24/7 towing and roadside help
Towing and Tow Truck Help in Vernon, BC
Stuck in Vernon? Call 1-888-TOW-1213. We lock your price by text, send the nearest available partner tow company and check on you until help arrives.
If anyone is hurt or you're stopped in a live lane, call 911 first.
- Check-ins until help arrives
- Driver card and truck tracking
- Price locked by text
- Photo-protected tow
How it works in Vernon. Sentinel Towing is a network, not a tow company. A vetted local partner in the Vernon area does the job. We stay with you by text and hold them to your locked price. Not in Vernon? Find a tow truck near you.
Tow truck help in Vernon
Towing in Vernon, Road by Road
Three highways meet in Vernon. Highway 97 runs south to Kelowna and north toward Kamloops. Highway 97A starts here and heads up to Armstrong and Enderby. Highway 6 ends here after its run in from Lumby. Tell us which one you're on, or the side road just off it, and we'll send a vetted local partner who drives these roads.
Hospital Hill, Highway 97
The city calls this stretch of 97 Hospital Hill: the climb between 18th Avenue and the Highway 6 junction at 25th Avenue. If the car quits on the grade, hazards on, stay buckled, and call. A tow gets you off the hill and to a shop.
Highway 97 along Kalamalka Lake
South of town, 97 hugs the west shore of Kal Lake on its way to Oyama and Winfield in Lake Country. Pull as far right as you can. On a summer weekend with lake traffic, wait in the car, not beside it.
The 97A split at Swan Lake
About 10 km north of the Highway 6 junction, 97A peels off toward Armstrong and Enderby while 97 keeps going to Falkland. Say which fork you took. It changes which partner is closest.
Silver Star Road
The resort sits 22 km northeast of town, with its village up at 1,609 m. Snow season there runs from late November to mid-April. Slide off on the way up and you likely need a winch-out, not a full tow.
Okanagan Landing, Tronson and Lakeshore Roads
These roads lead out to the Okanagan Landing area, the regional airport and the boat launches on Okanagan Lake. A battery that died while you were out on the water is a jump start call.
Highway 97 north to Monte Creek
From the 97A junction it's 81 km, past Falkland, to the Trans-Canada at Monte Creek. Towns are far apart. Check your gas before you leave Vernon, or ask us for fuel delivery if the needle hits empty.
North Okanagan weather
Hot Summers, Slick Hills
Vernon gets both ends of the thermometer. Environment Canada's 1981 to 2010 normals for the Vernon Bella Vista station show about 25 days a year above 30 C. The same station logs about 91 cm of snow a year, and January nights average around minus 5 C.
That mix is hard on cars. Here's what to watch for.
- Summer heat. Heat is hard on batteries and cooling systems. A car that sat all afternoon in a beach or arena lot may not restart. If the temperature gauge climbs while you drive, pull over and shut it off before it boils over.
- Snow that stays. The Bella Vista station records snow 20 cm deep or more on about 27 days a year. On the hilly streets of East Hill, the Foothills and Turtle Mountain, go slow and leave room. If you slide into a snowbank, don't spin the tires. It digs you in deeper.
- Winter tire signs. B.C. enforces winter tire and chain signs from October 1 to April 30, with some routes ending March 31. Outside the Lower Mainland and southern Vancouver Island, the province says winter tires are required on most highways. Police can turn you around if you don't have the right tires.
Before a winter drive, check road conditions on DriveBC, which the province points drivers to for highway conditions and forecasts.
Wildfire season
Vernon has seen evacuation orders near Predator Ridge and Adventure Bay. When an alert is out, keep your tank at least half full and your phone charged. If an evacuation order is in effect and your car won't start, don't wait with it. Follow the order and officials' directions, and leave with someone else if you can. On an alert with no order, call us, and we'll text your family where you are, if you want us to.
Areas We Cover Around Vernon
Call from anywhere in Greater Vernon or on the highways between. That includes:
- Downtown Vernon and the Polson Park area
- East Hill, Harwood and the BX Creek area
- Bella Vista, Turtle Mountain and the Foothills
- Okanagan Landing, Adventure Bay and Predator Ridge
- Swan Lake and the Highway 97A corridor
- Coldstream and Middleton Mountain
- Lumby on Highway 6
- Armstrong and Enderby
- Lake Country: Oyama and Winfield
- Silver Star Mountain Resort
Not sure what to call where you are? Share your location on the call. You'll get a driver card by text, and you can track your truck on a map as it comes up the valley.
B.C.'s slow down, move over rule
When a tow truck or any roadside vehicle is stopped with flashing lights, B.C. drivers must slow to 70 km/h where the limit is 80 or more, and to 40 km/h where it's under 80. On a road with two or more lanes your way, change lanes to pass when it's safe.
That rule protects your driver while they hook up your car on Highway 97. Read it on the Government of B.C. site.
Vernon Towing Questions
Can you get a car off Silver Star Road in winter?
Usually, yes. If your car slid off but isn't damaged, a winch-out pulls it back onto the road. If it's damaged or won't drive, we switch you to a tow. Either way, you get the price by text first.
Is Sentinel a Vernon tow company?
No. Sentinel is a network. We answer your call, lock your price and send a vetted partner company that works the North Okanagan. Then we stay with you by text until the truck shows up.
My car died in a hot parking lot at Kal Beach. What now?
Wait somewhere shady, not in a closed car. If it clicks but won't crank, a jump may do it. If it cranks but won't catch, or the engine overheated, plan on a tow to a shop. We can point you to a good one.
Can my partner get a text too? I'm alone on Highway 97.
Yes. Give us one number. We'll text them your location and when the truck should arrive. It's part of the Stay-With-You Promise.
Roadside help in Vernon, BC
Tow Truck and Roadside Services in Vernon
Sentinel is a 24-hour towing and roadside assistance network for Vernon drivers. Tell us what happened, and we send a vetted local towing company near you with a truck suited to the job: a tow truck for a car that can't be driven (a flatbed where the vehicle needs one, like many all-wheel-drive cars), or a service truck for a jump start, lockout, flat tire, fuel delivery or winch-out.
Car towing
Cars, SUVs, minivans and light pickups. Price locked by text, photos before hookup.
Car towing
Jump starts
Clicks, dim dash lights or nothing at all? A dead battery jump, day or night.
Jump starts
Car lockouts
Keys locked inside, on the seat or in the trunk. A partner works to get you back in without damage.
Car lockouts
Flat tire changes
Got a spare but no safe way to put it on? A partner swaps it for you.
Flat tire changes
Fuel delivery
Ran out of gas? Enough fuel to get you to the nearest station.
Fuel delivery
Winch-outs
Stuck in snow, mud or a shallow ditch near the road? A partner can usually pull you out.
Winch-outsThe Sentinel Stay-With-You Promise
Seven Promises on Every Vernon Call
Read the fine print on the promise page.
We stay with you. From your call until the truck arrives, we check on you by text.
See your driver before they arrive. You get their name, photo and truck by text, and you can track your truck on a map.
Your family knows too. Give us one number, and we text them your location and arrival time.
Photo-protected tow. Before hookup, your driver photographs all 4 sides of your vehicle. We text you the photos.
Price locked by text. You get your price by text before we dispatch. That price is the most you pay for the job. If the job changes, we text a new price first and you decide.
Never stranded after. Ride along in the truck when it's safe and allowed, or we help you get a ride. We also point you to a good repair shop.
Free Sentinel Circle. After your first job, your vehicle is on file. Next time, just text "TOW" for priority dispatch.
How it works
From Your Call to Your Driver
- 01You call
Our 24/7 line answers
Call 1-888-TOW-1213. Tell us where you are, what you drive and what went wrong.
- 02We lock it in
Your price, by text
We text your price before anyone is sent. That's the most you'll pay for the job you described.
- 03A partner accepts
The nearest truck takes it
The nearest available partner tow company accepts your job. They're vetted for insurance and licensing.
- 04You see who's coming
Driver card and tracking
You get your driver's name, photo and truck, plus a link to track your truck. We check in until they arrive.
Nearby cities
Vernon roadside guides
Vernon, BC
Stuck in Vernon? Call and We'll Stay With You.
Our line answers 24/7. Your price is locked by text before we send anyone.