OKANAGAN VALLEY - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 393

Historic O'Keefe Ranch
Established in 1867, the O'Keefe Ranch (9380 Hwy. 97, 250/542-7868, 10am-5pm daily
mid-May-mid-Oct., until 6pm in July and Aug., adult $13.50, senior $12, child $8.50),
13 kilometers (eight miles) north of Vernon toward Kamloops on Highway 97, was one
of the Okanagan's first cattle ranches. Today you can tour the opulent, fully furnished
O'Keefe Mansion and other noteworthy outbuildings, including a furnished old log house
that was the O'Keefes' original home; a working blacksmith's shop; the still-in-use St.
Ann's Church, where services have been held since 1889; a fully stocked general store
where you can buy postcards and old-fashioned candy; and the Chinese cook's bunkhouse.
If you worked up an appetite in your explorations, visit the Cattlemen's Club Restaurant
(11am-3pm daily, 5pm-9pm Thurs.-Sun., $16-39).
Davison Orchards
Dozens of farms surround Vernon, but one in particular, Davison Orchards (3111 Davison
Rd., west of downtown off Bella Vista Rd., 250/549-3266, 8am-6pm Mon.-Sat. and
8am-5:30pm Sun. mid-May-Oct.) is worth a visit. Set on a sloping hill with views extending
across Kalamalka Lake and up the Coldstream Valley, this family-operated business is a
hive of tourist activity throughout the warmer months. A self-guided walk leads through a
garden where everything from cucumbers to cantaloupe is grown, a wagon tour traverses
the entire 20-hectare (50-acre) property, and there's a Critter Corral, a café with outside din-
ing, an ice cream stand, and, of course, a fruit and vegetable market.
Ellison Provincial Park
Follow Okanagan Landing Road (from 25th Ave. off Hwy. 97) west to access the northern
reaches of Okanagan Lake and this 200-hectare (494-acre) lakefront park, 16 kilometers (10
miles) from downtown. Most of the park is on a bench, with trails leading to and along the
rocky shore. Ellison is best known by divers as British Columbia's first freshwater marine
park. Enjoy shallow-water snorkeling and diving, weed beds full of life, underwater rock
formations, a plastic bubble “Dive Dome,” a deep-water wreck, and beach showers. Camp-
ing is $17.
MM Kalamalka Lake
If you've driven up to Vernon from Kelowna, this was the beautiful lake that Highway 97
paralleled for much of the way. It's known as a “marl” lake because as summer warms the
water, the limestone bedrock forms crystals that reflect the sunlight, creating a distinctive
aquamarine color that is all the more stunning with surrounding parched hills as a backdrop.