SOUTHWESTERN BRITISH COLUMBIA - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 351

The landscape east of Princeton is different from that to the west, but the change is most
pronounced east of Hedley—going from ragged, tree-covered mountains, through rolling
hills covered in sagebrush and lush, irrigated orchards around Keremeos, to desert (com-
plete with lizards, cactus, and rattlesnakes) around Osoyoos on the Canada-U.S. border.
Cathedral Provincial Park
Wilderness hikers and mountaineers should not miss the turnoff to this spectacular
33,272-hectare (82,200-acre) park just west of Keremeos. Access along the 21-kilometer
(13-mile) road leading into the park is restricted to guests of M Cathedral Lakes Lodge
(250/226-7560 or 888/255-4453, www.cathedrallakes.ca , June-Oct.) or those willing to
walk. For this reason, most park visitors stay at the lodge, which provides basic accom-
modations, meals, use of canoes, a recreation room and hot tub, and transportation to and
from the base camp. The minimum stay is a two-day package: original cabins and bungalow
rooms start at $460 per person, while rooms in the main lodge sell for $490. Rates include
all meals and the shuttle ride. The lodge also offers the option of a day trip Friday-Sunday
for adult $100, child $50, which covers the cost of the shuttle up the lodge from the high-
way.
About 60 kilometers (37 miles) of wilderness trails lead from the resort to a variety of
striking and enticingly named rock formations, including Stone City, Giant Cleft, Devil's
Woodpile, Macabre Tower, Grimface Mountain, Denture Ridge, and Smokey the Bear.
Wander through meadows waving with dainty alpine flowers, climb peaks for tremendous
views, fish for trout in sparkling turquoise lakes, and capture on film immense glacier-
topped mountains.
KEREMEOS
As you approach mountain-surrounded Keremeos from the west, the road is lined with
lush, irrigated orchards and fruit stands, one after another, which is probably what inspired
the town's claim to fame as the “Fruit Stand Capital of Canada.” Keremeos has one of
the longest growing seasons in the province. Try a taste-bud-tingling fruit-juice shake in
summer; recommended is the second-to-last stand as you head east out of town. Harvest
dates are mid-June-mid-July for cherries, mid-July-early August for apricots, mid-July-
early September for peaches, mid-August-mid-September for pears, early August-mid-
October for apples, early- to mid-September for plums, and early September-early October
for grapes.