Summer Fun at Sun Peaks

• Author: ClaireB
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Sun Peaks isn’t called Sun Peaks for nothing you know! Along with the surrounding region, including the city of Kamloops, this is one of the sunniest places in Canada, and like the rest of British Columbia it features beautiful mountain scenery and soft, powdery snow that provides some of the world’s best skiing conditions. Sun Peaks Resort may be best known as a ski resort, but I’m here to tell you that it’s also a fabulous place to visit in the summer too!

Often ski resorts are like ghost towns over the summer months – they shut down completely, leaving only the wildlife to enjoy the serenity, only to be woken up again once the snow starts to fall. Sun Peaks isn’t like this though because this resort is becoming increasingly popular in the summer too, and it’s gaining quite a name for itself in the world of mountain biking in particular.

What should a ski resort do with all its ski lifts in the summer? While most ski lifts sit idly swaying in the wind, some of the lifts here at Sun Peaks are put to good use, transporting mountain bikers up the mountain with their bikes so that they can enjoy the runs down, after all, who wants to walk back up the hill?! Sun Peaks Mountain Bike Park has over 2000 vertical feet of terrain and there are a massive 29 trails to choose from, so you can ride a different one every time. The mix of downhill and technical challenges has made Sun Peaks a very popular destination with mountain bikers and it’s hosted a number of championships in the last few years.

You don’t have to be a mountain biker to enjoy the mountains of Sun Peaks in the summer. Hikers can also make use of the lifts and get a ride up the mountain then hike around for hours enjoying the beautiful wildflowers and wildlife, and the distant mountain views. There are 15 hiking trails altogether and they range in distance and difficulty. In total the trails cover nearly 30 kilometres with 4 beginner, 9 intermediate, and 2 advanced difficulties.

The mountain isn’t all you can enjoy at Sun Peaks; there’s also an excellent golf course that sits in the valley between the resort’s three mountains. The Golf Course at Sun Peaks offers golfing at an elevation of 1,200 metres above sea level, and because the air is thinner you can watch your golf ball fly farther than ever before! It’s an 18-hole par 72 Graham Cooke golf course that’s suitable for many different levels of golfers, and of course it’s surrounded by breathtaking scenery.

I’ve had the privilege of hiking in these mountains and the experience really is something special! And after a day on the mountain or on the fairways you can come back to the village and enjoy a swim in the four season outdoor heated swimming pool!

Photo and article copyright Claire Bolgil. Claire is a freelance travel writer based in Beautiful BC. Find out more about her at www.clairebolgil.com