Campgrounds and RV parks near Okanagan 1, BC

Water activities dominate the season. Kalamalka Lake and Okanagan Lake support swimming, paddling, boating, water-skiing, and fishing, and Ellison Provincial Park has western Canada's only freshwater dive park with sunken artifacts and marine life to explore beneath the lake's surface. The boat launch at Kekuli Bay puts trailered boats directly on Kalamalka Lake. On land, the Okanagan Rail Trail bisects the park near the water, providing easy walking or cycling opportunities north and south along Kalamalka Lake. Ellison has cliffside trails, small granite cliffs by South Bay offering climbing suitable for beginners, and short loops suitable for kids. Silver Star Mountain Resort, northeast of Vernon, runs lift-served mountain biking, hiking, and a bike park in summer. Vernon also offers wineries, golf, and a splash park close to the Swan Lake properties.

The camping season in the North Okanagan runs roughly April through mid-October. Kekuli Bay Provincial Park typically opens in early April and closes in mid-October, with sites kept open until the first lasting snowfall. Ellison Provincial Park follows a similar spring-to-fall pattern, with the park gate open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily through mid-October. Private parks including Swan Lake RV Resort and Silver Star RV Park generally operate from spring through late October. July and August are the hottest, driest months and the busiest for both lakes and campgrounds. Daytime highs commonly sit in the mid-to-upper 20s Celsius, lake water is warm, and wildfire smoke can occasionally affect air quality in late summer. May, June, and September are quieter, with cooler nights and easier reservations. Winter brings freezing temperatures, snow at valley elevations, and closures at most lake campgrounds; Silver Star Mountain Resort, however, operates as a ski hill from late November into April.

Provincial-park campsites are vehicle-accessible and forested, with picnic tables, fire rings, pit or flush toilets, and potable water. Kekuli Bay has four campsites with electrical hook-ups, picnic areas, pit and flush toilets, warm showers and a playground, plus a boat launch, with the rest unserviced. Ellison offers 71 vehicle accessible campsites, 8 of which are double sites, with showers and beaches but no electrical hookups, and the nearest RV dump is in Vernon. Private parks in the area offer full hookups, laundry, Wi-Fi, and pools. Cell coverage is generally good near Vernon and patchy inside Kekuli Bay. Beaches on Kalamalka Lake are rocky, so water shoes help. Bears, deer, rattlesnakes, and marmots live in the area, so secure food and stay alert on trails.