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Voykit pocket guide · Canada
Sun Peaks
Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality
Stay 2 nights if you ski or ride; 1 night is enough for a summer stop. No car needed once you park: the village is walkable.
Sun Peaks is a resort municipality on Tod Mountain, 50 km and about 45 minutes by road from Kamloops. It is Canada's second-largest ski area by terrain and turns into a hiking and biking base in summer. Almost everything sits in one compact village, so you park once and walk or ski from your door.
- Country
- Canada
- Local name
- Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality
- Best months
- Dec–Mar for skiing; Jul–Sep for hiking, biking and golf
- Avoid
- Apr–May and Oct–Nov (between seasons, lifts and trails closed)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CAD
- Money
- Currency is the Canadian dollar (CAD, $). Cards and tap-to-pay are accepted almost everywhere.
- Daily spend
- Budget C$120–180 excl. bed · Mid C$180–320 excl. bed · High C$320+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Rogers, Bell and Telus plus cheaper brands (Fido, Koodo, Public Mobile); prepaid SIMs in malls and stores. Canadian data is expensive — an eSIM is often cheaper.
- Emergency
- Police, fire and ambulance 911 · HealthLink BC (24 h) 811
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Same as the US.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: 15–20% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: CAD 1–2 per drink.; Taxi: 10–15%.; Housekeeping: CAD 3–5 a night.; Guide: 10–20% of the tour price.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable; treat water from lakes and streams (giardia).
- Toilets
- Free in malls, Tim Hortons, stations and park visitor centres.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | C$3–6 |
| Casual lunch | C$15–25 |
| Dinner main | C$25–45 |
| Draught beer | C$8–12 |
| Grocery basics for a day | C$25–40 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | C$20–40 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- YKA · Kamloops Airport
- About a 45-min drive to the village; fewer flights, usually via Vancouver or Calgary.
- YLW · Kelowna International Airport
- About 2.5 h by road; more flights and more car-rental choice.
Typical fares
- Kamloops → Sun Peaks shuttle
- about C$10, first come, first served (check)
- Whistler ↔ Sun Peaks shuttle
- about C$99 per person, Wednesdays and Saturdays (check)
Get around
The village is small and walkable; no car or taxi is needed once you arrive. In winter much of the village is ski-in, ski-out. A daily shuttle links Sun Peaks with Kamloops, and a twice-weekly shuttle runs to Whistler.
See and do
Known for
- Skiing and snowboarding on three mountains
- Summer mountain biking and hiking
- 18-hole golf course
- Snow tubing, dogsledding and sleigh rides
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Kamloops | Daily shuttle from the village, or drive Tod Mountain Road to Highway 5 | About 45 min–1 h |
| Lillooet | Drive Highway 5 north then Highway 99 | About 3 h |
| Merritt | Drive Highway 5 south | About 2 h |
| Cache Creek | Drive Highway 5 north | About 2 h |
| Boston Bar | Drive Highway 5 south then Highway 1 | About 3.5 h |
| Lytton | Drive Highway 5 north then Highway 1 | About 3 h |
Sleep
- Village core (Village Way and Creekside Way)
- Lodges and condos steps from the lifts and shops; ski-in, ski-out in winter. Book early for holiday weeks.
- Lower Village and outskirts
- Slightly cheaper rentals and the grocery store; still a short walk to the centre.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Where is the toilet? | Where is the toilet? |
| I need help | I need help |
| Is this trail open? | Is this trail open? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake; 'Bonjour' first in Québec; avoid: Assuming everyone speaks English
- Queues: Line up and wait your turn; avoid: Pushing in
- Apologising: 'Sorry' is politeness, not admission of fault; avoid: Loud confrontation
- Canada vs US: Treat Canada as its own country; avoid: Calling Canadians American
- Indigenous culture: Buy from Indigenous-owned businesses and ask before photos at ceremonies; avoid: Wearing headdresses as costume
Scams and watch-outs
- Mountain terrain: bears and cougars are possible off the marked trails. Never travel alone in the backcountry and carry a phone or radio.
- Winter driving on Tod Mountain Road can be snowy and icy; check conditions before you set off from Kamloops.
- Between seasons (roughly April–May and October–November) lifts and many trails close; check what is open before booking.
- Resort services are limited: the nearest full hospital and big-box shops are in Kamloops.
Very safe for a resort village; the real risks are mountain terrain (bears, cougars, falls), winter driving on Tod Mountain Road and closed trails between seasons.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Sun Peaks yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Skiing and snowboarding on three mountains
- Summer mountain biking and hiking
- 18-hole golf course
- Snow tubing, dogsledding and sleigh rides
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality: sunpeaksmunicipality.ca/
- Sun Peaks Resort: www.sunpeaksresort.com/
- Wikivoyage: Sun Peaks, revision 5095908 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5095908
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Sun PeaksSun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Sun Peaks; the nearest consulates are in Vancouver. US citizens: US Consulate General, Vancouver (check the address).
Sun Peaks is a small resort village; the nearest full hospital is in Kamloops.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/sun-peaks). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.