Goat’s Peak

Where:

• Goat’s Peak

 

When:

• April 3, 2022

 

Who:

• Ed, Sheldon, Dallas, Trevor, Sherry, Kona

 

Trailhead:

• from Kelowna head south on Highway 97 for 20 minutes through West Kelowna towards Peachland
• just after the turnoff for 97C and just past the overpass, take the left turn onto Seclusion Bay Road
• shortly along this road where it connects with Seclusion Bay Road coming from Peachland, the parking lot is on your left-hand side
• the trailhead is out the far end of the parking lot at the metal gate

 

 

Degree of difficulty:

• 350 meters of elevation gain
• 7  km out and back
• the trail starts downhill at a metal gate along a double-wide gravel road for a km where it forks up a single track path
• it is clearly marked with metal placards along the entire trail, but there are a few turns that are not well marked, so it’s best to download a GPS map
• good hiking shoes/boot treads are recommended due to the steepness and loose shale, as we had a couple of falls on the way down (gloves are recommended to avoid hand rash)
• there are numerous burnt trees in the area from recent forest fires
• the hike took us 2 hours, and we moved at a reasonably leisurely pace

 

 

Interesting notes:

• the trail name of Goats’ Peak comes from the Angora Goats that the Gellatly family raised and let roam in this area (softest, fluffiest goats in the world)
• the designated trail names are translated into nsyilxcen, which is the language of the sylix/Okanagan people

• there are panoramic views up and down Lake Okanagan and across the lake to Okanagan Mountain Park and north to Mount Boucherie
• we saw bald eagles circling overhead and dropping into the lake for their daily fish supply
• there are also Western Rattlesnakes in the area (only rattlesnake in B.C. and one of three remaining species in Canada)