Wildhorse Canyon North Loop

Where:

• Wildhorse Canyon North Loop

 

When:

• July 2, 2022

 

Who:

• Ed, Zac, Dallas, Josh

 

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 the bridge at Deeper Creek and climb a steep hill where you turn right onto Boulder Trail
• we did the loop in the clockwise direction and the last km is on Lakeshore Road

 

 

Degree of difficulty:

• 450 meters of elevation
• 10 km round trip
• there are a few steep inclines with some loose footing
• Zac fell six feet into a ravine coming off a wooden bridge over a little creek
• the hike took us 3 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 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 turtles, snakes) and edible plants, berries, and wildflowers
• I walked over a rattlesnake without noticing
• 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