The best camping near Fintry Provincial Park

This wooded provincial park has nearly two kilometres (1.2 miles) of waterfront on Okanagan Lake, making it a good spot for canoeing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, and swimming. Fintry’s family-friendly campgrounds have 158 vehicle-accessible campsites for both tents and RVs, with a playground, picnic tables, flush toilets, showers, and two sani-stations. Some sites are more forested, while others are sunnier, but all are within a short walk of the lakeshore.

• Best for forest-loving families: Fintry sites 1-50
• Best for campers with dogs: Fintry sites 51-82
• Best for sun worshippers: Fintry sites 111-160 don’t get much shade and can get quite hot.

1. Book campsites online at BC Parks Discover Camping, where reservations normally open four months in advance. Reservations are highly recommended between mid-May and Labour Day in early September.
2. In spring and fall, all sites are first-come, first-served and easier to get, particularly between Sunday and Thursday. Sites 111-160 are first-come, first-served only until late June and again after Labour Day.
3. If you don’t have a reservation, arrive before noon, since sites can become available as campers leave by the 11am checkout time.

Camping season runs from April through mid-October, and the park is busiest from late June through early September during the summer holidays. With generally mild and sunny weather, spring and fall are good alternatives, particularly because summers can be hot. The park normally closes for the season after the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, and the gates are locked through winter. As long as it isn’t too snowy, you can walk in during winter.

• There are limited services around Fintry Provincial Park, so stock up on whatever you need in Kelowna or Vernon.
• Fintry is on the northwest side of Okanagan Lake, while Kelowna and much of the region’s commercial development are east of the lake. You can cross the lake at Highway 97, which leads to downtown Kelowna. Otherwise, follow Westside Road north to the top of the lake.
• The land that is now Fintry Provincial Park was once a private estate, and in summer you can tour the Fintry Estate Manor House and its unusual octagonal dairy barn.
• If you’d like to combine camping with wine-tasting, head south to West Kelowna. For more wineries, continue south to Peachland and Summerland, or cross to the lake at Kelowna to reach the east side.