Kamloops

Kamloops is a city of 98,000 people (2021, 114,000 in the metro area) in the central interior of British Columbia. It is billed as the Tournament Capital of Canada. It has hosted Strauss Canada Cup of Curling, Skate Canada, World Fly Fishing Championships, Tim Horton's Olympic Qualifying Bike Race, and World Junior Hockey Championships.

Understand
"Kamloops" is the anglicised version of the Shuswap word "Tk'əmlúps", meaning "meeting of the waters"; it is where the North Thompson and South Thompson rivers join to form the Thompson. Shuswap is still spoken in the area by members of the Tk'emlúps Indian Band. Kamloops is also where rail and road routes across the Rockies meet; the Trans-Canada Highway and CPR rail route come from Calgary via Banff while one branch of the Yellowhead Highway and the former CNR route come from Edmonton via Jasper.

Industries in the Kamloops area include ranching, some forestry, and a copper mine (in Logan Lake). Royal Inland Hospital is the city's largest employer. Thompson Rivers University serves a student body of over 25,000 including a diverse international contingent mainly from Asian countries.



History
In 1811 David Stuart, sent out from Fort Astoria, a Pacific Fur Company post, spent a winter there with the Secwepemc people. Alexander Ross established a post there in May 1812 - "Fort Cumcloups". See fur trade for background information.

The gold rush of the 1860s and the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, which reached Kamloops from the West in 1883, brought further growth, resulting in the City of Kamloops being incorporated in 1893 with a population of about 500. The logging industry of the 1970s brought many Indo-Canadians into the Kamloops area, mostly from the Punjab region of India. In 1973, Kamloops annexed Barnhartvale and other nearby communities.

Climate
The January mean temperature is −2.8 °C (27 °F). That average sharply increases with an average maximum temperature of 4.3 °C (40 °F) in February. The temperatures drop below −10 °C (14 °F) about 20 days per year.

Summers are warmer than in many places at lower latitudes, with prevailing dry and sunny weather. Daytime humidity is generally under 40% in the summer, sometimes dropping below 20% after a dry spell, which allows for substantial nighttime cooling. Occasional summer thunderstorms can create dry-lightning conditions, sometimes igniting forest fires which the area is prone to.

Kamloops lies in the rain shadow leeward of the Coast Mountains and is biogeographically connected to similar semi-desert areas in the Okanagan region, and a much larger area covering the central/eastern portions of Washington, Oregon and intermontane areas of Nevada, Utah and Idaho in the US.

By train
Train stations at the north end of Kamloops. While there is an old train station in downtown Kamloops, it is now a steakhouse and no longer serves passenger trains. The Rocky Mountaineer train passes through here on its way to and from Banff and Lake Louise, but does not stop.





By car
Both major highways in western Canada pass through Kamloops. Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) comes from Vancouver, passes through the Fraser Valley to Hope, then up the Fraser Canyon to Lytton, and through Cache Creek to Kamloops. East of Kamloops it goes through Salmon Arm, Revelstoke, the Rogers Pass and Golden in BC, then on to Banff and Calgary in Alberta.

Highway 5 (South Yellowhead Highway) leads to Kamloops from Jasper and Edmonton. This road is a branch; the main Yellowhead Highway (#16) runs east-west from Prince Rupert through Edmonton to Portage la Prairie. Highway 5 is not part of the signed Trans-Canada Highway system.

Highway 5 (Coquihalla Highway portion of Yellowhead Highway) provides a much quicker route from Vancouver to Kamloops (4 hr by car). This freeway takes you through Hope and Merritt; it is considerably less scenic than the Trans-Canada route. The downside of the high-altitude road is that it can become dangerous in the winter as sudden weather changes may make the road icy, snow covered or impassible. Check the road conditions before you set out.

By bus

 * Daily between Kamloops and Vancouver with stops in Merritt, Hope, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, and Surrey. Travel time to Kamloops from Vancouver is 4.5-4.75 hours, from Abbotsford is 3.25 hours, and from Hope is 2 hours.
 * Daily between Kamloops and Kelowna with stops in Chase, Sorrento, Salmon Arm, Enderby, Armstrong, and Vernon. Travel time to Kamloops from Kelowna is 2.25-3.25 hours (some trips do not make all stops), from Vernon is 1.5-2.25 hours (some trips do not make all stops), and from Salmon Arm is 1 hour 20 minutes.
 * Between Kamloops and Prince George with stops in Savona, Cache Creek, Clinton, 70 Mile House, 100 Mile House, Lac La Hache, Williams Lake, Quesnel, and Hixon. Travel time to Kamloops from Cache Creek is 50 minutes, from 100 Mile House is 2.25 hours, from Williams Lake is 3.25 hours, from Quesnel is 5 hours, and from Prince George is 6.5 hours.
 * Between Kamloops and Prince George with stops in Savona, Cache Creek, Clinton, 70 Mile House, 100 Mile House, Lac La Hache, Williams Lake, Quesnel, and Hixon. Travel time to Kamloops from Cache Creek is 50 minutes, from 100 Mile House is 2.25 hours, from Williams Lake is 3.25 hours, from Quesnel is 5 hours, and from Prince George is 6.5 hours.

Inter-city buses stop at the Petro Canada truck stop:

See

 * Kamloops is also well-known for its public art including numerous pole carvings and murals.
 * Kamloops is also well-known for its public art including numerous pole carvings and murals.
 * Kamloops is also well-known for its public art including numerous pole carvings and murals.
 * Kamloops is also well-known for its public art including numerous pole carvings and murals.
 * Kamloops is also well-known for its public art including numerous pole carvings and murals.
 * Kamloops is also well-known for its public art including numerous pole carvings and murals.
 * Kamloops is also well-known for its public art including numerous pole carvings and murals.
 * Kamloops is also well-known for its public art including numerous pole carvings and murals.

Do

 * Climb -- While not as popular among the rock climbing crowd as Squamish or Penticton, there are several areas that offer climbing in the Kamloops area. Climbing information can be found in a free online guide available at CLIMBKamloops.ca.
 * Ski -- Sun Peaks is a 45-minute drive north of Kamloops along Highway 5.
 * Golf (approximately 11 18-hole courses, with "Tobiano" being the latest opened June 2007)
 * Mountain bike -- With the hilly and mountainous terrain that varies from wide open to thickly wooded, Kamloops is one of the more popular locations for mountain bike riding in western Canada.
 * Go fishing
 * Golf (approximately 11 18-hole courses, with "Tobiano" being the latest opened June 2007)
 * Mountain bike -- With the hilly and mountainous terrain that varies from wide open to thickly wooded, Kamloops is one of the more popular locations for mountain bike riding in western Canada.
 * Go fishing

Learn

 * Thompson River University 3.jpg

Sleep
There are a range of lower end and mid-range chain motels in Kamloops, particularly on Columbia St West (exit 369 if heading east on Hwy 1, Summit Dr exit 370 if heading west).

Go next

 * Vancouver is approximately 355 km (220 miles) to the south west via Hwy 5. There are trains, flights from the Kamloops airports, as well as two major highways connecting the two cities.
 * Sun Peaks - an alpine ski resort 50 km north of Kamloops.
 * Cariboo-Central Coast, BC's cowboy country and dude ranch region is a one-hour drive west of Kamloops