8 Little-Known Okanagan Towns Worth a Winter Visit

Most people know the Okanagan as a summer place. The smaller towns keep going after the beaches empty, and a few of them put on their best show between late November and Christmas. You’ll find a 1912 steam locomotive pulling a holiday train out of Summerland. On the Naramata Bench, wineries open their doors for one weekend under Christmas lights. In Osoyoos there’s a desert, and Destination Osoyoos puts the town’s average annual snowfall at 5.4 cm.

This guide runs from Summerland to Enderby. For each town it covers what’s actually open in winter, the 2026 event dates that have been posted, how to get there and where the published information falls short. Some towns are short drives from Apex Mountain Resort or Baldy Mountain Resort, so you can pair a ski day with something slower in the valley.

One caveat up front. Neither ski hill has posted a confirmed 2026/27 opening day on its official site, and a few town events haven’t confirmed 2026 dates either. Where a date isn’t confirmed, this guide says so.

8. Keremeos (Similkameen Valley)

Keremeos starts its holidays with the Light-Up Parade on Friday, December 4, 2026. It starts from the Keremeos Visitor Centre at 417 7th Avenue. The Similkameen events listing has the details.

Winery visits take some planning here. The Similkameen tourism site says local wineries are open from spring to fall. In winter they open only by appointment or for one special weekend of holiday open houses in December. The 2026 dates for that weekend aren’t confirmed, so call ahead before you drive out for a tasting.

The Grist Mill and Gardens is a heritage site with Western Canada’s only working waterwheel-powered flour mill. It hosts an annual Christmas craft fair. Its winter hours aren’t verified, so check before you go.

Keremeos also matters to anyone heading to Apex from the Coast. Apex’s getting-here page tells eastbound drivers to skip the Hedley-Nickelplate road that map apps often suggest. Instead, carry on past Hedley to Keremeos and take Highway 3A up to the resort. That makes Keremeos a natural place to stop for fuel and food on the way.

7. Enderby (North Okanagan)

Enderby sits where the Okanagan meets the Shuswap, in the traditional territory of the Splatsin people of the Secwépemc Nation. In winter, the draw is snow you can travel on.

Larch Hills Nordic, roughly halfway between Enderby and Salmon Arm, is the area’s main cross-country ski spot. It has about 170 km of ski trails, including 57 km trackset and 6.5 km lit for night skiing, plus more than 17 km of snowshoe trails. Day-use fees work on an honour system, with drop boxes for cash and cheques and QR codes at the trail entrance. The club’s fees page lists ski day fees of $18 per adult, $10 per youth and $36 per family ($10, $5 and $20 for snowshoeing); check it before you go in case 2026/27 rates change.

To get there from Hwy 97B, turn east on Grandview Bench Rd and go 5.4 km. Turn left on Edgar Rd and keep left after 3 km to reach the parking lot. The season depends on snow.

The Shuswap Trail Alliance has offered interpretive snowshoe tours of the Enderby Cliffs on select winter dates; check with the Alliance whether any run this winter. The tours cover the cliffs’ geology, ecology and cultural importance to the Splatsin. The 2026/27 dates aren’t confirmed. Don’t hike the Enderby Cliffs (Tplaqín) trail on your own in winter. It’s steep and unmaintained, the snow can get deep and icy, there are drop-offs near the summit and the outhouses are closed. Take the guided tour or ski Larch Hills instead.

6. Peachland (West shore of Okanagan Lake)

Hardy Falls Regional Park is at the south end of Peachland. It’s a small park where Deep Creek drops over a waterfall. The trail is about 0.8 km return with roughly 20 m of gain. It crosses several bridges on the way to the falls. Kokanee spawn here in September. In winter the falls may freeze, which makes it a different walk from the one most people know.

The trail is described as fully accessible for strollers and wheelchairs, which makes it one of the easier winter outings on this list for families. The trailhead is at the end of Hardy Street off Highway 97, with washrooms and picnic tables. No fee is listed on official pages.

Back in town, the Peachland Museum at 5890 Beach Ave is in an 8-sided Baptist church built mostly by volunteers in 1910. The building was declared a BC heritage site in 1981. A model of the Kettle Valley Railway runs around the upper floor, which gives you a second train fix if you’re also doing Summerland.

Winter hours are the catch. The historical society’s site says the winter schedule runs September 1 to June 1, open 1 to 6 p.m. most days, with train-running sessions 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays. The visitor centre page says Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Local tip: pair a short frozen-falls walk with the museum, and call 250-767-3441 first to see which hours are current.

5. Lake Country (Between Kelowna and Vernon)

Lake Country holds Wineries for the Holidays along the Scenic Sip Wine Trail on Saturday, November 21, 2026. It’s a one-day event where member wineries host festive tastings, food pairings, artisan markets and Santa photos. Most wineries are open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Prices vary by winery. Intrigue Wines, for example, runs 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at $10 per person, with $5 of that going to the Lake Country Food Bank. A portion of the proceeds goes to the Lake Country Food Bank.

That Saturday is also the second day of Naramata Bench Winterfest. If you want both, one option is Naramata on the Friday evening and Lake Country on the Saturday. Either way, sort out who’s driving before the first tasting.

Sixteen kilometres of the roughly 50 km Okanagan Rail Trail run through the District of Lake Country. The trail follows Kalamalka and Wood lakes and passes under a historic trestle. The 20 km Wood Lake Loop combines the rail trail with the Pelmewash Parkway multi-use path. Access points include Oyama Road and Bealey Park.

Tourism Kelowna says the rail trail is open year-round for walking and fat biking, though snow and ice may be present. Go prepared, and check trail conditions first, because there may be detours or closures between Kelowna and Lake Country.

4. Oliver (South Okanagan)

Oliver is the closest town to Baldy Mountain Resort, which calls itself BC’s most affordable resort. The resort puts the drive at about 45 minutes from Oliver. The access road is partly paved and partly dirt, and Baldy strongly recommends winter tires in winter. Head northeast on Fairview Rd, which becomes Park Dr, then turn right on McKinney Rd and follow it for about 30 minutes. Full directions are on Baldy’s site.

Baldy hasn’t posted a 2026/27 opening day on its official site. OnTheSnow projects November 28, 2026, but treat that as an estimate.

Back in the valley, Oliver Osoyoos wineries hold Winter in Wine Country over two late-fall weekends, with light-ups, workshops and festive tastings. Moon Curser Vineyards lists November 28 and 29 and December 5 and 6 for 2026. The organizer’s page now lists the 2026 weekends as November 27 to 29 and December 4 to 6, with some wineries (including Tinhorn Creek, Silver Sage and Culmina) running events on the Fridays, so check it for the full lineup. Costs vary by winery.

District Wine Village has reopened its free synthetic-ice skating rink in its central plaza for 2026. Skating is free Friday to Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., and skate rentals are $5. Local tip: ski Baldy in the morning and tour wineries in the afternoon. Oliver Osoyoos Wine Country suggests that split for winter visits.

3. Osoyoos (South Okanagan)

The Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre is run by the Osoyoos Indian Band. It shares Syilx Okanagan culture and desert ecology through exhibits, desert trails and storytelling. The visit is self-guided, and the centre suggests allowing 1.5 to 2 hours. It’s open Thursday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed Monday to Wednesday. The centre’s rates page also says 7 days a week, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., so hours may change seasonally; call ahead to confirm. Admission is $19 for adults, $17 for seniors and students, $14 for children under 18 and $43 for a family.

In town, the family-run Osoyoos Desert Model Railroad has been open since 2003. It runs year-round, Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and it’s closed Sundays. The railroad’s admissions page lists $7.50 for adults and $4.50 for kids aged 2 to 12, tax included, but the page looks old, so confirm before you go. Check the railroad’s ‘Find Us’ page for the address.

Destination Osoyoos describes the town’s winter as mild and dry, with average annual snowfall of only 5.4 cm. It also says local wineries stay open all winter, which sets Osoyoos apart from the Naramata Bench and the Similkameen. The 2026 Christmas Lite-Up date isn’t confirmed on an official page yet.

Baldy is about an hour away. Take Hwy 3 East for about 38 km, then turn onto Canyon Rd and Mount Baldy Rd. Local tip: Nk’Mip is closed Monday to Wednesday and the model railroad is closed Sundays, so a Thursday, Friday or Saturday lets you do both.

2. Naramata (Naramata Bench)

Naramata Bench Winterfest is organized by Chain Reaction Winery. More than 30 wineries, cideries and distilleries take part in 2026, with tastings, seasonal pairings and holiday shopping under Christmas lights. It runs Friday, November 20, 2026, from 3 to 7 p.m. and Saturday, November 21, from noon to 7 p.m. Some wineries keep different hours.

You don’t need tickets or reservations unless a venue says so. Many tastings are complimentary and some pairings are paid. Look for chocolate and sparkling wine pairings, for example, and check the Winterfest site for prices. Four Shadows Vineyard offers a complimentary tasting with a cash or food bank donation.

The timing matters more than it looks. Several Bench tasting rooms close for the season after Winterfest. Nichol Vineyard says its tasting room is closed but will open for Winterfest. If you want to taste widely on the Bench, this is the weekend to do it.

For a walk, the Kettle Valley Railway trail above the village is part of the Trans Canada Trail. The stretch from Smethurst Road to the Little Tunnel is 8.8 km out-and-back on a gentle railway grade, with views over vineyards and Okanagan Lake. The tunnel sits at about 900 m, so this section usually gets more snow and keeps it longer than the valley floor. Snow is possible from November to March. Go prepared with traction aids and warm layers. Take Naramata Road north from Penticton, turn onto Smethurst Road and park at the KVR lot.

1. Summerland (Okanagan Lake)

Summerland’s big winter draw is the Kettle Valley Steam Railway’s Christmas Express. It’s a one-hour evening ride behind the 3716, a steam locomotive built in 1912. Expect Christmas lights and live music, and Santa may stop by. The train runs on the only remaining section of the original Kettle Valley Railway, which was built between 1910 and 1915. It leaves Prairie Valley station and heads toward the Trout Creek trestle.

Departures in December 2026 are at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. The railway’s page lists December 3 to 6, 10 to 13, 17 to 20, and 21 and 22. Fares are $37 for adults, $34 for seniors, $32 for youth and $26 for children, plus 5% GST and a booking fee. Infants on a lap ride free. The railway calls this its most popular seasonal ride and says booking ahead is essential. Tickets are non-refundable, though you can rebook up to 48 hours ahead if there’s space.

The town starts the season with its Festival of Lights downtown on Friday, November 27, 2026. It runs 5 to 9 p.m., with the light-up at 7 p.m. and fireworks at 8:30 p.m. It’s a downtown street festival.

Between events, the Summerland Ornamental Gardens at 4200 Highway 97 are open year-round. They sit on the grounds of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research station and look out over Okanagan Lake and the Trout Creek trestle. Entry is free, with a $5 per person suggested donation. Most garden activity runs March to November, so a winter visit is mostly about the walk and the view. Local tip: bring a non-perishable item to the train, because every Christmas Express run has a Summerland Food Bank donation box.

How far to the ski hills (official resort figures)

From	To	Distance	Drive time
Penticton	Apex Mountain Resort	33 km	about 40 min
Vancouver	Apex Mountain Resort	405 km	about 4.5 h
Oliver	Baldy Mountain Resort	not stated	about 45 min
Osoyoos	Baldy Mountain Resort	about 38 km on Hwy 3, then Canyon Rd/Mount Baldy Rd	about 1 h

When to go

Most of the action falls between November 20 and the first week of December. Each town’s section above lists the 2026 dates that have been posted. If you want the widest range of wine tastings, aim for Winterfest weekend on the Naramata Bench or the Winter in Wine Country weekends around Oliver and Osoyoos. Many tasting rooms elsewhere close or move to appointments after that.

For skiing, 2026/27 opening days aren’t posted yet at Apex or Baldy. OnTheSnow projects Baldy for November 28 and Apex for December 12, 2026, but those are estimates. If snow on the ground isn’t the point, Osoyoos has a mild, dry winter, with average annual snowfall of only 5.4 cm, according to Destination Osoyoos.

Getting there and the ski hills

• Apex Mountain Resort is 33 km from Penticton. Apex puts it at about 405 km, roughly 4.5 hours, from Vancouver.
• Coming from the Coast via Hope and Princeton, Apex recommends going through Keremeos and up Highway 3A, not the Hedley-Nickelplate road.
• Double Diamond Tours runs an Apex shuttle on weekends and holidays only, with an 8:30 a.m. pickup at 150 Fairview Place in Penticton (book ahead; at least 4 passengers are needed for it to run). The dates posted are for last season, so confirm on the Apex site that it’s running this season.
• Baldy Mountain Resort is about 45 minutes from Oliver and about an hour from Osoyoos.
• Official drive times from Vancouver to the individual towns aren’t published, so map your own route and check road conditions before you leave.

What to bring

• Traction aids and warm layers for the Little Tunnel stretch of the KVR above Naramata, which sits at about 900 m and holds snow longer than the valley.
• Warm clothes for evening events like the Christmas Express and the Summerland and Keremeos light-ups.
• Cash or a cheque for the Larch Hills honour-system drop box at the trail entrance.
• A non-perishable item for the Summerland Food Bank box on the Christmas Express.
• A plan for who’s driving on tasting days.

Etiquette and safety

• Check winery hours before you drive. Many Naramata and Similkameen tasting rooms close or switch to appointments in winter.
• Book the Christmas Express early. Tickets are non-refundable, so check the railway’s rebooking terms before you buy.
• Check the Okanagan Rail Trail for detours or closures between Kelowna and Lake Country.
• Leave the Enderby Cliffs trail to guided winter tours. It’s unmaintained in winter, with deep snow, ice and drop-offs near the summit.
• Pay your Larch Hills day fee. The honour system only works if people use it.

Giving back while you visit

• Christmas Express, Summerland: every run has a Summerland Food Bank donation box.
• Wineries for the Holidays, Lake Country: part of the proceeds goes to the Lake Country Food Bank.
• Winterfest, Naramata: at least one participating winery (La Frenz, for example) offers a complimentary tasting with a cash or non-perishable food donation (check the Winterfest site for which ones).

Winter hours and admission at a glance

Place	Town	Winter days and hours	Admission
Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre	Osoyoos	Thu to Sun, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; closed Mon to Wed	Adult $19, seniors and students $17, under 18 $14, family $43
Osoyoos Desert Model Railroad	Osoyoos	Mon to Sat, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Sun	Not verified
Peachland Museum	Peachland	Published hours conflict; call 250-767-3441	Not verified
Summerland Ornamental Gardens	Summerland	Year-round	Free, $5 suggested donation
Okanagan Rail Trail	Lake Country	Year-round; snow and ice possible	No fee found
Larch Hills Nordic	Near Enderby	Ski season, snow-dependent	Honour-system day fee

The Okanagan in winter is a different trip from the summer one. It’s shorter days and lit-up main streets, with a steam train, a frozen waterfall and a desert centre to fill them. The dates cluster in late November and early December, and a few of them aren’t confirmed yet. Check the official pages linked above before you book anything. Then pick a town or two and give yourself time to slow down.

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Photo credits

• Kettle Valley Steam Railway (29718772043).jpg by Mack Male from Edmonton, AB, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Peachland, British Columbia.jpg by erwlas, CC BY 2.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Vineyards in Naramata, BC.jpg by Andrew Rusk, CC BY 2.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Oliver – panoramio.jpg by Jack Borno, CC BY-SA 3.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Nk’Mip DCC 1.jpg by Architectsea, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Keremeos PinCushion drive i4593.JPG by Ferdilouw, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Rail Trail along Wood Lake – Lake Country – BC – Canada – 03 (49189085933).jpg by Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada, CC BY 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Enderby Cliff Panoramic.jpg by LPeezy, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.