A day trip will be the best choice for newcomers to get relax from school works. Here is a simple day trip routine to see the great views in downtown and Riverside Park for new international students. This trip is suiting students who want to have an easy trip and do not have enough time to travel a lot. This routine will take two to three hours depending on your additional plan to this routine. It will be the best choice to relax and start your own way on customized travel plans. I hope this day trip routine can help you.

The routine is starting with the bus exchange at school and the final spot in Riverside Park. You can see street views, railways in the city, and trains go through if lucky. There are restaurants and beverage shops while we walk to the park. This trip can be a regular routine if you like a one-day walk in great views near the riverbank. Let’s start our trip by knowing how to get there.

How We Get there?

We will start our journey from the bus stop at school! The bus exchange station is a great choice to start our day trip if you are living on campus or have no cars. You can also choose the bus stops near your living places so that it will be more convenient.  Bus 7 or 9 can arrive downtown with least walking. Be careful to take the bus with correct directions.

When we arrive downtown, there will be easy to recognize your spots! Our targeted street is Third Avenue. We can check out maps or the map on the street for it. There are a lot of restaurants, shops, and services on Victoria Street and you can pick a restaurant on the way to Riverside Park.

If you are a Chinese International Student……

You will be interested in this part. As we walk down Third Avenue, we will see an overline bridge. The railway is right under the overline bridge. There is a Starbucks and you can sit there for a short rest. There will be train goes by if you are lucky and be there at the time. You can hear the noise of the stop sign and see the train pass. There are guardrails on the bridge to keep us safe but we cannot see the train. Therefore, if you want to see the train goes, you can choose not to walk on the bridge or see it on the side without the guardrails.

Now, let me introduce you why Chinese students will be interested in it. If you are a student from Maple leaf international school, you may have learned it in Social Studies class. There are two railways joint in Kamloops and they are Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and Canadian National Railway (CNR). Chinese workers were joint the construction of the railway and they are the important key to building the railway. The Chinese workers were helping the building of the western part of the railway.

After we walk through the overline bridge, we arrive at the entrance of Riverside Park!

Riverside Park is located close to downtown and on the bank of Thompson River. There are picnic tables, several gardens, a public beach, and many facilities for customers to choose from. We can also see the railway bridge over the river while sitting at the seats near the public beach. There are restaurants near the park and one of the best ice cream shops, Scoopz Ice Cream Parlour, is right opposite the entrance. If you are interested to get ice cream with you as a picnic snack, you can check the official account of Scoopz Ice Cream on Instagram for their opening time. They are a seasonally opened shop.

There is a Japanese garden called Uji Friendship Garden. Uji is the sister city of Kamloops and supports each other in promoting cultural awareness, economic development, and tourism. Both cities support students and groups to visit each city to communicate. Here is the map of Riverside Park and the garden is place 13.

Riverside Park is one of the great parks in Kamloops and many people choose here to take a walk. There are Rivers Trails for people to walk around. If you are wondering when is the best season to visit, summer and fall are the best choices. There will be activities on the water in summer and they will be announced online. The maple leaves are also beautiful in September.

That is all for the day trip routine! After the day trip, you can walk to Victoria Street for your dinner. The closest bus stop for bus nine is the one near the Plaza Hotel. Take your time and enjoy the great view in Riverside Park!