shiitake mushrooms.
Home Block Restaurant at CedarCreek Estate Winery, about a 25-minute drive from downtown Kelowna on the east side of Okanagan Lake, not only has a beautiful location with amazing views but delicious food. For a starter I had the crispy romanseco cauliflower as an appetizer and the ricotta gnocchi with basil pesto and sticky toffee pudding, which was so popular nearly everyone at the table ended up ordering it.
The Edge Restaurant & Bar, which just opened last August perched 1,000-feet above Vernon, has to offer the best 360-degree view of downtown Vernon and Lake Okanagan. The plush velvet seating, high ceilings and modern drop chandeliers throughout also help to contribute to why this has become the “it” place to dine in Vernon. I ordered the beet ravioli with a Cajun coconut cream sauce, an unusual pairing of flavours, and ended the evening with a deconstructed key lime pie.
Kim Pemberton was hosted by Kelowna Tourism, the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association & Bellstar Hotels which did not review or approve this article. Follow her on instagram at kimstravelogue.
