Camping In BC - Okanagan Valley

Okanagan British Columbia
Campground Information

Camping in the interior British Columbia, the Okanagan Valley, is extremely beautiful.

With a long warm summer season in the Okanagan Valley, there are many BC Provincial Parks, BC forest service areas, private campgrounds &RV Parks and resorts to choose from to enjoy wonderful summer vacations.

The Okanagan Valley has some of the most beautiful lakes, rivers and mountains with such diverse and natural landscape, you have an excellent opportunity for any kind of outdoor adventure and/or pure & simple relaxation.

We hope that you enjoy summer in the Okanagan and fall in love with it as well! Here is some helpful information to provide a wonderful outdoor adventure and experience for you:

Camping Season In The Okanagan BC

In the Okanagan camp grounds generally open late April or early May and the season continues through early September. The summer holiday months of July and August are of course the most busy. After school is out (last week in June), everything fills up quickly.

If you're not so big on crowds, May and June bring slightly cooler but beautiful early summer weather and warm fragrant days, while September and October are much crisper days and nights but fewer people in the parks.

The biggest thing is reservations during summer.

Reservations are recommended for popular locations and during long weekend statuatory holidays, beginning May long weekend.

Otherwise you very well may be out of luck....speaking from unfortunate experience :-)

Okanagan BC Provincial Campsites

There are more than a dozen provincial campgrounds in the Okanagan and Shuswap areas, and a number of day-use parks with beaches to enjoy. So even if you have other accommodations, you can still take advantage of nature trails, sight seeing and exploring, picnics or just enjoying a quiet spot on a warm day.

BC Provincial Parks - Provincial campgrounds in the Okanagan and Shuswap areas.

Day Use Parks

The BC Provincial Park system also offers great educational and interpretive programs at various parks. On our own trips, there is always so much for the kids to do, they don't need to bring along any electronics! Bikes and fishing poles, cameras, and all the ingredients for campfire smores is all we really need!

Okanagan Campgrounds & RV Parks

Many RV parks are open year round! We've organised the information and listings in this section by region, from South Okanagan, Similkameen Valley, to North Okanagan and Shuswap. In addition, we've included a page of information about what to expect in terms of cost, amenities, services and other general guidelines that may help you with planning your trip.

• What to expect, cost, etc.
• Similkameen Valley - Keremeos, Hedley, Princeton
• South Okanagan - Osoyoos, Oliver BC, Okanagan Falls, Kaleden, Penticton, Summerland, Peachland
• Central Okanagan - Westbank, Kelowna, Winfield BC, Lake Country, Oyama
• North Okanagan - Vernon BC, Cherryville, Armstrong, Enderby
• Shuswap - Sicamous, Salmon Arm, Blind Bay, Sorrento, Scotch Creek

Safety Tips

Personally, we like to be safe when we're exploring outdoors, especially when we go to an unfamiliar area of the valley, even though we live here. The Okanagan Valley is beautiful, but if you are visiting in any parks and particularily wilderness areas, outdoor safety is number one! We travel with kids, so being aware of potential dangers, and practicing basic outdoor safety is very much a part of our trips.

We wish you a wonderful vacation while you're here, so please take some time to become familiar with the following:

• Wildlife Most unpleasant encounters with dangerous wildlife can be avoided. Read about bears, cougars, snakes and other wildlife you may encounter in Okanagan, what to do, and how to stay safe in your home away from home.


• Hiking & Outdoor Safety Tips Okanagan wilderness safety, hiking safety, hug A tree. Whether you're out for a leisurely day hike through Provincial or Forest park trails or a multi-day trek through the backcountry areas, ensure your trip is a safe one.


• Camping Safety Whether you're roughing it in a tent, staying in private campgrounds & RV parks, or in the Okanagan BC Provincial Parks and Forest Service areas, there are many ways to ensure your experience is fun and safe.

There is nothing we enjoy more than making someone's stay in the Okanagan Valley fun, safe, comfortable, and inexpensive. Getting away on vacation and enjoying the outdoors is such a wonderful way to get away from the hectic pace of everyday life.