It’s easy to be charmed by this mountain town located a 20-minute drive northeast of Vernon, adjacent to Silver Star Provincial Park. The Klondike era-style village is packed with colourful buildings that look as friendly as the folks who come to be active outdoors. The vehicle-free street (which is ski-in/ski-out in the winter) acts as a central base for exploring the many trails, including one of the largest alpine ski areas in British Columbia, SilverStar Mountain Resort. Adventurers head out in all seasons to hike, bike, ski, snowboard, or snowshoe on paths that wind through forests of towering Douglas fir and ponderosa pine trees, and lead up to alpine ridges with unimpeded views of the Monashee Mountains to the east.
Outdoor enthusiasts come to Silver Star to hike and mountain bike, or ski and snowshoe, depending on the season. In winter, the adjoining ski area, SilverStar Mountain Resort, draws downhill skiers and snowboarders keen to tackle groomed cruisers, rollicking glades, and knee-knocking steeps spread over 3,282 acres covered in all-natural snow. They’re joined by Nordic skiers, snowshoers and winter fat bikers who enjoy kilometres of multi-use trails that start and end right in the village.
When the snow melts, Silver Star transforms into a summer paradise beloved by hikers and trail runners, plus mountain bikers keen to add Beowulf—an XC EPIC rated trail—to their bucket list. Annual sporting events such as Crankworx mountain biking festival, Slay the Dragon trail running race, and SEISMIC ski and snowboard festival, anchor the town as an adventure mecca.
The mountain is located on the ancestral homelands of the Syilx People of the Okanagan Nation who call it akst̓x̌ałq, which translates to “where the huckleberries grow.” It is an area of cultural importance for berry picking and gathering.
After European settlement, the slopes lured miners looking to stake a claim, along with early skiers, but it wasn’t until 1958 that Silver Star Mountain Resort officially opened as a community ski hill with two rope tows and an A-frame lodge (now The Pinnacles Suites). Learn more about the resort’s history, and the characters who shaped it, on a self-guided tour through the Silver Star Mountain Museum, with multiple locations in the village, and one at The Lookout, a forest fire lookout at the top of the gondola (summer only).
Silver Star is no stranger to celebrations of modern culture, either. Pop in to Gallery Odin to view rotating exhibits of original Canadian art, or catch one of the town’s many festivals and events ranging from snow sculpture displays during the Vernon Winter Carnival, to the Silver Star Beer & Cider Fest that toasts BC’s craft producers every summer.
Whether you prefer camping under the stars surrounded by nature, slumbering beneath a cozy duvet in a lodge suite, or spreading out in a Klondike era-style vacation home with a full kitchen and private hot tub, Silver Star’s accommodations match the scenery in variety and style. Perhaps best of all, the lodgings at Destination Silver Star are ski-in, ski-out (or ride-in, ride-out), so rooms are literally steps from your next adventure. Check out the latest offers and packages to make your mountain getaway a reality.
Slow down and veer off the beaten path in five welcoming communities connected by lakes, forests, mountains, and hundreds of kilometres of trails. Armstrong, Enderby, Lumby, Silver Star and Vernon welcome adventurers in all seasons to play, rest and refuel. Find your happy place in the great outdoors, at a community event, or with family and friends at a farm-to-table restaurant.
Vernon
Greater Vernon’s trail network entices paddlers, skiers, runners, hikers, and cyclists to go the distance in the Trails Capital of BC. Pair your adventures with events, great food, and fun attractions in all seasons.
This colourful mid-mountain village is famous for the light Okanagan powder that settles on its downhill ski slopes in winter, but Silver Star welcomes adventurers in all seasons.
