One of the wonderful things about exploring new places with a toddler is that they will make you find hidden gems you wouldn’t otherwise have given a second thought. Our road trip came to a pause when my toddler reeeaaalllly wanted to ride his bicycle. In the spur of the moment we randomly stumbled upon Riverside Park in Kamloops BC.

This park runs alongside Thompson River and is very close to downtown Kamloops. The view of the river with the big mountains as the backdrop is just amazing. You can also see trains rolling by the Canadian Pacific Railway along the park.

We walked (while toddler cycled ) by the Rivers Trail, which connects Riverside Park to Pioneer Park. Along the way, you can see outdoor art installations and several tables and chairs for a scenic picnic. The trail is stroller friendly and very easy for toddlers to walk as well. You can view the whole trail here.

Activities

There are so many activities to do here. What really caught Junior’s eyes is the big playground with the attached spray park. Kids of all ages can enjoy this playground facilities, as there are structures suitable for all ages to play on. The washroom and change room is also very close by the playground.

There is also a marked swim area on Thompson river close by the playground. I can see how this area will be so nice to swim in, as the view is just spectacular, and the adjacent sandy beach is just the icing on the cake. And for extra safety feature, there are also lifeguards here on schedule.

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Close by the playground are concessions stands where you won’t have to worry about running out of food for the kids. However, they were closed when we visited on a Saturday. Several picnic tables and chairs can be found along the playground as well as along the trail.

Inside the park you can also find a Rose garden, a lawn bowling club, and tennis courts. There are also 4 main tennis courts and an additional court for practicing. We didn’t have a chance to visit all these wonderful sites as our toddler zoomed away on his bike as soon as his bike touched ground.

An added bonus: the river that flows to the park from the east is the same South Thompson River that daddy paddled on. It’s 20km from the Lafarge Road Bridge, which would take about 3-4hours paddling downstream. There should be enough for kids to do at this park while daddy goes on a river paddle. We would need to arrange for 2 cars or get a ride somehow though.

Traffic

This park is moderately trafficked on the Saturday morning when we went. There are a few cyclists on the trail as well. Since the trail doesn’t separate cyclists and pedestrians, you may have to watch out for cyclists especially when walking with a toddler.

Pets are not allowed on the majority of River Trail except on a small portion and must be on leash.

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Breastfeeding

There are several benches along the trail.

Washroom

Spacious washrooms are available throughout the trail. There is a washroom and a change room close by the playground.

Parking

Free 3 hour parking is available in a large parking lot by the park in July and August. This lot is close to the stadium; thus when there is an event, many of the parking spaces are reserved. Plan to come when there are no events in the stadium.

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This is a very nice park, and you can definitely spend the whole day here with the kids. We will consider coming again when we go on another road trip to interior BC.

• Facilities: well equipped playground with spray park and many other activities available.
• Foot traffic: moderate
• Cyclists traffic: moderate, but no distinct cycling lane so be cautious.
• Overall score: 8/10

Continue reading about our 2020 Rockies Road Trip!