Kelowna to Kamloops

[coffeeFreak]

Once you get to Vernon, you have the choice of staying on Hwy 97 to Salmon Arm, or going through Falkland.
It is a tossup depending on road conditions and traffic, which is faster.

The route through Falkland is the shortest 119km vs 175km via Salmon Arm (and is a lousy drive IMO).

[Gixxer]

Once you get to Vernon, you have the choice of staying on Hwy 97 to Salmon Arm, or going through Falkland.
It is a tossup depending on road conditions and traffic, which is faster.

Your joking right?

[Queen K]

I love the drive to Kamloops but travel via backroads in the Summer. Westside Rd to the turn off, left to Monte Lake, Barthartvale Rd to Kamloops if one has to avoid the hwy due to traffic accidents clogging up the hwy.

[Dizzy1]

5A is horrible anytime of the year.

Why do you say that? That road has little traffic, good pavement, and most importantly no traffic lights.

I enjoy driving 5A in the summer if I'm just going for a drive, but the stretch between Nicola and Quilchena is (was) quite bumpy which is very noticeable in a car with a sport suspesion. I haven't driven that way since 2010 so I'm not sure if that stretch has been fixed or not.

[gardengirl]

Once you get to Vernon, you have the choice of staying on Hwy 97 to Salmon Arm, or going through Falkland.
It is a tossup depending on road conditions and traffic, which is faster.

Your joking right?

I have done the drive both ways many many times, daytime, night time, summer or winter.
Again, it depends on the road conditions and traffic. The road through Falkland can be a nightmare if you hit a snowstorm.
On either road you can get stuck behind slow moving vehicles whether it is tourists or farm machinery.

[Gixxer]

Once you get to Vernon, you have the choice of staying on Hwy 97 to Salmon Arm, or going through Falkland.
It is a tossup depending on road conditions and traffic, which is faster.

Your joking right?

I have done the drive both ways many many times, daytime, night time, summer or winter.
Again, it depends on the road conditions and traffic. The road through Falkland can be a nightmare if you hit a snowstorm.
On either road you can get stuck behind slow moving vehicles whether it is tourists or farm machinery.

Going the Salmon Arm way would make. The trip at least an 1-1.5 hours longer

[Urbane]

Once you get to Vernon, you have the choice of staying on Hwy 97 to Salmon Arm, or going through Falkland.
It is a tossup depending on road conditions and traffic, which is faster.




Your joking right?



I have done the drive both ways many many times, daytime, night time, summer or winter.
Again, it depends on the road conditions and traffic. The road through Falkland can be a nightmare if you hit a snowstorm.
On either road you can get stuck behind slow moving vehicles whether it is tourists or farm machinery.



Going the Salmon Arm way would make. The trip at least an 1-1.5 hours longer

Using the driving times provided by the BC government it takes just under two hours (1:56) to travel from Kelowna to Kamloops via Vernon/Falkland/Westwold etc. and 2:36 going through Salmon Arm so it's nowhere near the 1.1.5 hours longer that you're suggesting Gixxer. We missed the turnoff one day and went through Salmon Arm and I was surprised how quickly we got home. Maybe half an hour longer. As gardengirl pointed out it really depends on the road conditions. If there is/has been heavy snow, for example, the Trans-Canada Hwy would normally be cleared much faster than would the route through Falkland and Westwold. Yes, if conditions are ideal it's definitely quicker through Falkland and Westwold (boring though) but nowhere near an hour or an hour and a half more.

[Gixxer]

Once you get to Vernon, you have the choice of staying on Hwy 97 to Salmon Arm, or going through Falkland.
It is a tossup depending on road conditions and traffic, which is faster.




Your joking right?



I have done the drive both ways many many times, daytime, night time, summer or winter.
Again, it depends on the road conditions and traffic. The road through Falkland can be a nightmare if you hit a snowstorm.
On either road you can get stuck behind slow moving vehicles whether it is tourists or farm machinery.



Going the Salmon Arm way would make. The trip at least an 1-1.5 hours longer

Using the driving times provided by the BC government it takes just under two hours (1:56) to travel from Kelowna to Kamloops via Vernon/Falkland/Westwold etc. and 2:36 going through Salmon Arm so it's nowhere near the 1.1.5 hours longer that you're suggesting Gixxer. We missed the turnoff one day and went through Salmon Arm and I was surprised how quickly we got home. Maybe half an hour longer. As gardengirl pointed out it really depends on the road conditions. If there is/has been heavy snow, for example, the Trans-Canada Hwy would normally be cleared much faster than would the route through Falkland and Westwold. Yes, if conditions are ideal it's definitely quicker through Falkland and Westwold (boring though) but nowhere near an hour or an hour and a half more.

So why do all transport trucks like DCT chambers use the Falkland Route?

You also have to deal with traffic in enderby, and salmon arm.

[Catz]

I travel quite a bit in the winter...trust me...do Vernon way.
It may be a bit more time, but at the end of the day you are home.
It's hard beacause the connecter is 5 min from my house, but I have been trapped.

[MCB]

Don't take the connector at night in the winter, IMO. The conditions are questionable, the drivers on the roads 75% of the time don't know how to drive in winter conditions and the time you think that you are saving with the several lane highway will actually cost you time. In the winter, go through Falkland. In the summer seasons, the connector is hard to beat late at night. I do not miss the drive mind you!

[RR24K]

Winter condition can be hit and miss best to use Falkland route. I use it year rounded much nicer scenic route.

[coffeeFreak]

119km through Falkland:

http://maps.google.ca/maps?pq=mileage+vernon+to+kamloops+to+falkland&hl=en&cp=18&gs_id=2q&xhr=t&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1280&bih=705&um=1&ie=UTF-8&gl=ca&saddr=vernon&daddr=kamloops&dirflg=d&geocode=KeP82Ubn2H1TMYfp0a224dSP;KTE7DT3TLH5TMedFaZqqlj7S&ei=Xq0PT-PDJ6bhiALdnqTqDQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CB0Q9w8wAA

171km through Salmon Arm:

http://maps.google.ca/maps?pq=mileage+vernon+to+kamloops+to+falkland&hl=en&cp=18&gs_id=2q&xhr=t&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1280&bih=705&um=1&ie=UTF-8&gl=ca&saddr=vernon&daddr=kamloops&dirflg=d&geocode=KeP82Ubn2H1TMYfp0a224dSP;KTE7DT3TLH5TMedFaZqqlj7S&ei=Xq0PT-PDJ6bhiALdnqTqDQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CB0Q9w8wAA