Thompson Okanagan

Spotted Lake, Osoyoos
JF Bergeron photo

The fruit- and wine-producing Okanagan Valley stretches 200 km (124 mi) between the Cascade Mountains to the west and the Monashee Mountains to the east. A network of lakes and rivers stir air currents in the valley, creating mild winters in the south and frigid winters in the north. A true desert climate (the only one in Canada) exists at the Okanagan Valley's southern tip in and around the town of Osoyoos. Elevations in the Okanagan range from 275 m (902 ft) at Osoyoos Lake to 2,304 m (7,559 ft) at Mount Baldy.

The southwestern portion of the region is the Similkameen Valley. It is bounded by the Cascade Mountains to the west and the Okanagan Range to the east. There are desert-like grasslands at the bottom of this valley that are bordered on one side by marshland and cottonwood/birch woodland.

The Thompson-Nicola Valley lies mainly within the Southern Interior Plateau and is defined, for the most part, by the Thompson River. It stretches, north to south, from the North Continental Range of the Rocky Mountains to an area of true desert near the international border. This valley is hot in summer and cold in winter. Most of its precipitation occurs in the mountains. Mount Robson is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies.