ABOUT MCLURE / VINSULLA
McLure and Vinsulla sit in the North Thompson valley north of Kamloops, in the Thompson Nicola Regional District. Vinsulla is about 28 km north of Kamloops off Highway 5, where Knouff Creek meets the river, and McLure is about 44 km north, where the McLure reaction ferry crosses the North Thompson. Vinsulla's name is an anagram of Sullivan, after an 1860s settler, and McLure is named for John McLure, who settled there in the early 1900s.
This is ranch, hay and acreage country along the river, with properties from a couple of acres to irrigated river-front farms, most on private wells and some with surface water licences. The TNRD's McLure Fire Department covers its service area, a 2026 provincial announcement lists McLure for fibre internet by 2029, and groceries and services are in Kamloops or Barriere.
MCLURE AND VINSULLA LISTINGS
Listed by REMAX Kamloops
Listed by Royal LePage Westwin Realty
Listed by Royal LePage Westwin Realty
Listed by Royal LePage Westwin Realty
Listed by eXp Realty (Kamloops)
McLure / Vinsulla
Area Guide
Practical answers on McLure and Vinsulla from a Kamloops REALTOR with 18 years in construction who has lived on rural property at Pinantan Lake since 2008, and who walks the river frontage before the house.
Contact JeremiaWhere are McLure and Vinsulla?
In the North Thompson valley north of Kamloops. Vinsulla is about 28 km north, off Highway 5 past Heffley Creek, and McLure is about 44 km north. The McLure ferry crosses the river between Highway 5 and the Westsyde Road side of the valley; when it is not running, the detour is Westsyde Road. Plan on roughly 30 to 40 minutes to Kamloops depending on the side of the river.
Who lives in McLure and Vinsulla?
Ranchers, hay growers and families who want acreage or river frontage within reach of Kamloops, and commuters who like the quiet of the valley.
What is the lifestyle like?
River and rangeland. The ferry is a local landmark and a working crossing, Knouff and Sullivan lakes are up the road from Vinsulla, the Lac du Bois Grasslands trails are reached from Westsyde Road, and Sun Peaks is up the road from Heffley Creek.
What are the properties like?
Acreage, hay land and river-front farms, most on private wells, some with domestic or irrigation water licences, and some backing onto Crown land. Check the well and the licences, the river frontage and any flood history, and the fire history: the 2003 McLure fire destroyed 72 homes in the valley, and in 2021 the Sparks Lake fire put properties on McLure Ferry Road and Westsyde Road on evacuation alert.
Schools and services
Families here use School District 73 schools. Depending on the address that can mean Heffley Creek Elementary (kindergarten to grade 3) and Rayleigh Elementary (kindergarten to grade 7), the Westsyde schools, or the Barriere schools to the north, so ask SD73 for the catchment and bus for the specific property. The McLure Fire Department is on McLure Ferry Road, and groceries and services are in Kamloops or Barriere.
Discover McLure and Vinsulla
Things to Do & See
McLure Ferry
View Activities
Lac du Bois Grasslands
View Activities
Paul Lake Provincial Park
View Activities
Sun Peaks Resort
View Activities
WHAT MOST PEOPLE DO NOT THINK TO ASK
In the North Thompson valley, ask about the river, the water and the fire history before the house. Walk the river frontage and ask how high the water came in the last big freshet, and ask for the well records and every water licence. The water licences post explains how to check them.
Confirm the property is inside the McLure fire protection area, since that affects insurance, and get a quote before subject removal. If you will rely on the ferry, know that it does not run in high water or during freeze-up. I have 18 years in construction and I am not a licensed home inspector, so I will tell you when to bring one in.
Huxley
Jeremia Huxley is a REALTOR with Stonehaus Realty Corp., based in Pinantan Lake, BC, who focuses on rural, acreage and lake properties around Kamloops, including McLure and Vinsulla. He has 18 years of construction experience and 9 years in real estate, and the two have overlapped for most of that time. He is not a licensed home inspector. Contact: 250-571-0379.
McLure and Vinsulla FAQ
REAL ESTATE INSIGHTS
Buying or selling rural property raises questions that city listings never do: wells, septic, who plows the road, what the ALR allows.
The blog takes them one at a time, in plain language, from someone who has lived on rural property since 2008.