Costs
Vernon Tow Costs: What a Mountain Highway Adds to the Job
In Vernon, a tow price depends on three things: how far your car goes, how hard it is to reach, and what went wrong. A short city tow can still be a tricky job. Highway 97 through town gets lane closures for water main and road repairs. Highway 6 has night lane closures this fall. And a slide off Silver Star Road is a very different job from a dead car in a flat lot.
Why does a short tow on Highway 97 cost more than it looks?
Through Vernon, Highway 97 is 32 Street. It is the main street of the city and a provincial highway at the same time. So when the city digs it up, traffic squeezes down, and your driver has less room to work.
The City of Vernon posted several of these jobs in 2026:
- March 2026. A water main broke on March 20. On March 29, crews patched Highway 97 southbound between Coldstream Avenue and 25 Avenue. Traffic ran single lane, alternating both ways, from midnight to 9 a.m.
- April 2026. The permanent fix came overnight on April 18 into 19, from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Again, one lane, alternating.
- May 2026. 32 Street between 15 Avenue and 25 Avenue dropped to one lane for utility repairs. Northbound lanes were hit first, then southbound.
Most of that work is done. But it shows how often the main road through town narrows. If your car quits next to a work zone, there may be no shoulder. Cones and flaggers can block the easy spot to load. Your driver may need to come at you from a side street. That's more setup, and setup is part of the job.
What about Hospital Hill?
The city uses the name Hospital Hill for Highway 97 from 18th Avenue up to where 25th Avenue meets Highway 6. In April 2021, a water main broke near the Vernon Jubilee Hospital turnoff. Both directions dropped to a single lane, and hospital traffic was sent around by 18th Avenue and 31st Street. A stall on a grade like that, with the lanes pinched, takes more care than a stall on level ground.
Is there construction on Highway 6 right now?
Yes. DriveBC lists road work on Highway 6 at 15th Street and Middleton Way. It runs from September 1 to November 13, 2026. Crews work from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., Sunday through Thursday nights. Expect lane closures both ways, with two-way traffic kept open. Northbound 15th Street is closed while they work.
So if you break down on Highway 6 late at night this fall, tell us. Say if you're inside the work zone or past it. Night work means traffic control, narrow lanes and bright lights. Your driver will plan around all three.
North of town, DriveBC also lists drilling under Highway 97A at Greenhow Road in Spallumcheen, from October 5 to October 15, 2026. The right turn lane and the shoulder are closed. A car that dies there can't just roll onto the shoulder.
How much does distance add in the North Okanagan?
Distance is the plainest cost. Around Vernon, the towns are spread out. A few road facts help you see why:
| Trip | What to know |
|---|---|
| Highway 6 junction to the 97A split near Swan Lake | About 10 km |
| 97A split north to Monte Creek | About 81 km, past Falkland, to the Trans-Canada |
| Vernon to Silver Star Mountain Resort | About 22 km, up to a village at 1,609 m |
| Vernon to Kelowna International Airport | About 40 km south on Highway 97 |
Your partner tow company has to reach you, then haul your car to where it's going. If you break down near Falkland and want the car at your shop in town, that's a long haul. If a shop in Armstrong or Lumby can take it, the tow may be shorter. Ask yourself where the car really needs to be before you call. It's your choice, and it changes the job.
Does snow on Silver Star Road change the price?
It can. The resort's snow season runs from late November to mid-April. Down in town, Environment Canada's normals for the Vernon Bella Vista station show about 91 cm of snow a year. Snow sits 20 cm deep or more on about 27 days a year. Up the mountain, there is more.
Here is how winter changes the work:
- Slid off, not damaged. A winch-out pulls the car back onto the road. That is often a smaller job than a full tow.
- Damaged or won't drive. Now it's a car tow, and the car may need to come all the way down to town.
- Stuck on a side street. The city clears arterials, collectors, bus routes and school zones first. Lanes and cul-de-sacs come last. A car stuck up a steep lane can be harder to reach after a big snow.
B.C. requires winter tires or chains on most routes from October 1 to April 30. Some routes end March 31. Good tires won't stop every slide. But they make a slide less likely, and that's a tow you never need.
Does wildfire season change a Vernon tow?
Sometimes the road itself decides. On August 1, 2026, the province's emergency site posted an evacuation order for Okanagan Indian Reserve 1 because of the Bradley Creek wildfire. People heading north were sent to Kal Tire Place in Vernon.
Right now, DriveBC says Westside Road is open, but there is no stopping between Irish Creek Road and Komasket Road. If your car has trouble in a no stopping zone, keep going if you safely can. Pull over once you're past it. That gives your driver a safe place to work.
If an evacuation order covers where you are, leave. Don't wait for a tow. A car can be picked up later.
What else changes the price?
The roads are the local part. These count anywhere you call from:
- What you drive. A small sedan is a quick hookup. An all-wheel-drive SUV or a light pickup may need a flatbed.
- What went wrong. A battery that died in the lot at Kal Tire Place may only need a jump start. No tow at all.
- Where it's stuck. A ditch, a snowbank, a gravel turnout or a work zone each needs a different setup.
- Which way you were heading. On a divided highway, your driver may have to go past you and turn around. Tell us your direction.
How do I stay safe while I wait?
If anyone is hurt, or your car is stuck in a live lane, call 911 first. Sentinel is not an emergency service.
Otherwise, turn on your hazards. On a highway, stay buckled in your seat unless there's smoke or fire. When your driver gets there, B.C. law backs them up. Drivers must slow to 70 km/h past a stopped tow truck with its lights on where the limit is 80 or more. Where it's under 80, they must slow to 40 km/h. They must also change lanes to pass when it's safe.
How does Sentinel set your price?
Sentinel Towing is a towing and roadside network. A vetted local partner tow company does the job. Tell us where you are, which way you were heading, what you drive and where the car should go. We text your price before anyone is sent. That price is the most you pay for the job. If the job changes, we text a new price first, and you decide. Then we check on you by text until help arrives. That's the Stay-With-You Promise.
For the roads, neighborhoods and nearby towns we cover, see the Vernon towing page. Heading south? There's also a Kelowna page.
Stuck right now? Call 1-888-TOW-1213, or request help online.
Vernon Tow Price Questions
Why can't you tell me a Vernon tow price on the website?
Every job is different. Where the car is, where it goes and what's wrong all change the work. Call or request help, and we text you a locked price before anyone is sent.
I slid off Silver Star Road. Do I need a tow or a winch-out?
If the car isn't damaged and still drives, a winch-out is often enough. If it's damaged or won't drive, you need a tow. Tell us what you see, and the price we text matches the job.
Is it cheaper to tow my car to a shop near me?
A shorter haul is a smaller job. A shop in Armstrong or Lumby may be closer than one in Vernon if you break down out of town. You pick where it goes.
Can my price go up after the truck arrives?
Not without your OK. If the job turns out different, we text a new price first. You decide before any more work is done.
Rules change, so check the official source before you rely on it. Sources: City of Vernon: Highway 97 repair, March 2026, City of Vernon: overnight repairs, April 2026, City of Vernon: 32 Street lane closures, City of Vernon: Hospital Hill, City of Vernon snow program, DriveBC: Highway 6 work, DriveBC: Highway 97A work, DriveBC: Westside Road, EmergencyInfoBC: Bradley Creek wildfire, B.C. winter tire routes, B.C. Slow Down, Move Over, Environment Canada climate normals.
