Things to Do
Lakeside Country Inn is the perfect place to getaway from it all or relax and recharge after a long day of travel. Bask in the warm sunshine. Immerse yourself in a good book. Sip a glass of wine on your balcony. Watch the soaring eagles and the falling stars. Bring your swimming suit for a refreshing swim, suntan on the wharf or bring your kayak and canoe.
Do the things you never seem to have time for, or do nothing at all — it’s all up to you.
Discover Kamloops Lake
A long and narrow lake, about a mile wide and eighteen miles long. Choose a sandy beach for sunning, swimming and exploring. Brukers Marina is only ten minutes from the Inn and rents everything from kayaks, pedal boats, and paddle boards to ski boats.
Walk along the lakeshore and collect driftwood and coloured rocks. You can find agates, apple-green common opal and various shades of jasper pebbles on the shore, carried down off Savona Mountain by Durand Creek.
Explore the shoreline and discover interesting driftwood, coloured rock formations, abandoned mine workings, hobo shacks, and keekwillie holes. From the lake, view the balancing rock as well as the stone masonry railway bridges (circa 1900) and seven railway tunnels. You might even spot some California Bighorn sheep roaming the northern hillsides. Spend the day on the lake and have a picnic lunch on a secluded sandy beach.
Fish for Kamloops trout, rainbow trout, Dolly Varden, and Kokanee.
Golf
The Kamloops area also offers the following diverse and challenging golf experiences to golfers of all abilities. These golf courses are 10 minutes to 50 minutes away from Lakeside Country Inn.
Tobiano Golf Course
Located ten minutes away, the Tobiano Golf Course has been challenging and captivating our guests. Set upon the rolling bluffs and ravine-cut canyons overlooking spectacular Kamlooops Lake, Tobiano was designed by Tom McBroom, Canada’s premier golf architect. Tobiano is a par 72, 18-hole championship resort course playing 7,328 yards from the pro tees. The enticing front nine, complete with arid clay bank dunes and benchlands, blends perfectly with the bluffs and sentinel hoodoos on the back nine. For more information and to book a tee off time you can call toll free at 1.877.373.2218 or visit Tobiano Golf.
Mt. Paul Golf Course
Mr. Paul Golf Course is located 3 minutes from downtown Kamloops. An executive nine-hole course (5 par 4s / 4 par 3s) that was designed to provide golfers of all ability levels with a relaxing yet challenging experience. The facilities include a covered driving range, large practice chipping area and practice putting green, a pro shop, and restaurant. Phone: (250) 374.4653.
Sun Rivers Golf Course
Sun Rivers Golf Course is located just north of Kamloops, off the Yellowhead Highway, about half an hour from Savona. This 18-hole Graham Cooke designed course is set amongst sage and rolling hills, the challenging layout is enhanced by sweeping views of the city. Phone: 1.866.571.7888.
Kamloops Golf & Country Club
It’s a walk in the park — serene and challenging. 18 hole championship, semi-private course and full facilities. Yardage lengths: red 5,678, white 6,383 and blue 6,682. Discuss your round over a cool drink and enjoy a light lunch or dinner at the club. Phone: (250) 376.3231.
The Dunes at Kamloops
The Dunes at Kamloops is an exciting Graham Cooke design that first opened in midsummer 1996. The championship layout has yardage ranging from 5,400 to 7,100 offering an enjoyable challenge for golfers of all abilities. The immaculately groomed 18-hole par 72 facility sits in a picturesque river valley location 15 minutes from downtown Kamloops. Complementing the course are a full-service food and beverage operation and a practice facility. Phone: 1.888.881.4653 or (250) 579.3300
Pineridge Golf Course
Pineridge Golf Course is about 10 minutes east of the Kamloops outskirts, just off the Trans Canada. Built in 1989, Pineridge offers a high quality game of golf at an affordable price. Pineridge boasts 18 challenging holes of golf, each having its own unique character. There are sculpted greens, strategically placed sand and water, elevated greens, uphill and downhill lies as well as spectacular views of the Thompson River valley. Pineridge takes advantage of its unique terrain to create a lush, rolling, green oasis in the desert. Full facilities. Phone: (250) 573.4333.
Eagle Point Golf Course
Eagle Point Golf and Country Club is in Barnhartvale, 15 minutes east of Kamloops. Nestled amongst a ponderosa pine forest, this championship public golf course offers a spacious and picturesque layout with magnificent scenery from tee to green. The 18 hole par 72, that opened its doors for play in 1991, can be played from 4 yardage lengths: red 5,319, white 6,006, gold 6,349 and blue 6,762. Complete facilities. Phone: 1.888.863.2453 or (250) 573.2453.
Rivershore Estates & Golf Links
Rivershore Estates & Golf Links is one of only 3 courses in all of Canada to be designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones Sr. Located 15 minutes east of Kamloops outskirts, this award winning championship golf course has hosted numerous amateur and professional provincial and national; men’s and ladies’ golf championships. Rivershore has received a four star and outstanding rating from Golf Digest and is known for its design variety, conditioning and ability to provide a memorable golf experience for players of all abilities. Phone: (250) 573.4622.
Day Trips and Hikes
Discover the Deadman Valley, one of the least commercialized of British Columbia’s many beauty spots. You will drive through a lush green valley of alfalfa, and see hoodoos, caves, volcanic lava cliffs, giant sand castles, and rock bluffs. Travel past a chain of seven lakes to see the spectacular Deadman Falls which fall into a narrow canyon 280 feet deep. The Deadman Valley is a fascinating study of contrasts.
Hike in the hills to the south for a great view of Savona and study our semi-arid vegetation. Cacti bloom in colours from white to yellow and light apricot. When the sage is in bloom, its scent fills the air.
Hike to the Savona Balancing Rock, a hike that begins a ten minute drive away from Lakeside Country Inn. The Balancing Rock, weighing many tons, stands as a sentinel by the lake, balanced on a clay hoodoo base. Be sure to take your camera. There are lots of other hiking options nearby. Check with us for a guidebook or more information.
Bike down the street on our classic cruisers to the Savona Lakeshore Park or the local antique store, Kelly’s Caboose.
Pack a picnic lunch and go exploring! We’re happy to lend you great guidebooks that will make sure you don’t miss any interesting stops. Geocaching is an outdoor adventure that combines back roads exploring, history and a modern day treasure hunt. Take a look at Explore Gold Country where you can download a Field Guide to preview the adventures that await you. These Field Guides are also available during your visit and provide a wealth of information about the area for anyone who loves exploring.
Historic Excursions
Experience the history of Gold Country and visit Historic Hat Creek Ranch, only half an hour away. Hat Creek House, on the original Cariboo Wagon Road, was established in 1861 and is the last remaining roadhouse of its type. Tour their guest rooms, visit the Blacksmith Shop and make a square-headed nail, or take a wagon ride down the original Wagon Road. Pan for gold at the miner’s camp, explore the Indigenous Site or enjoy lunch outdoors on their licensed patio.
Learn about the early pioneers, the Indigenous people and the Chinese community when you visit the Ashcroft Museum, located about 35 minutes from the Inn and only 10 minutes away from Hat Creek Ranch. Considered one of the best village museums in British Columbia, the museum is located in the historic brick “Dominion” building, built in 1917.
Visit the Secwepemc Museum and Native Heritage Park in Kamloops. Learn about the rich cultural history of the Shuswap Nation. Visit the displays on hunting, fishing and cooking as well as the replica of a traditional winter village, complete with pit houses. (The museum is temporarily closed during covid).
Bird Watching
The Kamloops area attracts an abundance of birds because of its moderate climate and diverse habitats. Different birds are attracted to our lakes, rivers, marshes, grassland and forests.
Eagles soar over the lake and then rest in the tall trees at the beach year round. Every year we look forward to the robin’s return in March, the sandhill cranes migration in late April, the cry of the loons on the lake on a summer evening and the trumpeter swan’s return in the fall.
While we enjoy 30 – 50 native birds, spring is an especially exciting time for bird watchers as the area attracts many migrant birds. Birds will nest and raise their young here and then winter in South America or Mexico.
Birdwatching sites nearby include the Tranquile Wildlife Managment Area near the Kamloops airport, the Lac du Bois Grasslands, the Kenna Cartwright Trail and Six Mile Lake.
Rick Howie, a local biologist has written a very comprehensive guide to the bird species seen in the Kamloops area. The guide is available to our guests during your visit.