Okanagan Mountain Park Hike

Where:

• Okanagan Mountain

 

When:

• May 28, 2021

 

Who:

• Ed, Scott

 

Trailhead:

• from downtown Kelowna take Pandosy Road south, which turns into Lakeshore Road
• at the lights at Barnaby Road, Lakeshore Road turns right and follows the lake
• the trailhead is 7 km from the lights and near the south end of Lakeshore Road
• there is a parking lot on the right (lake) hand side of the road
• the trailhead starts across the road by the washrooms and cuts sharply uphill
• the first couple of km are on the Wild Horse Canyon Trail until you cross a bridge and climb a steep hill where you turn right onto Boulder Trail

 

 

Degree of difficulty:

• 500 meters of elevation to where we went (4.5 km out to just past the Boulder Trail viewpoint)
• 9 km round trip
• there are a few steep inclines with some loose footing
• the hike took us 2 hours

 

 

Interesting notes:

• the park was started in 1973 and was ravaged by the 2003 Kelowna fire, but the regrowth is part of the beauty of the area
• this is one of my favorite and go to hiking areas near Kelowna as it’s not very crowded, is a good workout, and provides some breathtaking views of Okanagan Lake
• there are five trails in this Okanagan Mountain Park ranging from 7 to 44 km and 400 to 1500 meters
• there is a huge diversity of wildlife (goats, deer, moose, elk, lynx, bears, coyotes, western painted turtle, snakes) and edible plants, berries, and wildflowers
• there is also a short but steep trail out of the south end of the parking lot that leads down to a ‘naked’ beach area where you can take a dip and cool off after your hike