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Old 05-13-2017, 11:58 AM   #1
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Options for Canada's Okanogan Valley

I know it's late to be making reservations for an August 5-13 trip, so some sites will be taken. For our Canadian friends and others who have made this trip, I'm hoping for some suggestions.

Here's the scoop on our trip thoughts. We will be traveling in a Winnebago View (24 foot, Mercedes (gas!) chassis. We will not be taking our Chevy Tracker (toad) with us. We live in the Portland Oregon area. I grew up near Omak, Washington and lived there until 8th grade. I've been to Osoyoos and Penticton in the Okanogan valley, but it was in the early 1980's as a child where we would do day trips to visit the lakes and waterslides. We took a family trip from Osoyoos to Vancouver across Canada in the early 1980's as well when I was 12, but that hotels only. My vague memories of this crossing were of winding but enjoyable roads and the normal summer road construction. Most of the focus of that trip was the Vancouver, Grouse Mountain, and Victoria areas. I think we just drove straight through to Vancouver on the first day.

Our kids are teens who like camping but this is also their first time in Canada, so it would be great to give them both the great nature experience and some of sites and culture of our great neighbors to the north. I've been to Vancouver several times as I lived in Bellingham for a time. We can do more extended time in Vancouver at some point in the future but that's not our focus for this trip.

While I will show the loop options below, the suggestions I'm hoping for is some background / suggestions for the experiences (roads, camping) crossing BC vs Washington as well as the Okanogan valley area. I'm very familiar with North Cascades, Highway, US Highway 2, and I-90. Any special sights to see in Canada on that trip that makes it a treat as compared to the North Cascades (20) in Washington?

The loop that I'm thinking of doing is one of the follows: (roughly 1,000 miles in total)

Option 1:
(west to east) Aug 5 - Aug 9
Enter at the Sumas crossing, head east, taking in sites long the way, and exiting at Osyoos on the morning of Aug 10. Omak has their Stampede (rodeo) starting on 8/10, so we likely would stay one day there and then meander home along Highway 97, visiting Chelan, Leavenworth, etc. as we continue south. (lived in Chelan for a time as well, so visiting has appeal for the kids to see some of where I grew up). Camping options are already largely booked for Chelan as well.

Option 2: (east to west) basically follows the same trip but in reverse order.

Option 3: (west to east) spends the majority of the experience crossing Washington's North Cascades highway and takes in the experience of Winthrop/Twist (old west town). Our entry to Canada would be the experiences of the Okanogan valley, perhaps as far north as Kelowna, and then exiting back out largely the way we enter.

Option 4: No loop. Highway 97 with the various stops along the way. Leavenworth, Chelan, Omak, and Osyoos and Okanogan Valley sites, returning back through a similar path or via Highway 2.

Option 5: Something different, adding Banff to the adventure. (and 500+ miles to the week-long trip.
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Old 05-14-2017, 12:50 AM   #2
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First ; just to be different here north of the border we spell Okanagan , with all As no O
I was born in Oliver and lived 55 years in Kelowna before retirement .
So I really can't help with a lot of camping info , because I went out of the valley when I went camping.
JMHO: If you want to be able to spend time anywhere , keep the mileage down . The trip through Banff would put you having to roll up a lot of miles every day. I'd leave that for a multi week trip.
The Canadian National Parks have year long special events and pricing for Canada's 150 th Birthday. Mid summer they will be PACKED and traffic will be .
Highway 5 and 97C are high mountain freeways , with limited pullouts and major amounts of truck traffic . Although Highway 3 from the coast to the southern interior is a winding road , it's lower speed limits make for a more enjoyable drive.
Unfortunately the forest around both routes have been decimated, by the pine beetle and where the trees are still standing, with all the needles red or black ; it's a depressing sight; particularly to me, as I grew up driving though the areas with green as far as you could see.
Don't forget ; passports for everyone ; you may get into Canada without them , but crossing back to the USA may be a problem.
Safe Travels.
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Old 05-14-2017, 09:53 AM   #3
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Skip - thanks for this great information. I agree on adding at least another week if we were going to take in Banff. I only passed through that area on the way to Edmonton in 1988 for a high school trip. Do you have any recommendations for some of your favorite sites to see as well as experiences in the Okanagan valley? You're right - I lived in Okanogan county and now remember seeing the spelling difference on truck campers that came down our way from time to time. . We got all our passports a few days ago, along with mine renewed.
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Old 05-14-2017, 10:01 AM   #4
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Ride the Kettle Valley Railway on your bikes. There is a 10k stretch that has 10 or more tunnels and or trestles-flat, and spectacular. Its near Kelowna-great bike ride for all ages. Lots of city parks around Kelowna where you can just jump in the river to cool off. Banff and the Icefields parkway, or any way you can get close tow the Canadian Rockies is just unbelievable! Huge mountains!
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Old 05-14-2017, 10:47 AM   #5
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wanderso; I really have no idea what in the area would be of interest to teenagers, or to you and your DW for that matter, and as a LONG time local in the southern interior of BC , I've developed a " been there done that " attitude to most of the attractions . Wineries in the south Okanagan offer tours and there are small museums and car collections , but they all depend on your personal interest.
One more thing about your routing , those plans that have you going through Seattle , show you sticking to I-5 , I-5 Seattle and I-5 in Portland ;as you're probably aware; are best avoided. Take the 405 and by-pass downtown Seattle, it's a little longer but 99 times out of 100, it will be quicker.
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Old 05-14-2017, 10:52 AM   #6
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Here are a couple of things to think about.

Coming from the west on Hwy 3, you might stop for an overnight stay at the Gold Mountain RV Park in Healy. Hedly is an interesting place to explore for an evening.
Or, carry on to Osoyoos. There are a few RV Parks in and around Osoyoos. One that is worth checking out is at Haines Point. This is a great spot for the kids to dip in Canada's warmest lake and roast a hot dog over the campfire.
Going north is Wine Country. Lots to see and do along the way up Hwy 97.

Visiting Osoyoos | Osoyoos

Gold Mountain RV Park & Cabins - Hedley BC
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Old 05-14-2017, 11:15 AM   #7
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Flooding

Please check carefully any camp grounds in the Okanagan Valley as there is massive flooding now.
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Old 05-14-2017, 11:29 AM   #8
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Please check carefully any camp grounds in the Okanagan Valley as there is massive flooding now.
By the time the OP arrives in August we will be well into full on Desert again.
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Old 05-14-2017, 12:37 PM   #9
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By the time the OP arrives in August we will be well into full on Desert again.
We can only hope , , BC's south Okanagan region is , semi arid , with NORMAL annual precipitation of 11" or less , some of the area has been getting that much every two months over this winter.
Similar situation all up the west coast : I know from friends in CA, that they have their fingers crossed for a very slow snow melt to help with flooding there.
I've been home from SoCA for 6 weeks and 3 days has been the longest we've gone without rain here. Good news is ; I don't have to water the lawn , bad news is , it's never dry enough to cut.
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Old 05-14-2017, 07:57 PM   #10
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Thank you for all of the tips thus far as well as the suggestion about Gold Mountain RV Park. I'm checking that out as an option near the Okanagan valley. Unfortunately Haines Point in Osoyoos is already booked as are those on Okanagan lake. Phone calls to commence on Monday for private campgrounds that don't have reservation details online.

Quick question regarding the Provincial parks: how strict are they on equipment lengths? Our Winnebago View is 24 feet in length. There are sites available in E.C. Manning Provincial Park as an example (for a potential stop along the way), but they say the site length is 20 feet and will accommodate an 18 foot trailer. I called reservations and they said "sorry, your equipment is too long", but sometimes an operator may not know the specifics that a camp host knows. If it fits an 18 foot trailer, the trailer is still pulled by something, making it far longer than even the 24 feet of my motorhome. Perhaps the pull vehicle just parks elsewhere. Our overhang behind the rear duals is 6 feet, 6 inches, making it 17 feet from the front bumper to the back side of the rear tires. As long as there isn't a large rock or trees at the back of the motorhome, it would fit easily on a 20 foot pad. Of course any obstructions aren't fully known without actually visiting the site in question.
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Old 05-14-2017, 09:04 PM   #11
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The RV park in Manning Provincial Park was set up in the 50s 60s and probably hasn't been upgraded since. Due to government RED TAPE.
The Manning Park Lodge management , fought with the provincial government for years just to get permission to remove dead trees from the proximity of the lodge, because of the fire hazard . Enlarging the RV park would be a no-go even though larger spaces would bring in considerably more cash flow.
Sites were set up when 20' was a big trailer and slides hadn't become common.
There's an RV park in Princeton , with tons of room , that may be your best bet.
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Old 05-15-2017, 08:11 AM   #12
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"Denis 45" the reason for my statement was more a concern that all damage and disruption that the vast flooding is causing which may include camping and off roads may not be repaired in your desert by the time the OP gets there.Sorry no eye rollers here,just a beware statement from a fellow camper.
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Old 05-15-2017, 11:40 AM   #13
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Whew! It's looking like the civic holiday on August 7 is posing some challenges in finding a good spot at vacation start. (British Columbia day). Still chasing it.
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Old 05-15-2017, 11:55 AM   #14
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Whew! It's looking like the civic holiday on August 7 is posing some challenges in finding a good spot at vacation start. (British Columbia day). Still chasing it.
I hear you. We are planning to spend the summer on Vancouver Island and northern BC, we started our planning in January and in some cases got the last pick. Too many RV'S, not enough RV parks.
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