Vernon's Adventure Bay Neighbourhood 

A while back we released our video Best neighbourhoods in Vernon BC featuring  Okanagan Landing. Much of Okanagan Landing is on or overlooking Okanagan Lake, and the Landing has a ton of history with steam ships etc, and then across the lake to the West, at the end of Tronson Road, you will find the sub-area of Vernon called Adventure Bay. From the head of Okanagan Lake, at Kin Beach, if you follow Tronson Road along the eastern shore of the lake for a few miles and drive up the hill you will find the Adventure Bay area. The "Adventure Bay" area is the peninsula that splits the north end of Okanagan Lake, so you can see that the builds here are all going to be centered around the lake and the lake views. The area itself is a south-facing development that offers many stunning lots overlooking Okanagan Lake and down the lake towards Kelowna. The views can truly be spectacular here as you look onto both arms of the lake at a really wide portion of the lake and then down the lake. Very cool.

The area really started to develop back in the ’90s when Canadian Lakeview Estates started being developed and built out. Today there are homes that have been built in the 90s and around the Point maybe even earlier than that, and then every decade until the brand new developments are being built out right now that we will discuss shortly.

Location-wise, Adventure Bay at the Point is a 14-minute drive from downtown Vernon and 11.4 kilometers. If you’re concerned about being close to places like Predator Ridge and Silver Star mountain, those are all within 45 minutes and Kelowna International Airport is about 40 minutes away. This area is a bit off the beaten path as you can see, so if you’re looking for a more remote location with lots of trees, privacy, and lake access, you will have neighbours but generally can’t touch them leaning out your window as the lots are larger and again, lots of trees everywhere, this is one of those areas. You want to make sure you remember to grab the milk before you leave the more urban area of the city because if you get home and you’ve forgotten something and have to go back – you’ll be choked. Also if you have non-driving kids living in your home and you need to drive them here, there, and everywhere, it’s a bit of a pull. You’re not close to too much out here, amenity wise, it’s a drive to most things, not a walk. On a not-too-great road. However, once you get here, you will love it, it’s truly a beautiful area of the city.

Amenities 

So let’s talk about what amenities ARE here in the area. While there isn’t a grocery store or a Starbucks, you are still covered for the basics and only 13 minutes from the Buy Low Mall, Tim Hortons, and the Pub. However, there is a local community beach. It all depends on what you want - close to shopping or close to the lake and nature. The beach itself is about a kilometer long and accessible by the community with its own boat launch, a shared dock, change rooms and washrooms, many buoys where residents park their boats, and of course the beach itself.

Next, there are some great walking and hiking trails all around the area, pickleball and tennis courts at the City of Vernon maintained park, as well as social clubs, events, and bird watching in the immediate area. Because of its more remote location and more densely treed areas, there are always lots of opportunities for wildlife sightings. There is also the Tavistock Beach, Foster Road Beach access, the Tronson Road Boat launch and then a bit further into town you’re only minutes from the Rise Golf Course, Davison Orchard, and Planet Bee.

School-wise, if you do have kids with you, to  Okanagan Landing Elementary School you’re looking at 11 minutes to the Adventure Bay turn, you may be farther than that depending on where your home is located within the community as it’s quite spread out. The other elementary school could be the  French Immersion École Beairsto Elementary which is 16 minutes to the turn, and then the secondary would be Clarence Fulton Secondary School  at 11 minutes to the turn. Don’t worry though, the school bus goes out that way which means the area also gets pretty good and pretty quick attention when the snow dumps in the winter.

Multi-Family Developments

Most of the homes in Adventure Bay  are freehold single-family homes, although there are two multifamily developments as well that both have lake access. Let’s look at those first – the more reasonably priced apartment building is Adventure Bay Condos. These are perched right on what we locals call “The Point” and nestled right near the Adventure Bay lighthouse. You get superb lake views from all the units in this complex, and although the units are small, everyone has access to the 1200 feet of shared lakefront with a common beach, a renovated wharf and really nice grounds. There was a ton of work done on this complex in 2014 where the entire building envelope was renovated.

The other multifamily development is Peregrine Point Estates, which is an adult-oriented (19+) gated community with 34 upscale townhouses which were, of course, built for the views down the lake. The development was built over quite a few years from 1993-1999 in many phases, and the floor plans vary from one phase to the next. These units have a garage, RV parking and access to the common Canadian Lakeview Estate beach area.

Single-Family Areas

Now let’s examine the main single-family areas. These include freehold homes plus some that are part of bare land strata areas, meaning that you own your own lot but you have an interest in some of the shared amenities for that neighbourhood such as shared gates, shared roads, sharing of snow removal costs, landscaping on the main areas, etc. The main areas of Adventure Bay are Canadian Lakeview Estates, which also includes Scenic Ridge Estates, Phoenix Estates, Garmisch Estates, Kestrel Estates and then separate from Canadian Lakeview Estates is the newest area called the Terraces.

The original development, Canadian Lakeview Estates subdivision, has really focused on maintaining the natural surroundings with the trees and lake views in mind. Many of the homes have beautiful views of the lake and those that don’t, take advantage of the treed location, built with the natural beauty of the area in mind. The majority of the homes here are on nicely treed lots, many with lake views, some on quiet cul de sacs. The lots are larger than in many other subdivisions with lots of quiet streets to walk your dog along in this area, and then again you have that access to the CLD beach we talked about earlier for the community plus the pickleball and hiking trails etc. It’s in this area that you’ll find the Peregrine Point Estates strata development plus these exclusive bare land strata developments, the first of which is Scenic Ridge Estates at 9060 Tronson Road.

Next is Phoenix Estates at 9196 Tronson Road, a gated community with more beautiful view homes here on large lots. You pay a strata fee here that includes maintenance of the common landscaping, the entrance secured access gate, road maintenance, the beach club, and a contingency fund.

Then there is Garmisch Estates a little farther down the road towards the very end of the line on that road, very treed and no gated entrance, however a nice, private area. It’s fee simple title, not strata, so there’s no monthly fee to pay here although there is a voluntary fee of $100 a year at this point to use the Beach Club. This area is unique as there is no building restrictions, no time frame to build and even no building scheme. You’re also right at the end of the line, next door is an open space to the North.

You also have the exclusive area of Kestrel Estates of which a portion is behind one gate, while some of the lakeshore homes are actually behind two gates. It’s the last and probably largest group of multiple stratas in the area, all referred to as Kestrel Estates. In this area, you have some very nice homes as well as a bunch of lakeshore homes, all with easy access to the community beach area.

Last but not least, the newest development at Adventure Bay is the Terraces. These homes have superb views and are located the closest to the city although with the least trees. So there’s a trade-off there – you get a brand new home with spectacular views down the lake with kind of steeper lake access down to Tavistock Beach across the road which consists of the beach and a wharf, or you can buy a bit older home with access to the bigger beach and community area and get some trees with your purchase. They are quite different areas, that’s for sure. At the Terraces, all the homes are Theatre Style. Streets are narrower with homes only built on one side and always oriented towards the lake views, so every home in that development has a view of the lake (this does come with some building restrictions).

If you’re wanting info on buying in the area, be sure to download our FREE Greater Vernon Relocation Package, and watch our videos on the other neighbourhood of Vernon and Coldstream.

Whether you're looking to make a move in 9 days or 90 days, we are here to help! Call 250-549-7258, text 250-309-9586 or email webinfo@saltfowler.com at RE/MAX Vernon Salt Fowler  and “Just Add Salt!”