Harper's Trail
Harper's Trail
4.5
Temporarily closedClosed until further notice
About
The first winery to open in Kamloops Harper's Trail Estate Winery, named for the cattle drive "trail" of pioneer rancher Thaddeus Harper, is the first winery from Kamloops. Tucked into the city outskirts on the bank of the South Thompson River, Thadd Springs Vineyard sits among rolling hills of sage and grass, home to Bighorn sheep, bears, and myriad birds. The backdrop of limestone, Hoodoos, and a natural spring set the biodiversity of this rare place. Harper's Trail wines are Thompson Okanagan grown and made, reflective of the region's terroir that show gorgeous minerality and crisp acidity. Visit today and taste the untamed land..
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4.5
72 reviews
Excellent
40
Very good
22
Average
6
Poor
2
Terrible
2
dmk-canada
Calgary, Canada140 contributions
May 2019 • Solo
I went to Harpers Trail today by myself. I was greeted by several staff on my way in, was quickly approached to see if I wanted a tasting. Enjoyed trying some of their whites, unfortunately they were all out of their red wines! Really enjoyed chatting with the staff and finding out what we had in common. Made me feel comfortable and welcome. Recommend you check it out.
Side note: I did get to try their Pinot noir at Iron Road brewing! Saw the bottle and mentioned that I didn’t get to try it at winery. Staff quickly poured me a taste!
Side note: I did get to try their Pinot noir at Iron Road brewing! Saw the bottle and mentioned that I didn’t get to try it at winery. Staff quickly poured me a taste!
Written 10 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vicki C
Hello dmk-canada,
Thank you for taking the time to write a review of your tasting room experience. We appreciate you enjoyed your visit and the white wines that were poured for you. Sorry, we could not offer a red wine tasting this time, but hope you'll visit again when they are available (late Summer).
Thank you Iron Road Brewing for being so accommodating.
Cheers~
Written 21 May 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Nikemom
Vancouver, Canada90 contributions
July 2016 • Solo
My husband and I were in Kamloops for a week at the cabin. The weather was awful and we decided a winery tour would be a great idea. Harper's Trail was our second stop. Friendly service, very good wines. Informative staff. We went to three wineries that day and Haper's trail was the most reasonably priced. The staff there shared all their knowledge about their own wines and the wineries around them. My only one issue is that the other two wineries we went to had much nicer, quality wine glasses which I believe improves your tasting experience. For that reason 4/5 stars. Otherwise perfect.This was my husband's favourite spot of the 3.
We did buy several bottles and I will definitely return. A lovely place.
We did buy several bottles and I will definitely return. A lovely place.
Written 9 July 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vicki C
Thank you for your visit and for taking the time to write your review. Although the weather wasn't great we're happy to hear you enjoyed your overall tasting experience. We take pride in making fine wine and sharing our knowledge with customers. We look forward to seeing you again next time. Cheers!
Written 10 July 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Edward L
Vernon, Canada6 contributions
Aug 2018 • Family
The Winery was excellent!! Enjoyed the wine tasting. Bought 6 bottles!!! The employee was very knowledgeable, polite, kind & a very happy nice person. Made the stop a pleasure. Beautiful inside and outside. Well worth the time to stop and check it out!
Written 5 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vicki C
Hello Edward L,
Thank you very much for taking the time to submit your review. It's such a pleasure to hear that your experience was excellent. We hope you enjoy the wine and that we will see you again sometime soon. Cheers~
Written 6 September 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Deb H
Kamloops 4 contributions
Sept 2020
The gal doing the tasting placed the carafes on the table and rattled off her 3 minute auto pilot speech. Told us we had 1/2 an hour to do our own tasting and left. Came back to give us a 10 minute warning. Nothing fun or interesting about that. Certainly didn’t even come close to any other wne tasting visits (and there have been a few) . Some of the wines were good, particularly Rose and White Blend. But just don’t waste your time looking for an interesting experience. Second time I have been there, (I thought perhaps the first time was just a bad day for them). Won’t go back, bought 6 bottles of wine and they still don’t come your tasting.
Written 5 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vicki C
Hi Deb,
Thank you for visiting the winery. During this pandemic, Harper's Trail had to recreate what a tasting looks like and for us, it doesn't come close to what tastings used to be. For the safety of our team and visitors, a self-pour, self-guided tasting is what we came up with. Our team is working hard to make each visit fun and memorable and for most, we are hitting the mark! It's unfortunate that you didn't enjoy your experience. However, we sincerely hope you will enjoy the wines you purchased.
With regards to not waiving the tasting fees, we are transparent with that information.
It is presented at time of booking, written on the info board at the front door as well as on the website. The reason it isn't waived, is you receive a full 5 ounces of wine during your tasting as well as 30 minutes, seated to enjoy. In our opinion, $5.75 is worth that. There isn't anywhere we know of that you will get a 5 oz glass of VQA wine for that price.
Cheers~.
Written 8 September 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Todd N
Vernon, British Columbia, Canada57 contributions
Aug 2020
This winery is neither excellent or poor, just middle of the road. We stopped here for tasting, to find that we needed a reservation - eventhough I did not see this mentioned on their website. Also, take note that their tasting fee ($5.75) is NOT waived when you purchase any wine. No mention of this on their website either. Seems a little odd, as pretty much every other winery waves the tasting fee with a purchase. One plus was that we were able to have our dog with us in their picnic area.
Written 2 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vicki C
Hi Todd,
We appreciate your review and have taken into consideration your feedback regarding tasting fee's and reservations. During these unprecedented times we are continually updating our website and our Covid-19 safety plan as per the Provincial Health Officer. Information regarding tasting fee's and reservations is on our website under the Visit Us tab and our homepage. Your frustration is understandable and noted. We have taken your feedback and made this information more visible on our website.
Thank you
Written 3 September 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
JeremyAndLeanne
Calgary, Canada45 contributions
July 2017 • Family
We really enjoyed the friendliness and experience at this winery. The property itself is more rustic, fitting for the oldest winery in the region (at a whopping 4 years as of 2017!). We found the wines to have excellent value and this encouraged us to buy more from them.
We will very likely return when we're in the region again.
We will very likely return when we're in the region again.
Written 22 July 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vicki C
Hello JeremyAndLeanne,
Thank you for taking the time to review us and for awarding us 5 stars. We're delighted to hear you enjoyed your experience at the winery and that you purchased wines that you felt were excellent value. We look forward to your return visit.
Cheers~
Written 24 July 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Adam H
England152 contributions
July 2016 • Couples
We'd heard much about Canadian wine and were keen to try some. Harper's Trail came highly recommended and it didn't disappoint. We arrived late in the day at 4pm to be greeted by Briana, our lovely smiling wine host. Her wine knowledge was fantastic, she told us the history of the vineyard and took us through our tasting options. The wine was lovely (particularly the rose) and we bought 4 bottles to take away with us. They don't have an option to buy any cheese/meat platters to accompany your tasting but you can take your own food to enjoy on the patio with the wine which we'd definitely do if we returned.
Written 30 June 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vicki C
Thank you for visiting and taking the time to share your review. We truly appreciate your kind words. Happy you enjoyed the wine and your experience was great one. If you get the chance to visit us again we hope you'll bring along a picnic and extend your visit a little longer. Cheers!
Written 1 July 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Natalie B
Kamloops, Canada13 contributions
June 2016 • Business
Being a Kamloops resident, I visited the winery for the first time as a participant of Tourism Educators Conference held up at TRU. We had the patio booked for us for the entire Sunday evening and the time spent there was great. Beautiful views, sunny weather, this little ranch-style winery totally treated us really nice! All the delegates had an awesome time there! And their wines are really really good. Proud to have this establishment here in Kamloops.
Written 28 June 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vicki C
Thank you for taking the time to review us. We're super happy you enjoyed your experience at the winery as we pride ourselves on making great wine and providing excellent customer service. We look forward to seeing you again sometime soon. Cheers!
Written 29 June 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Amanda M
Vancouver, Canada56 contributions
June 2015 • Couples
My boyfriend and I stopped at Harper's Trail on the way through Kamloops on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Tasting room staff were friendly and knowledgeable and there was a great selection of whites as well as a Cabernet Franc on the tasting menu. We really enjoyed the 2012 Dry Riesling and had to take a bottle home with us.
As mentioned in previous reviews, the patio is gorgeous - I wish we would have brought lunch and had time to sit out there with a bottle of wine, there's always next time!
As is the case with many tasting rooms, $5 tasting fee waived with purchase.
As mentioned in previous reviews, the patio is gorgeous - I wish we would have brought lunch and had time to sit out there with a bottle of wine, there's always next time!
As is the case with many tasting rooms, $5 tasting fee waived with purchase.
Written 29 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vicki C
Thank you for visiting and for taking the time to submit a review. We look forward to your next visit and hope you can sit, sip and stay a while and enjoy the patio. Cheers!
Written 23 March 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kavita T
1 contribution
July 2021 • Couples
What a terrible booking experience! Was looking forward to the wine tasting, but unfortunately had to cancel our trip to Kamloops because of the wildfires and they refused to return our money for the bookings. Very unfortunate as now in the future we would NEVER consider going there because of this horrible customer service!! DO Not Recommend!
Written 6 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vicki C
Hi Kavita,
As per our email communication the non refundable policy for our seated tasting experience was noted in bold and highlighted on three separate occasions to ensure you were aware that the charge would not be refundable.
However, if it had been brought to our attention that extenuating circumstances (the wildfire you referenced above) was the reason for your cancellation we would have gladly refunded you or moved your reservation to another date.
We are disappointed in your perception of our accommodation and customer service but I can assure you had we known an exception could have been made.
Written 29 July 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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