Keremeos

Keremeos is a village of about 1,500 people (2016) in the Similkameen region of British Columbia. Fruit stands are also a major component of the local economy, making it the self-titled "fruit stand capital of Canada." All sorts of soft fruits, apples, cherries, peaches, and vegetables are grown in the South Similkameen's dry warm climate, and vineyards and wineries are quickly being added as the valley's wine-growing potential is being recognized.

Understand

Keremeos is on the western boundary of Canada’s Sonoran Desert and is the western gateway to interior wine country. According to local legend, Keremeos means "the meeting of the winds".

Nearly one-third of its area is occupied by orchards. The economy of the area has been based on agriculture since the first European settlers arrived in the mid-19th century. Abundant sunshine and a vast, replenishing aquifer make the lower Similkameen Valley one of Canada's most productive farmlands.

Keremeos' main industries are horticulture, agriculture, ranching, and wine making, among others.

History

With K Mountain as a backdrop, Keremeos is a community whose "Wild West" looks date back to 1909 when the postmaster of the now-abandoned community of Upper Keremeos, Mr. George Kirby, purchased land alongside the Similkameen River in anticipation of the V.V. & E. Railway passing through the area. Eventually the Great Northern Railway from the US built a branch line up to Hedley and other businesses soon followed. Keremeos was incorporated in 1956.

Climate

Keremeos has a semi-arid climate with cool but short winters and hot, dry summers.

The area has a mild, dry climate with temperatures in the 30-32 °C range in the summer and 1-7 °C in the winter. More than 2600 annual hours of sunshine, annual rainfall is 268mm, and annual snowfall is 50 cm. Elevation is 416m. Frost free period averages 181 days with last freeze occurring around April 18th, first freeze around October 17th.

Get in

By car
  • The Village of Keremeos is in the south-west corner of British Columbia 340 km east of the Greater Vancouver metropolitan area. Access to Keremeos is via Highway 3 from the Fraser Valley, Highway 5A from the Thompson Valley and via Highways 3 and 3A from the Okanagan Valley.

By bus

Get around

By public transit

See

The landscape surrounding Keremeos is semi-arid and contains hundreds of plant and animal species found only in this region. Steep, rocky mountain sides and long slides of fine material give the Keremeos area a look found nowhere else in British Columbia. Californian Big Horn Sheep and Mountain Goats can be seen frequently on mountainsides.

  • 🌍 Red Bridge (Ashnola Bridge), Ashnola River Road. A distinctive looking red bridge that crosses the Similkameen River. (updated Apr 2023)
  • 🌍 The Grist Mill and Gardens, 2691 Upper Bench Rd, ☏ +1 250-499-2888. The site has a grist mill built in 1877 to convert grain to flour. There are also gardens on site. (updated Apr 2023)
  • 🌍 Spotted Lake. A saline alkali lake full of minerals. Most of the water in the lake evaporates over the summer, revealing colorful mineral deposits. (updated Apr 2023)

Nearby

Hedley is about 30 km west of Keremeos along Highway 3.

  • 🌍 Hedley Museum, 712 Daly Ave, Hedley, ☏ +1 250-292-8787. F-M 10AM-4PM. Includes a Miner's Lounge with historical photographs and documents. (updated May 2023)

Do
  • 🌍 Cathedral Provincial Park (via Highway 3: 3 km west of Keremeos, the Ashnola Road leaves the highway and crosses a red covered bridge, 10 km further the pavement ends and the Ashnola Forest Service Road begins and follows the Ashnola River into the park -- this road extends 48 km upstream to the south end of the Ashnola Valley). An expanse of jagged mountain peaks, lakes and alpine meadows that is definitely for the adventurous. Cathedral Park offers fishing, camping, wilderness camping, hiking, and mountaineering. There are three well-defined hiking trails into the park. Hikers will require at least a full day to hike one-way into the core area. (updated May 2018)
  • 🌍 Keremeos Columns Provincial Park. Imagine the similar type of hexagonal rock column formations as Northern Ireland's Giant's Causeway, but in an inland forest setting. The Keremeos column are oriented vertically and form a cliff on the side of a hill. The columns are not in Keremeos Columns Provincial Park, but there are view points in the park to see the columns. Public access on to the rock formation itself is not permitted. A three hour hike each way is required to reach the view point. The park can only be reached by hiking and park's website does not explain how to get to it, but there are third-party websites with trail maps, such as on the map tab of this hiking website. (updated Apr 2023)

Nearby

Hedley is about 30 km west of Keremeos along Highway 3.

Buy

The most common thing to buy in Keremeos during the summer and early fall is fruit at the various fruits stands on Highway 3 at the western end of Keremeos, featuring fruit from the local area. Examples of fruit include apples, grapes, nectarines, and peaches. Any of the fruit stands will also sell pure apple juice and other fruit juices, which taste different than concentrated juices normally found in grocery stores. If you're heading from Vancouver, these will be the first fruit stands that you encounter. There are more of these fruit stands around Oliver and Osoyoos.

  • 🌍 Parsons Farm Market, 110 7th Ave (Highway 3), ☏ +1 250-499-2312. (updated May 2023)
  • 🌍 Mom & Pop's, 230 7th Ave (Highway 3), ☏ +1 250-499-2986. Bistro and farm market. Like generations of Okanagan farmers, the eponymous mom and pop have been growing, picking and selling fruit and vegetables while raising three children since they moved from the Punjab in 1987. (updated May 2018)

Eat
  • 🌍 Benja Thai Restaurant, 516 7th Avenue (Highway 3), ☏ +1 250-499-2561. W-M 11AM-3PM, 4:30PM-8:30PM. Thai food made by a family who immigrated from Thailand. Vegetarian friendly. (updated May 2023)

Drink
  • 🌍 Blackbird Tavern, 629 7th Ave (Highway 3), ☏ +1 250-499-0940. Good pub food. (updated May 2023)

Sleep

Go next

Cathedral Provincial Park, southwest of town, has excellent hiking and wonderful views.

Routes through Keremeos
Hope ← Princeton ←  W  E  → Cawston → Osoyoos
END ← Penticton ←   N  S  → ENDS at


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