Kamloops sits at the confluence of the North and South Thompson Rivers in the dry interior of British Columbia. With over 2,000 hours of sunshine a year, it is one of the warmest and driest cities in Canada, surrounded by sagebrush-covered hills that look more like the American West than most people's idea of BC. The city has a population of about 100,000 and serves as a major transportation hub where the Trans-Canada Highway and the Yellowhead Highway meet.
The area around Kamloops is excellent for outdoor activities year-round. Sun Peaks Resort, about 50 kilometres northeast, is one of the largest ski resorts in Canada and also offers mountain biking and golf in summer. The city itself has an extensive network of mountain biking trails on the surrounding hills (notably in Kenna Cartwright Park), and the Thompson River offers good fishing for steelhead and rainbow trout. The BC Wildlife Park, east of town, is home to native wildlife including bears, cougars, and birds of prey.
Downtown Kamloops has a pleasant enough stretch along Victoria Street with restaurants, brewpubs, and shops. The Kamloops Art Gallery and the Kamloops Museum and Archives on Seymour Street are both worth a visit on a rainy day. The Secwépemc Museum and Heritage Park, run by the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation, offers an excellent introduction to the Indigenous history of the region, with a reconstructed winter village and archaeological site spanning 2,000 years.