Oliver is an ideal base for touring South Okanagan wine country. Drive south from the town centre to take in the wineries of the Golden Mile and Black Sage Bench and soak up some area history. Head north for a chance to explore different ecosystems, catch sight of wildlife, browse for art and collectibles and eavesdrop on the universe at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory. All along the way, colourful roadside stands beckon with fresh-picked fruit in season.
Oliver Area Wine Tour
Take this circle drive of about 35km/22mi starting from the Oliver town centre and pass a host of wineries on both sides of the valley. Stop at tasting rooms along the way and try to identify the effect of the different growing conditions. On the west side of the valley in the Golden Mile area, grape vines are planted in gravelly soil with a bit of clay and sand. Black Sage Bench vineyards on the east side of the valley grow in deep deposits of sand. Winemakers assert that different soil conditions, known as terroir, have an identifiable impact on the flavour of the wines.
Explore Fairview
From the town centre drive west on Fairview Road to the old Fairview townsite. All that remains of this once bustling gold-mining centre is the cross from a church and pathways through an ecological reserve. An interpretive kiosk tells the story. Drop by the log house tasting room of Fairview Cellars, the most northerly winery on the Golden Mile. Backtrack a short distance to 123 St and continue south through cherry and peach orchards to Tinhorn Creek Estate Winery for a self-guided tour of the demonstration vineyard. From here pick up Highway 97 and carry on southward, stopping at wineries along the way.
Judge John Haynes
Turn east at #22 Road and cross the Okanagan River. At the junction with Black Sage Road, stop for a look at the ruins of a house and barn that date to the time when cattle ranching was king in this area. The buildings belonged to Val Haynes, son of the colourful Judge John Haynes who was a law-and-order peace officer, the first customs official at the Osoyoos border crossing, and a cattle baron. Visit the Osoyoos Museum for details on the tragic family story. Now driving north through the antelope brush and sage grasslands on Black Sage Road, visit wineries like Burrowing Owl, where the restaurant is open for lunch and dinner; Silver Sage, which also makes fruit wines, and Quinta Ferreira, a Portuguese-style winery. Continue on past Tuc-el-Nuit Lake to Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate before reconnecting with Highway 97 and the short run south to the town centre.
White Lake-Okanagan Falls Circle Drive
This 68km/42mi drive includes science and nature, arts and wine. Take Highway 97 north from the Oliver town centre and turn west on Secrest Road. Continue through farm and rangeland to the hamlet of Willowbrook for a look at the nature-themed art of John Salsnek in his Paw Prints Studio & Gallery, then turn north onto White Lake Road and head through the antelope brush scrubland and ponderosa pine parkland for an experience that is out of this world.
Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory
The Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory hosts an ultra-high-tech array of radio telescopes tuned to capture the sounds of the universe. The largest such observatory in Canada, this site is on the cutting edge of scientific research. Take the self-guided tour at the visitor centre on weekdays year round. Guided tours are available on weekends during the summer. Completely boggled, follow White Lake Road to Highway 97 and turn south.
Okanagan Falls
Okanagan Falls, once home of stockyards where cattle were collected for shipment, is unusual for the number of buildings that were moved there. Fourteen of the homes in town were trucked from the Copper Mountain mine site in the 1950s while Bassett House, now part of the town's museum complex, was a 1906 catalogue mail order. Manufactured in Winnipeg, the pieces were transported by rail, sternwheeler and horse cart before being assembled in OK Falls. Antique and collectibles buffs head for the shops on Highway 97 or visit on weekends when the Okanagan Falls Flea Market is in full swing. Wine lovers detour to wineries on the Corkscrew Drive circuit. And everybody can do what locals do and stop for ice cream at Tickleberry's.
Vaseux Lake Provincial Park
Continue south to Vaseux Lake Provincial Park and take the boardwalk to the bird blind and tower in the wetlands. Keep an eye out for California bighorn sheep on the surrounding cliffs. The final landmark on the return to Oliver is 250m/820ft McIntyre Bluff, which marks the farthest extremity of the Great Basin Desert and signals the transition to the antelope brush shrub-steppe ecosystem of the South Okanagan. First Nations pictographs are also found in this area. Ask at the Oliver Visitor Centre, 36205 93rd St, for brochures on attractions, wineries and maps.