by Julia Lenius
Some places you visit, and some places become part of who you are. For me, Cherryville is home.
For 20 years, I’ve grown up in this valley alongside my two brothers and sister. Each of us attended Cherryville Elementary, (we made up four of the roughly 60 kids who filled the halls.) Each year they would gather us up to decorate our pedal bikes in the gym for the Cherryville Days parade. It was a yearly competition between us, seeing whose bike would be the eye catcher at the front.
We spent our summers swimming and fishing at Sugar Lake and diving into the Shuswap River. Every Sunday you could find us running between booths at the Cherryville farmers market, helping vendors to earn enough change to buy a candy bag to split between the four of us. Winters brought ice fishing and skating on Echo lake until our noses turned red. Then we'd all bundle up in front of the fireplace. Fall held my favorite tradition, playing turkey bingo at the community hall. Well, at least for the first 15 minutes anyway. A few glances and nudges later all of us kids would meet in the park to play a huge game of mantracker, only ending when we couldn't see the branches we were climbing on clearly.
As I got older in the community there were other opportunities for me, volunteering was one of them. Being involved in a more firsthand way deepened my appreciation for the people who make this community special. Although community events are not as well attended as they once were, Cherryville’s mountains, rivers, quiet roads, and people remain.
The older generations taught me that Cherryville is an oasis—a place where people build each other up, work hard, and become part of a team. There are no villages without villagers. That sense of community is something I still carry with me. Here, you can enjoy a quiet slow morning with an incredible view, spend the day exploring, and have a genuine conversation with someone who truly wants to know how your day is going. That is why I believe Gold Panner Campground is worth the drive from Vernon. You’re not just visiting a campground; you’re making your way into a quieter corner of the Monashee Mountains, where you can reconnect with nature, slow down, and experience the community I’ve been lucky enough to call home for 20 years.
Gold Panner Campground, 423 Highway 6, Cherryville, BC V0E 2G3
250-540-4116 campgoldpanner.com