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Valley Vineyards Circle TourHome ::
Tours and Drives :: Valley Vineyards
Circle Tour
Just like Okanagan wines, The Valley Vineyards Circle Tour has caught the attention of wine connoisseurs worldwide. Tour and taste the offerings from British Columbia's best renowned wineries as you travel and take advantage of the Okanagan Valley's beautiful scenery and fruits. This tour covers 1,150km (690mi) and can take between 5 and 7 days, depending on how many vineyards you choose to visit. Most wineries along the route are listed in this write-up. For tour information from any of your favorite wineries, just phone them with any questions you man have. Tourism Regions The Valley Vineyards Circle Tour includes the eastern border of the Vancouver Coast and Mountains and the southern half of the Thompson Okanagan. This write-up doesn't include every community along the route, but you are encouraged to stop and see what each has to offer. Route Directions
Tour Experiences
From Hope, take the Crow’s Nest Highway 3 east 135km (84mi) to Princeton. In places, this major highway winds it way around sheer mountains, passing through heart-stopping scenery and rugged Manning Provincial Park. As Highway 3 descends into Princeton, the west coast climate changes into that of the warmer, drier interior. Surrounded by spectacular lakes and provincial parks, Princeton offers fishing and camping year round. One of the major attractions is the Trans Canada Trail, which provides hiking and biking in the summer and snowmobiling and cross-country skiing in the winter. Driving 38km (24mi) along the pine and sagebrush banks of the Similkameen River will bring you to Hedley, a former boomtown gone bust. Relics from times past have been collected at the Heritage Museum and you an visit the recently-opened Mascot Mine. Here, visitors will experience a semi-arid climate that makes the town perfect for fishing, swimming and hiking. A short 67km (42mi) away, Keremeos is called "the fruit stand capital of Canada". If you don't stop for a cup of tea at the famous waterwheel driven Grist Mill, then pick up some fresh Okanagan fruit for the trip ahead. When leaving Keremeos, stay on Highway 3 and head south into Osoyoos. Wineries: Princeton to Osoyoos Crowsnest Vineyards -(250) 499-5129 Osoyoos is one of British Columbia's vacation hotspots. People flock here for the warm weather, the glistening lakes and the town's quaint Mediterranean façade. Upon seeing the rows upon rows of lush orchards, green vineyards and the town's 27-hole golf course, it often comes as a surprise that Osoyoos is in the centre of Canada's only desert. An Interpretive Centre highlights the Pocket Desert's delicate ecology of plants and animals unique to this one location. Visitors flock here year after year making it one of the Okanagan’s favorite summertime destinations. With long summers and mild winters, Osoyoos is a perfect place for “snowbirds” seeking respite from harsher weather elsewhere. From Osoyoos, head north on Highway 97. This road winds through beautiful orchards and marks the beginning of the Okanagan's award-winning vineyards. Oliver – just 20 minutes away –was once called the "Cantaloupe Capital of Canada" but is now known as the "Wine Capital of Canada". Take time to admire the history rich face of McIntyre Bluff, known as Indian Head. Legends and pictographs fill the atmosphere surrounding this area. Today, Oliver is an agriculture-fueled community with vineyards and orchards in almost every direction. Travel 42km (26mi) north on Highway 97 to the town of Okanagan Falls, which boasts fine sandy beaches on the shore of deep blue Skaha Lake. Stop by at the famous Snowy Mountain Chocolate Factory or try Tickleberry’s Homemade Ice Cream and indulge yourself before continuing on Highway 97 around the west side of the Skaha Lake to Penticton. Wineries: Osoyoos to Penticton Black Hills Estate Winery - (250) 498-0666 Wineries: Penticton to Naramata 21 Breeze Lake Winery - (250) 497-5659 Wineries: Penticton to Summerland Scherzinger Vineyards - (250)-494-8815
Those who want to unwind and relax are encouraged to take in a winery tour. The burgeoning wine industry has helped put Kelowna on the world stage. Throughout the hillsides are miles of vineyards with vistas to be enjoyed by all. The wineries all welcome visitors to taste their award-winning wines and tour their facilities.
Less than 20 minutes north is the historic community of Peachland. With a population of just over 5,000 people, this town specializes in orchards and vineyards. Peachland is a tranquil and charming town, with its doorstep on the banks of Okanagan Lake. The best time of year to visit Peachland is in the spring and summer when the fruit trees are in full bloom and laden with fresh fruit. The entire Okanagan Valley is home to some four wineries, from the small, small but excellent farmgate wineries to internationally-renowned wineries. Just follow the wine route signs and you’re bound to find exactly what you’re looking for. VQA Wineries: Summerland to Kelowna Adora Estate Winery - (250) 404-4200 Continue up Highway 97, out of BC's wine country and into Vernon's warm water recreationdistrict. Surrounded on all sides by the warm water lakes of Okanagan, Kalamalka and Swan, Vernon plays host to a wide variety of water sports. Roam through the fragrant orchards in the spring visiting by historic O'Keefe Ranch, where a country-cooked meal awaits. Vernon is the perfect place for a leisurely vacation.
LinksExplore the Communities along the Valley Vineyards Circle Tour Need a place to stay or camp while exploring the Valley Vineyards Circle Tour ? British Columbia's Circle Tours |
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Start in Vancouver, the metropolis of British Columbia’s
west coast, and travel east on the Trans Canada Highway 1.
As the road begins to wind into the mountains, watch for Bridal
Veil Falls cascading down the rock face. Hidden away in the
forest, a short walk off the road will take you to the base
of these falls. You’ll pass dairy farms and other pastoral
charms of the lush Fraser Valley before arriving in Hope – a
small city, 153km (95mi) outside of Vancouver and nestled against
the Cascade Mountains. Hope is the gateway to the interior
situated at the junction of four major highways: the Trans
Canada Highway 1, the Coquihalla Highway 5, the Crow’s
Nest Highway 3 and the Lougheed Highway 7. Celebrating its
connection with the forest and its wildlife, Hope has become
known as the “Chainsaw Carving Capital,” with 20
giant wooden sculptures scattered around the town. 
Penticton, is one of Canada’s best-loved vacation spots.
Cradled within three trimmed mountain slopes and bordered by
Okanagan and Skaha Lakes, Penticton & Wine Country has
all the natural beauty vacationers seek. A semi-arid desert
climate creates long, sunny summers and mild, pleasant winters.
The climate that makes vacationing in Penticton a dream is
also what nurtures its superb agriculture and wine industry.
More than four-dozen wineries welcome visitors to tour their
vineyards and taste world-class vintages. Penticton is also
proud to be the home of British Columbia’s Wine Information
Centre, featuring more than 300 varieties of VQA wine from
around British Columbia. To explore more vineyards, take a
trip up the east side of Okanagan Lake to the orchard community
of Naramata. Each winery offers a unique tour that enables
you to experience good food, fine wine and alluring countryside. 
From Penticton, Highway 97 follows the west bank of Okanagan
Lake 68km (43mi) north to Kelowna. Kelowna is a place where
the climate is mild and sunshine abounds. Being the largest
city in the region, Kelowna is blessed with spectacular mountain
scenery, large pristine lakes, sandy beaches and fruit laden
hillsides. This is a true haven for the serious vacationer
offering golfing, skiing, boating, fishing, water sports, wineries,
orchard and garden tours, hiking, mountain biking, shopping,
fine dining, arts, cultural activities and everything in between.
On the way to Kelowna, you’ll encounter the charming
communities of Summerland and Peachland. Summerland is located
in the heart of the Okanagan fruit belt just north of Penticton.
It is a spectacular place offering visitors over 2,000 hours
of sunshine annually, as well as an incredible landscape of
rolling hills, sagebrush and pine, lush orchards and vineyards.
Here you’ll find some of the best beaches in the Okanagan.
Peach Orchard Beach has a water park and boating facilities
and there’s Okanagan Provincial Park and Sun Oka Beach
Provincial Park which has a white mile of sandy shoreline.
After a few busy days of touring vineyards and tasting wines,
you might be eager to relax by some of the region's lakes.
If so, read up on our Water Recreation Tour. Otherwise, travel
north on Alaska Highway 97 to Kamloops and then south on the
Coquihalla Highway 5 to Merritt. Continue south and just before
Hope, the Coquihalla Highway5 will join the Trans Canada Highway
1, which takes you west. Vancouver is only a few hours further
along the Trans Canada Highway 1.
