Small community has impressive list of easy and challenging trails

Explore Lake Country trails

Photo: J.P. Squire

The District of Lake Country held an official opening for its new $500,000 Lake Country Bike Park at 8865 Okanagan Centre Rd. W. on May 3. Open daily from dawn to dusk, the six-hectare park includes beginner and intermediate pump tracks, dirt jump zone, drop zone, intermediate technical skills loop, multi-use and gravity trails, mulch jump for practicing big air and an adaptive mountain bike trail.

(This is the fifth column in a series about the best trails to explore, city by city, regional district by regional district, in the Southern Interior.)

The District of Lake Country has developed an impressive variety of urban and backcountry trails, from the easy, flat Okanagan Rail Trail to the challenging Spion Kop Recreation Reserve to its new $500,000 bike park at 8865 Okanagan Centre Road West

However, it didn't always have such high-profile hotspots.

One reason it does, however, is the volunteers in Walk Around Lake Country (W.A.L.C) working relatively quietly with the district since 1999 to develop and promote walking and hiking trails.

As long as people have lived in the Okanagan, they have made the challenging climb to the top of the Spion Kop ridge immediately west of Wood Lake for the reward of panoramic views of five lakes.

Photo: J.P. Squire

District of Lake Country The Lake Country Trails brochure available at the district office and online uses a photo of the Spion Kop summit to introduce 16 local hiking and biking trails, plus maps of Spion Kop, Wood Lake Loop and Jack Seaton Park.

WALC, a small community service organization, gets the highest possible marks for a detailed trail map, trail signs and ongoing maintenance on the Crown land that local outdoor lovers fervently hope will eventually be turned into a provincial, regional district or local park.

Many may not know that the popular Okanagan Rail Trail through Lake Country may not have happened at all. The Sheriff perhaps played a small role in making that happen.

In the spring of 2015, each of four local governments—Kelowna, Lake Country, Regional District of North Okanagan and Coldstream—proposed buying the section of abandoned CN right-of-way that ran through their communities. The total cost for 49 kilometres was $22 million.

A small group of Lake Country residents objected to the $5.2-million purchase of 16 kilometres of rail trail in that community, suggesting the money should be spent on other priorities. There was enough opposition to defeat an alternate approval process to approve funding the purchase. So the district opted for a referendum on April 25, 2015 to borrow $2.6 million toward the purchase. The then governing B.C. Liberals promised to commit $7.2 million to the ORT - if the “yes” side won.

When many decried the lack of public information, the Sheriff stepped into the fray. He parked his truck at the foot of Dilworth Mountain in Kelowna and hiked the rail line to Kelowna Airport, documenting everything he saw. On the second day, he parked at Kelowna Airport and hiked through to Winfield. On the third day, it was Winfield to Oyama and along the shore of Kalamalka Lake.

In a major feature with photographs for then Kelowna Daily Courier, he argued Lake Country had a one-time-only opportunity to buy absolutely the best part of the former rail line with its almost endless shoreline along Wood and Kalamalka lakes.

The referendum had a then record-breaking 48 per cent turnout with 75 per cent of those who voted (3,336 of 4,462) in favour.

The joint purchase was completed and $7.8 million was raised to construct the trail, with the official opening for most of it on Sept. 27, 2018. However, the Okanagan Indian Band has still not finalized an addition to reserve application with the federal government, although an infrastructure agreement for the city-district-band area was announced in February 2022 and a construction contract to build the seven-kilometre missing link was awarded by Kelowna in early 2023.

The second major change in Lake Country was the province constructing the $78-million Winfield-Oyama Highway 97 bypass. After it opened in August 2013, the B.C. Ministry of Transportation turned the old, narrow, winding highway beside Wood Lake over to the district, which renamed it Pelmewash Parkway.

After investing $3 million, the seven-kilometre parkway officially opened on June 12, 2019 with a wide, paved multi-use path, as well as picnic tables, First Nation artwork, an enclosed dog park and bike repair stations. With Pelmewash, the ORT and Woodsdale Road, the “Wood Lake Loop” is a perfect hike and bike adventure.

Meanwhile, with funds from a 2021-22 Canada Healthy Communities Initiative grant, WALC members inventoried, mapped and signed all sanctioned Lake Country trails and created the interactive Lake Country Trails Map

The unfortunate part is it is an alphabetical listing of 62 named and described trails rather than grouped by location, i.e. Spion Kop (nine named trails).

A much better bet is the printed brochure, Lake Country Trails, which has a large overall map with location numbers for 16 named and described trails. It also has maps of Spion Kop, Wood Lake Loop and Jack Seaton Park. It is available from the district office on Bottom Wood Lake Road or online.

The new Lake Country Bike Park officially opened on May 3. It has beginner and intermediate pump tracks, a dirt jump zone with progression-focused jump lines for all levels, a drop zone with three lines for intermediate to expert riders, an intermediate technical skills loop, multi-use and gravity trails ranging from beginner to intermediate, a mulch jump for practicing big air and an adaptive mountain bike trail for greater inclusivity.

Photo: J.P. Squire

Pelmewash Parkway has three Indigenous sculptures by Clint George from the Penticton Indian Band and Les Louis from the Lower Similkameen Indian Band. The Syilx professional artists combined their skills in wood and metal work to design and create sculptures installed in December 2020.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.

Okanagan has more provincial parks than just about anywhere else

Exploring provincial parks

Photo: J.P. Squire

Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park has numerous unique features such as panoramic views of Okanagan Lake and the city of Kelowna as you descend the steep Crawford Trail to the edge of the Bellevue (Creek) Canyon and its lookouts.

(This is the fourth in a series of columns about the best trails to explore, city by city and regional district by regional district in the Southern Interior.)

The Okanagan Valley has undoubtedly the greatest density and variety of provincial parks in B.C.

Out of 644 provincial parks, the BC Parks website says the region has 83 parks. Wikipedia lists 15 major parks in the Okanagan-Similkameen, nine in the Central Okanagan and 11 in the North Okanagan.

For numerous reasons, the diamond in this chain of jewels is Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park in the Central Okanagan. The 12-kilometre Myra Canyon rail trail, formerly a key part of the Kettle Valley Railway, is now widely recognized as the best feature of the entire 28,000-kilometre Trans Canada Trail, thanks to its 16 wooden trestles, two steel spans, two rock tunnels and spectacular views of the canyon, Okanagan Lake and Kelowna far, far below.

Photo: Raven Eye Photography

The 2015 Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park Trail Network Map will be updated by Friends of the South Slopes this summer and include a map of Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park.

You can also hike to 10-metre-high benches of tufa mineral deposits, pools, sinkholes and small caves at Angel Springs, deep in to Bellevue (Creek) Canyon and for the hardiest of hikers, to Little White Mountain ,which is noted for its dramatic escarpment.

Myra-Bellevue also has an extensive hiking, biking and horseback riding trail network, most of it on the lower elevation. Friends of the South Slopes deserves the credit for turning the park into a world-class attraction (6,369 volunteer hours in 2024 alone).

FOSS has nearly completed an updated trail map for Myra-Bellevue (plus Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park) with GPS coordinates and expects it to go to print this summer. It will replace the “You are here” maps at key intersections and at the Stewart Road East trailhead. Copies will be available at local bike shops and the three 2025 FOSS trail days.

Three other provincial parks in the Central Okanagan also have noteworthy trails.

Bear Creek Provincial Park, with the second most popular campground in B.C., has three hillside trails—a 2.5-kilometre loop along the rim of the canyon, one leg mid-canyon and a shorter loop in the canyon bottom. All are temporarily closed due to the McDougall Creek wildfire. Its 400-metre beach is perfect for picnics, sunbathing, swimming, canoeing and kayaking.

Located south of Myra-Bellevue and also under the care of FOSS is Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park, one of the largest in the area covering 110 square kilometres. Most of the park is only accessible by foot, bicycle, horseback or boat. BC Parks has a detailed trail map on the park’s website. It also has six marine campgrounds, secluded bays and sheltered sandy beaches tucked into 33 kilometres of undeveloped shoreline.

Fintry Provincial Park is located 34 kilometres north of West Kelowna at the former Fintry Estate of Capt. James Dun-Waters. The estate's original manor house (1911) and octagonal dairy barn (1924) have been restored and are open for summer tours.

For a stair-climb workout you can see much of Fintry Falls (Shorts Creek) after the first 100 steps but can get amazing views after another 300-plus steps. The park has two kilometres of shoreline for picnics, sunbathing, swimming, canoeing and kayaking.

Other Central Okanagan provincial parks are located at Browne Lake, Dark Lake, Eneas Lakes, Trepanier (all fishing) and Wrinkly Face (cliffs).

The Okanagan-Similkameen's provincial parks are:

• Allison Lake near Princeton (camping, swimming, fishing)

• Bromley Rock near Princeton (swimming, canoeing, cliff jumping)

• Cathedral near Keremeos: currently closed after the Crater Creek wildfire (true wilderness experience for hikers with jagged mountain peaks, azure lakes and flower-dappled alpine meadows)

• Inkaneep near Oliver (popular with naturalists, especially birdwatchers)

• Keremeos Columns (5.5K long hike, steep climb to vertically-hexagonal basalt/lava columns 30 metres high along a 100-metre cliff)

* Kickininee north of Penticton has three tiny picnic areas: Kickininee, Soorimpt and Pyramid (swimming, boat launch)

• Nickel Plate near Hedley (hiking, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, rough gravel boat launch)

• Okanagan Falls, renamed sx???x??nitk? (hiking, biking, fishing)

• Okanagan Lake north of Summerland (beautiful sandy/pebbly beaches, panoramic views, swimming, two large campgrounds, lakeside trail between them permanently closed after landslide)

• Otter Lake north of Princeton (nature trail on foreshore, KVR Trail rough due to ATV use, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, waterskiing)

• Skaha Bluffs near Penticton (world-class rock climbing, hiking)

• Stemwinder near Hedley (quaint camping, fishing)

• Sun-Oka Beach near Summerland (one of the most superb beaches in the Okanagan)

• S?i?s, formerly Haynes Point, in Osoyoos (important archaeological site, most popular campground in B.C., near U.S. border so canoeing and kayaking south not recommended)

• Vaseux Lake near Okanagan Falls (wildlife viewing, bass fishing, trails to nearby Vaseux Lake Migratory Bird Sanctuary, canoeing, kayaking)

North Okanagan provincial parks will get their own future Making Tracks column.

Photo: J.P. Squire

Fintry Provincial Park is a popular canoeing and kayaking destination in the Okanagan. Members of the Kelowna Canoe and Kayak Club have enjoyed the group campground while taking lessons and going for group paddles.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.

A wide variety of regional parks in the Central Okanagan

Exploring RDCO trails

Photo: J.P. Squire

Sometimes, new trails just appear out of nowhere like this trail upstream of the Gordon Drive Bridge. It parallels Mission Creek Greenway for a short distance and offers a rougher trail than the smooth gravel of the Greenway.

(This is the third column in a new series detailing of the best trails to explore city by city, and regional district by regional district, throughout the Southern Interior.)

The Regional District of Central Okanagan has some of the best trails in the Okanagan although you may find one thing puzzling.

Many newcomers will wonder why the City of Kelowna has more than 200 parks, beaches and green spaces, yet you will still find numerous regional district parks inside the city limits.

"Regional parks are paid for by all residents of the Central Okanagan and can be located anywhere within the region," explains Wayne Darlington, the regional district's manager of parks capital planning and asset management.

"Regional parks differ from municipal parks as the predominant purpose for regional parks is for passive recreation and conservation of larger natural spaces. Regional parks generally don’t provide sportsfields, playgrounds, etc. as a primary service.

"We do have limited numbers of each of these to support the regional community. Regional parks are typically the connection and larger natural area nodes that connect to municipal and/or provincial park systems."

Photo: Friends of Mission Creek

When complete, Mission Creek Greenway will extend 26 kilometres from Okanagan Lake to Mission Creek Falls. The 7.5-kilometre phase one from Lakeshore Road to Mission Creek Regional Park was opened in 1997 and the 8.5-kilometre phase two was added through Scenic Canyon Regional Park in 2005.

In fact, the regional district has more than 2,100 hectares of parkland in 30 regional parks, including more than 86 kilometres of designated trails.

The best creekside linear park is the stunning Mission Creek Greenway. The 7.5-kilometre phase one from Lakeshore Road to Mission Creek Regional Park was opened in 1997, thanks to the efforts of Friends of Mission Creek.

In 2005, the 8.5-kilometre second phase was added through Scenic Canyon Regional Park, which has spectacular geological features like the Rock Ovens, Pinnacle Rock and Layer Cake Mountain.

The fall kokanee spawn is not to be missed in Mission Creek Regional Park which has a children's fishing pond (Go Fish program), Robert Hobson Environmental Education Centre for the Okanagan (EECO) and Sutherland Hills trail network.

The best lakeside trails are in Kalamoir Regional Park in West Kelowna, with plans to widen the main north-south trail to 2.5 metres (not the original proposal of 4.5 metres).

Here are other regional parks in the Central Okanagan:

• Goats Peak Regional Park, south of Kalamoir: Rocky trail rises steeply from Okanagan Lake through grasslands and up a challenging climb to the peak.

• The second best kokanee spawn is at Hardy Falls Regional Park, south of Peachland, where you cross a series of small bridges over Deep Creek to the falls. Beside it is Antlers Beach Regional Park.

• Gellatly Heritage Regional Park in West Kelowna is small but offers a self-guided tour to learn about the history of the Gellatly family, its cemetery and heritage buildings.

• Glen Canyon Regional Park in West Kelowna offers easy walks and challenging stairs while following Powers Creek up to a 24-metre waterfall.

• Kaloya Regional Park in Lake Country occupies a peninsula extending into Kalamalka Lake with a sandy beach on one side and wetland habitat on the other, an ideal spot to launch canoes and kayaks.

• Lebanon Creek Regional Park in Kelowna has a 2.3-kilometre trail with a 450-metre elevation gain from Lakeshore Road to the Crags in Johns Family Nature Conservancy.

• Mill Creek Regional Park in Ellison has a shaded, flat trail following Mill Creek to falls and a swimming hole.

• Okanagan Centre Safe Harbour Regional Park in Lake Country has a boat launch and small beach suitable for launching canoes and kayaks.

• Raymer Bay Regional Park off Westside Road is a hidden gem, great for swimming.

• Reiswig Regional Park on Wood Lake has mature poplar trees with birds of prey, like osprey, nesting in the canopies. It is next to the District of Lake Country's Beasley Park.

• Robert Lake Regional Park in North Glenmore protects a sensitive alkali playa (salt flat) habitat, which attracts more than 140 species of birds.

• Rose Valley Regional Park, a hidden valley paradise in West Kelowna, has numerous hiking trails with panoramic views of Okanagan Lake and Kelowna.

• Shannon Lake Regional Park in West Kelowna also hosts the popular children's learn-to-fish program.

• Sntsk‘il’nt?n Black Mountain Regional Park has stunning views and hiking trails through endangered grassland ecosystems.

• Stephens Coyote Ridge Regional Park in North Glenmore is still closed after a wildfire.

• Traders Cove Regional Park on Westside Road in West Kelowna has two swim areas, one in a small warm bay.

• Trepanier Creek Greenway Regional Park borders a canyon with a five-kilometre trail from the Okanagan Connector to Peachland Elementary School.

• Woodhaven Nature Conservancy Regional Park in the Lower Mission area of Kelowna has a beautiful trail system through four natural ecosystems: black cottonwood, Douglas fir, Ponderosa pine and western red cedar.

Photo: J.P. Squire

Mission Creek begins high in the mountains east of Kelowna near Big White Mountain, travels rapidly through a variety of biogeographical zones to finally slow and meander through lowlands to the shore of Okanagan Lake.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.

Finding your way on Kelowna best cycling trails

Tell me where to go

Photo: City of Kelowna

Kelowna has the most extensive bicycle network in Canada for a city its size.

(This is the second column in a series detailing of the best trails to explore city by city and regional district by regional district, throughout the Southern Interior.)

It will come as no surprise to diehard cyclists that the City of Kelowna boasts the most extensive bicycle network in Canada for a city its size.

According to the city website, Kelowna has 280 kilometres of bike lanes, 70 kilometres of off-road pathways, including Mission Creek Greenway, and more than 412 kilometres of sidewalks and walkways.

Those off-road pathways and walkways also accommodate those out for a stroll, so they are not specifically just for bikes.

The Sheriff and Constant Companion Carmen are always discovering new places to hike and bike and to its credit, the city is aggressively building new active transportation routes, such as the new multi-use paths on Sutherland Avenue (Ethel to Burtch), Leckie Road (Dilworth to Harvey) and Houghton Road (Lester to Harvey and Okanagan Rail Trail).

Photo: City of Kelowna

A printed Outdoor Guide brochure produced by Tourism Kelowna covers Kelowna, Lake Country, West Kelowna and Peachland. It has a huge Kelowna map on one side, plus detailed maps of Knox Mountain, Black Mountain, Myra-Bellevue and Okanagan Mountain parks on the other.

You would think the natural place to look is the city's "Active by Nature" route map. However, city staff admit the map is out-of-date and the website is difficult for even them to navigate but a revamping is coming. There is, however, no completion date yet.

So, with patience—lots of it—here are a few tips to finding a suitable trail on that complicated route map.

On the left side of the home page, you have three choices—"Find Route By Name," "Find Route By Activity" and "Turn Map Layers On/Off." If you click on Find Route By Name, you will find two featured routes (of three) with puzzling names like “Flat Out Fun” and “Go with the Flow.” Why not just say “Rotary Beach Park to City Park and Mission Creek Greenway?”

It's the same with the list of the 23 routes which follow. That would be another 23 clicks on the name and 23 clicks on “Search” at the bottom because you have no idea what “DDG Loop 1: City Pride” refers to.

Then there are “Drop Dead Gorgeous (DDG) Loop 2, 3” and an unnumbered “DDG.” There’s “Park Run,” “Grapes of Wrath,” and “Wine to Water.” It will drive you click-crazy to go through them all, one by one.

So, go to “Find Route By Activity: Blade or Road Bike or Skate, Hike or Trail Run, Mountain Bike or Mountain Board, Paddle or Swim, Walk or Run.” Choose your distance in kilometres ( 1-5, 6-15, Over 15). Choose your surface (Gravel, Pavement, Trail, Lake View, Mountain View, Orchards, Wineries, Waterfront, Triathlon Training).

Don't go to “Turn Map Layers On/Off” because you will have to decide on “Shared-use Pathway - Paved, Shared-use Pathway - Unpaved, Protected Bike Lane - Both sides of road, Bike Lane - One side of road, Connecting or alternative route, Section Under Construction, Neighbourhood Cut-Through Walkways.”

You just got your workout but it was by using a computer mouse.

A better bet is the city's online Kelowna “On the Move” bike map. The printed version has a simple map of the main routes on one side and detailed biking info on the other side.

Even better is Tourism Kelowna's printed “Outdoor Guide,” covering Kelowna, Lake Country, West Kelowna and Peachland. It has a huge Kelowna map on one side, plus detailed maps of Knox Mountain, Black Mountain, Myra-Bellevue and Okanagan Mountain parks on the other.

Both printed versions are available at the Visitor Centre in downtown Kelowna.

Photo: City of Kelowna

The original concept for the Grand Okanagan Triangle route came from a city map posted online years ago showing connections between bike routes. It was deleted when the city website was subsequently updated and improved.

Here is the Sheriff's simple guide to the best trails:

• Grand Kelowna Triangle—20 kilometres. Absolutely three of the best Kelowna perspectives—waterfront, Okanagan Rail Trail and Mission Creek Greenway. (See map.)

• Okanagan Rail Trail—Flat, paved, 14 kilometres, downtown to Kelowna Airport (still has ancient Rails to Trails signs at Spall). Don't ask again about the ORT from the airport to Winfield. The Sheriff is just as frustrated as everyone else.

• Knox Mountain Park—There are so many trails in the city's largest wilderness park—Apex Trail from Ellis Street climbing to first lookout (Apex),the 1.5-kiometre Paul's Tomb Trail from the lookout down to Scenic Bay (best lake views are while descending) and Lochview Trail (rollercoaster to Clifton Road). (See Outdoor Guide map.)

• Paul's Tomb Trail from Poplar Point Drive—Limited parking but you get the entire waterfront path.

• Knox Mountain East—Trailhead on Granger Road, east of Clifton Road. Trails are only partially sign posted and joins the undeveloped Wilden wilderness trails. Call it exploratory.

• Brandts Creek Linear Park—3 kilometres. The best small creek walk or cycle in Kelowna. Numerous small parks, tennis courts, playgrounds, duck ponds from Summit Drive through North Glenmore.

• UBCO/Quail Ridge—UBCO Pine Loop, 1.7 kilometres. Quail Flume 3.3 kilometres. Eagle View loops back to Pine Loop (steep hill), an eagle nest opposite the power lineand the best area for arrowleaf balsamroot blooms in spring.

Photo: City of Kelowna

The city's online and printed Kelowna On the Move Bike Map has a simple map of main routes on one side and detailed biking info on the other side, including general bike resources, bike shops and rentals, and mountain bike and regional trails.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.