Carmelis Goat Cheese and Gelato

Up on the Upper Mission benches, past the point where city streets give way to orchard rows and open slope, 170 Timberline Rd sits in the Kettle Valley area at the southern edge of Kelowna. Carmelis Goat Cheese and Gelato is up there, far enough out that the drive is part of the outing. Kettle Valley was planned as a village style community around a small core, playing fields and trails, and the bench runs cooler and windier than the shore, so a layer is worth bringing in the shoulder seasons.

Timing and route deserve a moment of planning. The climb out of the Mission is steep in places and the roads narrow as you go, which is fine in summer and much less fun after a wet snowfall. Season shapes opening on the benches as much as anything else, so a call before setting out from downtown or Rutland can save a long descent with nothing to show for it. Allow more time than the distance suggests, because Kelowna spreads far enough that crossing it always takes longer than a map implies.