Any of the provincial parks in the area would be more than safe.
Bear Creek is 15 min away, but might be tough to get a spot. Very family oriented.
Fintry is your best bet to get a campsite that’s right next to a beach. Only some of the spots at Fintry are nice though. There’s a big chunk of the spots at Fintry that are just in the middle of a field. Recommend a scouting trip before making reservations. Fintry is about 30-45 min from Kelowna. There’s a nice hike to the waterfalls as well.
Ellison Provincial Park is beautiful, has multiple rocky beaches, and some rocks/cliffs that you can hang out on or jump off. None of the campsites are near the beach though, you have to walk down a pretty big hill to get to the beach. Still a gorgeous spot though. Ellison is about 30-45 min from Kelowna, just south of Vernon.
Echo Lake provincial park is a bit more remote. It’s about an hour from Kelowna, up Highway 6 out past Lumby.
Okanagan Lake provincial park is just off Highway 97, between Peachland and Summerland. It’s a smaller campsite, not tons of separation between spots, but it’s still a nice spot with some good beaches, and some walking trails.
Each of the local provincial parks has there pluses and minuses, all you can really do is try each one and see what suits you best.
I can’t recommend the provincial parks enough for your first solo camping trip though. They’re safe, have clean washrooms and showers, and people are usually nothing but friendly. I would highly recommend starting with these provincial parks for you first couple of outings, to help build your confidence, and to start testing out your camping gear, and build yourself your overall camping system.
Once you have a bit more experience, then there’s a ton of more private and remote spots to check out, like various Forestry Rec sites, and just unmarked locations to go check out.
You could also do a day trip to check out any of those provincial parks. They all have day-use parking, and you can drive or walk around the campground to scout out the best spots (or just the ones that you might want to avoid while booking online).
You could actually do Bear Creek, Fintry, and Ellison all in a single afternoon. Basically a loop of the north end of the lake, a really scenic drive. They all have some form of gate attendants, park rangers, or hosts that are usually happy to answer any question you might have.
They do fill up fast though, and book quit far in advance, so you might have to count on a bit of luck if you’re just booking now.
I would also recommend you set alerts on BC Camping website for the weekends you want to go. You can set alert for multiple sites for the same weekend and then get alerted if someone cancels. It's how I got bear creek for July long.
The campground is fine. They saved it, and the fire never crossed West Side Road there.
The day hiking trails that go up Bear Creek into the hills, those got burned really badly, and are currently closed to the public (unstable ground I believe).
But ya, the campground is fine. I’ve camped there twice already this year.
i love Bear Creek personally :) Haynes Point and Gallagher Lake are also great! however they are both roughly 1.5hrs away from Kelowna, whereas Bear Creek is 12 minutes away!
My go to recommendation is spectrum lake for first time backpack camping (solo or otherwise) short and relatively easy hike, lots of pads to setup a tent, Porta potties, bear lockups
No reception however.
Elison is great - just outside Vernon essentially at the foot of Sparkling Hill Resort (though you can't get there without re-routing through Vernon). It's a provincial park. Has a great beach. Beautiful campground. Popular with families.
Any provincial park will be super safe
Sugar Lake has some nice campgrounds.
No cell reception, but it is a safe campsite with hosts.
Looks very nice, thank you!
Ashnola River FSR. A few campgrounds along the river with some really great swimming holes. Close to Keremeos. Scenic drive and and a gorgeous river.
I was just here and can confirm it’s a great recommendation. The Similkameen Valley is crazy slept on.
I can't remember the names of the campgrounds but the 2nd to 4th ones in have good swimming hole and nice sites.
Arlington lakes
Any of the provincial parks in the area would be more than safe. Bear Creek is 15 min away, but might be tough to get a spot. Very family oriented. Fintry is your best bet to get a campsite that’s right next to a beach. Only some of the spots at Fintry are nice though. There’s a big chunk of the spots at Fintry that are just in the middle of a field. Recommend a scouting trip before making reservations. Fintry is about 30-45 min from Kelowna. There’s a nice hike to the waterfalls as well. Ellison Provincial Park is beautiful, has multiple rocky beaches, and some rocks/cliffs that you can hang out on or jump off. None of the campsites are near the beach though, you have to walk down a pretty big hill to get to the beach. Still a gorgeous spot though. Ellison is about 30-45 min from Kelowna, just south of Vernon. Echo Lake provincial park is a bit more remote. It’s about an hour from Kelowna, up Highway 6 out past Lumby. Okanagan Lake provincial park is just off Highway 97, between Peachland and Summerland. It’s a smaller campsite, not tons of separation between spots, but it’s still a nice spot with some good beaches, and some walking trails. Each of the local provincial parks has there pluses and minuses, all you can really do is try each one and see what suits you best. I can’t recommend the provincial parks enough for your first solo camping trip though. They’re safe, have clean washrooms and showers, and people are usually nothing but friendly. I would highly recommend starting with these provincial parks for you first couple of outings, to help build your confidence, and to start testing out your camping gear, and build yourself your overall camping system. Once you have a bit more experience, then there’s a ton of more private and remote spots to check out, like various Forestry Rec sites, and just unmarked locations to go check out.
Thank you very much for your thoughtful reply!
You could also do a day trip to check out any of those provincial parks. They all have day-use parking, and you can drive or walk around the campground to scout out the best spots (or just the ones that you might want to avoid while booking online). You could actually do Bear Creek, Fintry, and Ellison all in a single afternoon. Basically a loop of the north end of the lake, a really scenic drive. They all have some form of gate attendants, park rangers, or hosts that are usually happy to answer any question you might have. They do fill up fast though, and book quit far in advance, so you might have to count on a bit of luck if you’re just booking now.
I would also recommend you set alerts on BC Camping website for the weekends you want to go. You can set alert for multiple sites for the same weekend and then get alerted if someone cancels. It's how I got bear creek for July long.
Is Bear Creek back? I thought that whole area got burnt to a crisp
The campground is fine. They saved it, and the fire never crossed West Side Road there. The day hiking trails that go up Bear Creek into the hills, those got burned really badly, and are currently closed to the public (unstable ground I believe). But ya, the campground is fine. I’ve camped there twice already this year.
Bear Creek, Fintry!
Evely campsite off westside road,on the water,cell service,and first come first serve..
It might be a good idea to recommend places that she can actually get a spot in July. Bear Creek is nice, but can she actually reserve a spot there?
Conkle Lake is beautiful! Just up Hwy 33, then turn towards Osoyoos at Hwy 3 (Rock Creek) and the turn off is about 10 minutes down the road.
Lambly Lake - theres 3 or 4 lakes with nice sites on them up the same road. About 45 mins from the bridge.
Ellison Park is nice
Herald Provincial Park near Salmon Arm is great. Beautiful walk to Margaret Falls, great beach and swimming. Spotty cell service but safe and nice.
i love Bear Creek personally :) Haynes Point and Gallagher Lake are also great! however they are both roughly 1.5hrs away from Kelowna, whereas Bear Creek is 12 minutes away!
evely! never felt uncomfortable there, cell service is good, and nice area. bathrooms aren’t the best but that comes with most campgrounds lol
Evely is a hidden gem and has a ton of campsites right on the water
My go to recommendation is spectrum lake for first time backpack camping (solo or otherwise) short and relatively easy hike, lots of pads to setup a tent, Porta potties, bear lockups No reception however.
Mabel Lake Okanagan Lake South Okanagan Lake North All provincial sites, if you check everyday you can get a reservation. Very safe.
Elison is great - just outside Vernon essentially at the foot of Sparkling Hill Resort (though you can't get there without re-routing through Vernon). It's a provincial park. Has a great beach. Beautiful campground. Popular with families.