Kalamalka Lake from the cliffs above, turquoise water stretching between forested hills — five minutes from Schell Motel in Vernon, British Columbia

Est. 1955 · Downtown Vernon · Newly Refreshed

Your room is readyin the Okanagan.

A fully renovated mid-century motel five minutes from Kalamalka Lake, ten minutes from Okanagan Lake, and a half hour from Silver Star Mountain.

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2810 35th Street, Vernon BCScroll

Newly renovated throughout · Outdoor pool · Kitchenettes available · Pet-friendly rooms · Free parking · Free WiFi · Walk to downtown Vernon ·

A Quiet Reintroduction

A 1955 motel, refreshed for the way people travel now.

Schell Motel has welcomed travelers to Vernon since the year Rebel Without a Cause hit theatres. Same building, same pool, same address on 35th Street. Everything inside is new. Floors, bathrooms, kitchens, beds, finishes. We kept what people loved about the place, the U-shape around the pool, the balconies facing the courtyard, the easy walk into downtown, and rebuilt the rest from the studs out.

Seven decades in, the bones turned out to be good ones.

Established: 1955
Rooms: 31
To downtown: 8 min

The Refresh

Rebuilt, room by room.

Six details from the rebuild. Same address, same year on the door, a different room when you walk in.

Floors — Wide-plank flooring throughout. No carpet.

Bathrooms — Marble-look tile, deep tubs, modern vanities.

Kitchens — Full stoves, full-size fridges, real counters.

Beds — New mattresses. Crisp linens. Quiet rooms.

Climate — Quiet air conditioning in every room.

Connection — Free reliable WiFi. Shaw cable on a new TV.

Walk into a room in 2026 and you would never guess what year was on the door.

The Rooms

Four ways to stay.

Thirty-one rooms in total. One queen on the small end, three queens plus a sofa bed on the big.

On the Property

Everything you need, nothing you do not.

Outdoor pool, open seasonally
Sun deck and lounge chairs
Gas BBQs and a shaded picnic area beside the pool
Private balconies overlooking the courtyard
Free uncovered parking, room for trucks and trailers
Free reliable WiFi in every room
Shaw cable in every room
Air conditioning in every room
Iron and ironing board in every room
Microwave and small fridge in standard rooms
Full kitchen in all kitchenette rooms
Self-service laundry on site
Daily housekeeping
Six pet-friendly rooms
Multilingual front desk (English, Hindi)

The turquoise surface of Kalamalka Lake, the Lake of Many Colours, just outside Vernon

The Address

Downtown on one side, Kalamalka Lake on the other.

Schell Motel sits at 2810 35th Street, eight minutes on foot from Polson Park and the start of historic downtown Vernon. A short drive in the other direction puts you on the sand at Kal Beach, on the trail at Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park, or twenty-two kilometres up the road at Silver Star Mountain.

Polson Park8 minute walk
Vernon Public Art Gallery4 minute drive
Greater Vernon Museum9 minute walk
Davison Orchards3 minute drive
Planet Bee Honey Farm3 minute drive
Allan Brooks Nature Centre7 minute drive
Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park5 minute drive
Okanagan Lake10 minute drive
Silver Star Mountain Resort30 minute drive
Kelowna International Airport34 minute drive

Where You Are

This is Vernon.

Top of the Okanagan Valley. Two lakes, a mountain, a railway trail, an orchard belt, a wine region, and a small city with fifty thousand people who chose to live here. The reason to stay in Vernon is everything around it. We are happy to be your starting point.

Subsection A · The Lakes

The lake that changes colour.

Kalamalka Lake is called the Lake of Many Colours for a reason. The water shifts from deep blue to brilliant turquoise as the temperature climbs and limestone dissolves into the lake. Kal Beach has soft sand, a swimming pier, and views across to the cliffs of the provincial park. The park itself holds 978 hectares of grassland, forest, and 14 kilometres of trail.

A few minutes further north, Okanagan Lake unfolds for 135 kilometres. Beachcomber Bay, Paddlewheel Park, and Kin Beach are all a short drive from the motel. Bring a paddleboard. Rent a boat. Or just sit on the sand.

A ski mountain village under fresh snow at dusk

Subsection B · The Mountain

One of British Columbia's largest ski mountains, thirty minutes uphill.

Silver Star Mountain Resort sits 22 kilometres from the motel. 3,282 acres of terrain. 132 ski runs. The third largest ski area in the province. The village is built in colourful Victorian style and lit at night.

In summer the same mountain becomes the second largest lift-access bike park in the province. Cross-country trails run for 105 kilometres. Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre, just past the resort, hosts world-class Nordic skiing. Most guests use Schell Motel as a value basecamp, drive up for the day, and come back down to a heated pool and a full kitchen.

A vineyard on a sun-drenched slope with a lake in the background, typical of North Okanagan wineries

Subsection C · Wine Country

The northern gate to Okanagan wine.

The Okanagan Valley is one of two serious wine regions in Canada. Vernon sits at its top end. A short drive south delivers you to the Scenic Sip, a cluster of eight wineries on the slopes above Okanagan Lake: Gray Monk, Ex Nihilo, Arrowleaf, Blind Tiger, 50th Parallel, O'Rourke's Peak Cellars, Intrigue, and Ancient Hill. Most have patios. Many have restaurants.

Closer to home, Turtle Mountain Vineyards is a four-minute drive. Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery, Western Canada's original craft distillery, is even closer. Planet Bee Honey Farm and Meadery is around the corner.

An apple tree heavy with red fruit in a Vernon-area orchard, apples scattered on the grass below

Subsection D · The Orchards

Pick fruit straight off the tree.

Vernon is orchard country. Davison Orchards Country Village, three minutes from the motel, has been growing fruit on the same hillside since 1933. Apples, cherries, peaches, plums, pumpkins in the fall. There is a bakery, a market, and a wagon ride. Bring an empty cooler.

Davison Orchards Country Village in Vernon — red and yellow barns against a rocky hillside under blue Okanagan sky

Subsection E · Downtown

A real downtown, eight minutes on foot.

Walk from the motel through Polson Park and along 30th Avenue to find independent coffee at Ratio Coffee and Pastry, sushi at Kawakubo, modern Italian at D'Argento, steaks and seafood at The Phoenix Steakhouse, comfort food at Diner on Six, and Mediterranean classics at Intermezzo. Bourbon Street Bar and Grill is a few blocks further. The Vernon Public Art Gallery is on the way. Polson Park itself is a green corridor along Vernon Creek with a Japanese garden, a tea house, and an outdoor amphitheatre.

A straight gravel rail trail receding into a tunnel of green trees — the kind of flat, shaded path that defines the Okanagan Rail Trail

Subsection F · The Outdoors

Fifty kilometres of converted railway, on flat gravel, beside the water.

The Okanagan Rail Trail follows the route of the old CN railway from Vernon all the way to Kelowna, hugging Kalamalka Lake for most of its length. Walk, run, e-bike, or take a one-way shuttle and ride back. Closer to town, BX Falls drops into a forested gorge a short hike from the parking area. Allan Brooks Nature Centre sits on a grassy knoll with a panoramic view across the valley.

Any Month of the Year

Four seasons in the valley.

Spring

Cherry blossoms in the orchards. Trails dry out. The pool opens late May. Wineries quiet, tasting rooms uncrowded.

Summer

Pool, beaches, vineyards, paddleboards, late sunsets, dry heat. Book early. The Okanagan in July is one of the great Canadian summers.

Autumn

Harvest in the orchards. Larch turning gold on the hillsides above the lake. Wineries crush season. Cooler nights, kitchen rooms shine.

Snow-covered evergreens lining a mountain ridge at dusk

Winter

Silver Star opens by mid-November. Cross-country skiing at Sovereign Lake. Frosted vineyards. Quiet downtown. Hot showers in renovated bathrooms.

Nice owner, great location.

Booking guest, Vernon

Friendly staff, awesome food and excellent wines in a beautiful setting.

Yelp review

Close to everything, clean, comfy, and a pool.

momondo guest review

Schell Motel is independently owned and family operated. We answer our own phone.

Good to Know

Check-in / Check-out

Check-in: 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Check-out: 11:00 AM
Late check-in by arrangement, please call ahead

Policies

Photo ID and credit card required at check-in
Six pet-friendly rooms, please request when booking
Free uncovered parking on site, room for trucks and trailers
Smoking permitted in designated outdoor areas only
Children welcome
Cancellation policy varies by rate, please ask when booking

Languages

English, Hindi

Find Us

2810 35th Street, Vernon.

Two minutes off Highway 97, eight minutes on foot to downtown, four minutes by car to the gallery, three minutes to Davison Orchards. Thirty-four minutes from Kelowna International Airport.

2810 35th Street, Vernon, BC, V1T 6B5

(250) 545-1351

info@schellmotelvernon.ca

Front desk hours: 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, after-hours arrivals by arrangement

Stay where the locals send their cousins.

Renovated rooms, a courtyard pool, and one of the best little cities in British Columbia waiting outside the door.