'''Kamloops''' is located in British Columbia, Canada. It is the Tournament Capital of Canada. It has hosted Strauss Canada Cup of Curling, Skate Canada, World Fly Fishing Championships, Tim Horton's Olympic Qualifying Bike Race, and World Junior Hockey Championships. Kamloops is a small city with a population just under 93,000.

Get in

'''By Air''' Kamloops has a small airport and has daily flights though Air Canada from various connecting cities.

'''By Car''' Both Major highways in western Canada pass through Kamloops. The TransCanada highway passes through the Fraser valley from Vancouver in the west, and continues east through the rest of BC via Salmon Arm, Revelstoke, the Rogers Pass, Golden, and onto Alberta via Banff and Calgary.

The YellowHead #5 highway heads north from Kamloops to Jasper and Edmonton.

The Coquihalla #5 was originally built for Expo 86 in Vancouver. It was a toll highway up until September 2008, when it was unexpectedly announced that the toll was being lifted immediately, and the toll booths were taken down. This is a boost to Interior British Columbia and welcomed by many. The Coquihalla provides a much quicker route from Vancouver to '''Kamloops'''. (Approx 4 hrs by car) This route take you through Hope and Merritt and is considered less scenic than the TransCanada route. The downside of the high altitude road is that it can become dangerous in the winter as sudden weather changes may make the road icy, snow covered or impassible. Check the [http://www.drivebc.ca/home.jsp road conditions] before you set out.

Get around

See

  • MacArthur Island Park
  • Riverside Park (Where the rivers meet)
  • The BC Wildlife Park (www.BCzoo.org)
  • Thompson Rivers University (www.tru.ca) is Canada's most comprehensive university. Summer campus tours daily, and Wednesday night 'Friends of the Gardens' tours of the largest botanical collection in the interior of B.C.
  • '''Aberdeen Mall''' is a large two-floor upscale mall, 1320 West Trans Canada Highway, has quite a few attractions, mainly clothes stores. Navigation is also somewhat easier than other malls.
  • '''Two River Junction Musical Revue'''(www.tworiverjunction.com)
  • Kamloops Blazers - Competitive Western Hockey League team. The Blazers play at the Interior Savings Centre.
  • Do

  • '''Swim''' -- Adjacent to downtown, Kamloops has a lovely beach park (Riverside Park) along the Thompson River. There is a water park for children and an enclosed swimming area on the river.
  • '''Climb''' -- While not as popular among the rock climbing crowd as Squamish or Penticton, there are several areas that offer climbing in and around the Kamloops areas. Many of these areas are documented in the "Central BC Rock" guide book with more current updates available at the local indoor climbing gym [http://www.ropesendgym.com/]. Routes are graded on the Yosemite decimal system and range from 5.6 to 5.13a.
  • '''Ski''' -- Sun Peaks is a 30-40 minute drive north of Kamloops along highway 5.
  • '''Golf''' (approximately 11 18-hole courses, with "Tobiano" being the latest opened June 2007)
  • '''Mountain Bike''' -- With the hilly and mountainous terrain that varries from wide open to thickly wooded, Kamloops is one of the more popular locations for mountain bike riding in western Canada.
  • '''Kamloops Heritage Railway'''(www.kamrail.com)
  • '''Sunmore Ginseng SPA'''(www.sunmore.com)
  • '''Fish'''
  • Kamloops Brewery Tours.

    Buy

    Eat

  • '''Sanbiki''' sushi is located on Victoria St in the downtown core. Authentically prepared nigiri, sashimi and maki is elegantly presented. Featuring several popular favourites as well as local and seasonal specialities, this restaurant is reasonably priced and popular with the locals. The itamae is very receptive to dietary restrictions. For the more ethically conscious, only free-range eggs and wild-caught fish (when available) are used.
  • '''Peter's Pasta''' is located on Victoria St in the downtown core. All pastas and sauces are handmade on-site. Peter himself is often present and is always happy to answer any questions or even just make pleasant conversation. Very popular with the locals - reservations are recommended.
  • '''Mountain-High Pizza''' Either located near the Sprott-Shaw college in Downtown, or at 1465 Trans Canada highway, Mountain-High Pizza is a rather average, if not cheap pizza restaurant, serving cold (refrigerated) slices for half price.
  • '''D'agastinos''' Delicious authentic Italian food located on Victoria St. in the downtown core.
  • '''Frick and Frack''' Lively atmosphere and offers a wide variety of beer from around the world. Located onVictoria Street across from the casino.
  • Drink

    The legal drinking age in British Columbia is 19.

    Pubs and Lounges

  • '''The Max''' nightclub is located on River St across from Riverside Park. Cheap beer is sold on Wednesday nights. Featuring both a nightclub and a pool hall (with a live deejay), this club is very popular with local college kids.
  • '''Cactus Jacks''' is located on Seymour St in the downtown core. This is a large facility with a distinct country & western theme. Featuring weekly wet T-shirt contests, bikini bullriding and occasional live music acts.
  • '''Thirsty Dog Sports Club''' is located on Lansdowne St. in the downtown core approx. 3 blocks from Cactus Jacks and 4 blocks from The Max. It is a sports bar by day and a lively club by night. Monday is industry night, Thursday is college night, and there is no cover and no line for ladies before 11pm Thurs., Fri., and Saturdays.
  • Sleep

  • '''[http://www.ownerdirect.com Owner Direct Vacation Rentals]''' has over 100 [http://www.ownerdirect.com/accommodations/sunpeaks.htm vacation rentals at Sun Peaks]. It doesn't matter how many people you're traveling with, or what you're looking to spend on your holiday, there's such a variety of places to rent from this company that you're certain to find what you want.
  • Thompson Rivers University Residence & Conference Centre (www.tru.ca/housing) offers first-class summer accommodations at reasonable prices for groups and individuals, on the beautiful TRU campus. Excellent transit connections to all areas of the city direct from campus.
  • Get out

  • Vancouver is approximately 351 kilometers south west. There are flights from the Kamloops airports, as well as two major highways connecting the two cities.
  • Sun Peaks - an alpine ski resort located 50 kilometers north of Kamloops.