Image of Riverside Park at sunset

Although Kamloops is a small city, there are tons of fun things to do on the weekend and in your free time. As a student, it’s important to take time for activities that you enjoy, outside of studying, which can help to relieve the week’s stress. Kamloops has a bit of everything! For instance, there are places with breathtaking views, those perfect for relaxing, and places to hang out with friends. In this blog, I will show you some of my favourite spots in Kamloops!

Sun Peaks Resort

Sun Peaks Resort is one of my absolute favourite places to go on a long weekend. It is located on Alpine Road which is only 45 minutes away from Kamloops. Sun Peaks has something to see during all seasons and weather conditions. It looks beautiful during the fall with the changing leaves, is covered in snow in winter, and is abloom with wildflowers during spring and summer. Sun Peaks Resort is the second largest ski area in Canada. If you are interested in golf, mountain biking, skiing, or snowboarding then you should visit Sun Peaks. There are many fun things to do in this spot – I usually go for a walk and take pictures of the scenery and nature.

Image of Mayam posing outside of Sun 
 Peaks Resort in the spring.

Riverside Park

We all need time for ourselves or a place to socialize with our friends. Riverside Park is located along the Thompson River, and it is a perfect place to hang out with friends and have a picnic as it has tables with a beautiful view of the river. The park also offers a free waterpark (during the summer months) and playgrounds for kids.

Downtown Kamloops

Downtown Kamloops offers many important facilities such as cafés, bookstores, restaurants, and local shops. If you are looking for something specific, I’m sure that you will find it downtown because there are nearly 100 retail stores. You can go downtown by public transit using the bus which takes about 10 minutes from TRU’s campus. If you’re not looking to shop, you can still grab a coffee or a drink from a café and head to the Kamloops Library or the Kamloops Art Gallery. I love to have my breakfast and a warm coffee at Hello Toast, a local breakfast and lunch restaurant. From there, I will then head to the Kamloops Library to work on my assignments. Within the same building as the library is the Kamloops Art Gallery. The gallery is modest in size and has many cool exhibits that will educate and inspire. To add on that, make sure you check out the gift store at the Art Gallery. 

Photo of a book launch event at the Art We Are coffee shop.
A book launch event at The Art We Are coffee shop downtown.

Kamloops is a city with four very distinctive seasons, and many beautiful places to visit and explore throughout the whole year. These are just some of my favourite places in Kamloops. I hope you’re able to visit these places yourself and take lots of pictures!


Future Student Ambassador, Maryam – Bachelor of Arts. “Favourite Spots in Kamloops”, 8 Nov. 2022

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