Canada – Okanagan Day 3 – Travels with Carolyne

Kelowna – Day 3 of a 6-Day Trip in the Okanagan

After morning coffee and peanut butter toast, we packed our bags and checked out of the Airbnb. We were moving locations on Day 3. The Lake Country Airbnb at the Apple Orchard was beautiful, but we were staying in Kelowna for the last 3 nights of our trip. It was another scorching hot day!

Day 3
Kelowna

Our first destination for the day was the Kangaroo Creek Farm. Kangaroo Creek Farm is home to a variety of animals – kangaroos, wallabies, sugar gliders (so tiny!), capybara, exotic birds, reptiles, and much more! They also have an open petting area and the majority of their animals roam freely – make sure to follow the farm’s rules! The kangaroos are soft to the touch and are adorable chewing on their greens. Interesting fact – capybaras are the largest living rodent.

Next, we stopped by a coffee shop – Cherry Hill Coffee – which is in a business district of Kelowna. Note: We had a lot of leftovers from the previous nights’ dinners, which we ate for breakfast, so did not feel the need for lunch. If you are looking for a breakfast or lunch spot, people highly recommend The Jammery. After coffee, we continued to Myra Canyon Trestles, which is a 40 minute drive east of Kelowna. I was a bit deterred at the base of Myra Canyon as the gravel route seemed a bit steep for the car. I’m glad we did not turn around because after this initial patch, the incline is not too bad. As we got closer to the peak, I was excited to see blue skies peaking out of the smoke. Trains once passed through Myra Canyon using the Kettle Valley Railway, but the railway has long been abandoned for this use. Today, the 24km trail is a popular spot for biking and hiking, and takes hikers through 2 tunnels and over 18 trestles. During our visit, we could still see remnants of the 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park Fire which burned down 12 trestles and many homes. The trestles have now been restored and the trail offers amazing views of the canyon when it is not smoky. We were not equipped with bikes, so we decided to walk the trail. Note: You can rent bikes at the trail’s entrance. 24km walk was a bit too much for us and there is no shade on the trail, so we walked to Trestle #15 and turned around. This took us about 1 hour round trip and the trail is flat. Myra Canyon Trestles is incredible and we will have to return with our bikes next time.

Near Myra Canyon Trestles is Soma Craft Cidery. This craft cidery has a lot of open space and outdoor picnic tables (with purchase from their store). Some of their interiors were being renovated during our visit and there are also rooms for overnight stays.

We shared a flight of Soma’s ciders and hummus + pita as an afternoon snack.

Near the entrance to Soma, there are fluffy alpacas waiting to greet guests. I’ve heard alpacas spit when they are distressed, but these alpacas must be used to visitors. They were well behaved and seemed to enjoy being fed. But watch your fingers!

Next stop ice cream! We had a specific location in mind for ice cream – Carmelis Goat Cheese. Carmelis ice cream is made from goat milk and flavours change weekly. They also have cow milk ice cream and sell a variety of dairy products made from goat cheese. We ordered two flavours, both made from goat milk – mango cheesecake and white chocolate ice cream. It was really delicious!

After Carmelis, we headed downtown Kelowna to check in to our Airbnb. The Airbnb was located in a good downtown location, about 2 blocks away from the waterfront. After a busy day, we decided to rest in the air conditioned studio before heading out for dinner and subsequently, the breweries. Note: We parked in the Library Plaza Parkade, which has free overnight and weekend parking. For dinner, we walked to Salt & Brick. They specialize in farm to table tapas, which change frequently based on what is available. We shared the prawns, lamb tacos, and warm garden salad.

To end the evening, we met up with a group of friends and visited 3 breweries – Tree Brewing Beer Institute, Vice & Virtue Brewing, and Rustic Reel Brewing. Tree Brewing has been in Kelowna since 1996 and is the first craft brewery in the city. Their beers are hoppy. Vice & Virtue was my favourite both for its vibe and beers; they have interesting sours and a good nitro stout (carbonated with nitrogen, instead of carbon dioxide). Rustic Reel Brewing had the largest patio of the breweries with a solid beer selection. The beer flight at Rustic Reel Brewing came with a snack, which was a lovely surprise. All three of these breweries are within walkable distance of each other and there is a variety of breweries in this area which are all walkable. If you are planning to read the other days of my Okanagan trip, you’ll see us visit a few of the other breweries. I was, however, surprised how early the breweries closed for a Friday evening.

Complete Day 3 Itinerary

*Travel times may vary. Check Google Maps for most accurate travel details

9:00am: Breakfast at The Jammery!

11:00am: Visit the Kangaroo Creek Farm (4 minute drive from The Jammery).

12:00pm: Drive to Myra Canyon Trestles (40 minute drive from Kangaroo Creek Farm). Go for a bike ride or a hike.

3:00pm: Visit Soma Craft Cidery (25 minute drive from Myra Canyon Trestles).

4:00pm: Ice cream at Carmelis Goat Cheese (17 minute drive from Soma Craft Cidery).

6:00pm: Dinner at Salt & Brick (25 minute drive from Carmelis Goat Cheese).

7:00pm: Go for a Brewery Tour. Suggestions for the evening: Tree Brewing Beer Institute (7 minute walk from Salt & Brick), Vice & Virtue Brewing (15 minute walk from Tree Brewing Beer Institute), and Rustic Reel Brewing (6 minute walk from Vice & Virtue Brewing).

6-Day Okanagan Itinerary

Click “Download” below for an excel version of my 6-Day Okanagan Itinerary. Feel free to use the excel file as a planning template for your own trip in the Okanagan!

6-Day Okanagan Itinerary Download