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Something for everyone
Thursday, May 28th, 2009 by GetawayBC.com
Kamloopsians are proud of their city and will show it off as often as they can.
Kamloops is the third-largest city in the Interior of British Columbia, home to 84,000 residents.
Accessible by three major B.C. highways, the city is among the warmest in Canada and boasts world-class sporting facilities and recreational experiences.
The city is affordable and visitors and residents can enjoy some inexpensive getaways, such as golf or skiing from about $89 per day.
Here are some reasons to enjoy Kamloops:
- Warmest summers: Average temperature of 27.2 C from June to August.
- Most parks: The area is home to 84 parks – the most in B.C.
Kamloops’ mild, dry four-season climate means visitors can enjoy summer and winter activities.
The Tournament Capital gets 2,000 hours of sunshine per year and only 270 millimetres of rain.
The average snowfall is 86 centimetres (33.86 inches) in the city area and up to 559 centimetres (17 feet) at nearby Sun Peaks, Canada’s third-largest ski resort.
Usually, the city ranks No. 1 in Canada for hottest summers, No. 2 for warmest springs, driest city and most sunny days in warm months, 11th for warmest year-round, 13th for mildest winter and 14th for most sunny days.
Central location
Kamloops is located in the heart of British Columbia’s Interior and is accessible by train, plane or automobile.
From Kamloops, it is a 3.5-hour drive to Vancouver, six hours to Calgary and eight hours to Edmonton.
Air Canada Jazz provides year-round flight service to Vancouver, Calgary and points within B.C.
The Rocky Mountaineer Railtour and VIA Rail trains make stops in the city.
Meetings/conventions
Kamloops is becoming a choice destination for organizations holding major conferences.
The city offers 16 convention facilities, ranging in size from 816 square feet to more than 48,000 square feet. There are also five major destination resorts in the Kamloops area and 10 other hotels with meeting facilities.
Tournament Capital of Canada
True to its moniker of Tournament Capital of Canada, visitors and residents can find a tournament every weekend in Kamloops.
This year, the city will host 98 tournaments, including the provincial soccer finals, the Canadian Masters Trand and Field Championships, the U15 Boys and Girls National Basketball tournament and the Lifesaving Society’s provincial lifeguard championships.
Some of the facilities the city has built include a 35,000-square-foot fieldhouse complete with indoor running track, an Olympic-sized hockey rink, championship soccer stadium with 500 seats, a soccer facility for tournaments, 12 baseball diamonds and a 1,500-seat baseball park.