by Risti Lesperance • Regional Parks Services

2024 marks 50 years of regional parks in the Central Okanagan! That’s 50 years of forests, greenways, hikes, dog walks, playground adventures, habitat conservation, beach swims, and wild encounters. This anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on five decades of parks and to look ahead to what the future holds! This is the year to discover your new favourite hike and to be a champion for natural spaces and species in our region!
We acknowledge our presence on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded (land) of the syilx/ Okanagan people who have resided here since time immemorial. The regional parks system encompasses the area from Peachland to West Kelowna, Kelowna, and Lake Country and no matter where you live within the Central Okanagan, you’re within reach of a fantastic park experience! Hiking is a great way to explore park trails and we’ve compiled a list of hikes ranging from easy to difficult to inspire you and your family to explore in every season.
Easy, most family-friendly hikes:
Hardy Falls Regional Park in Peachland is one of the most stroller-friendly and wheelchair-accessible parks. Park at the trailhead on Hardy Street and follow Deep Creek upstream to a waterfall viewing platform. You’ll cross several wide, wooden foot bridges that offer views of the creek, a prime location in September during Kokanee salmon spawning season when salmon from Okanagan Lake return upstream to spawn. The trail is flat and wide and wonderfully shady in many places providing a cool walk on a hot day. Distance: trailhead to waterfall viewing platform and back 0.87 km. Total hike time: 30 minutes.
Gellatly Nut Farm Regional Park in West Kelowna is stroller-friendly and wheelchair-accessible. The trail through the historic nut orchard is flat and wide and takes you under the canopy of various nut trees and shrubs. Great horned owls are often spotted roosting in the branches of the chestnut trees! Please note that dogs are not allowed on the trail through the nut orchard, but dogs-on-leash are permitted on the waterfront trail. If you want to learn more about the Gellatly family, then take the short drive up the hill to Gellatly Heritage Regional Park which boasts a short and picturesque trail overlooking the bay. Distance: trail through the nut orchard 0.5 km. Total hike time: 30 minutes.
Woodhaven Nature Conservancy Regional Park takes you over the bridge into Kelowna. This park is small but mighty with four distinct ecosystems and roosting habitat for Western-screech owls, a threatened species whose only breeding ground in the interior is found in the Okanagan. The trail through Woodhaven is relatively flat, but can be somewhat narrow and bumpy in places, lending a touch of woodland wonder to your hike. Distance: loop trail through park 0.85 km. Total hike time: 45 minutes.
KLO Creek Regional Park is a wonderful gem of a park on McCulloch Road in Kelowna. The trail is just as lovely in the winter with snow-laden trees and the creek gurgling under the ice, as it is in the summer as dip your feet in the cooling water under the shade of Black cottonwoods. Follow the trail over small footbridges, past rock-climbing areas and into the canyon, marvelling at the towering rock walls! Distance: trailhead to park boundary and back 1.5 km. Total hike time: 1 hour.
Kaloya Regional Park in Lake Country is nestled on a peninsula jutting into the southern edge of Kalamalka Lake. There’s an easy, charming trail that follows the shoreline around the peninsula. Bring your bathing suits and go for a swim! Kalamalka Lake, also known as the lake of many colours, derives its turquoise hues from light scattering, caused by precipitation of calcium carbonate in the water. Distance: shoreline trail 0.84 km. Total hike time: 30 minutes.
Moderate hikes for adventurous families:
Trepanier Creek Greenway Regional Park above Peachland is a corridor that follows the creek to an old hydroelectric dam viewpoint. The trail is narrow and slopes down the bank to the creek in some places and in other places the trail winds through open woodland. Watch for bird species such as Pileated woodpeckers, Mountain bluebirds, and nut hatches. Distance: Trepanier Road trailhead to dam viewpoint and back 6 km. Total hike time: 2.5 hours.
Scenic Canyon Regional Park in Kelowna is a large park with two main trailheads, each offering a different experience. Trailhead #1: Start in the parking lot at Hollywood Road South and follow a meandering trail along Mission Creek, passing a grove of Western redcedars, crossing inviting metal foot bridges, and climbing a set of stairs to an upper grassland area. Watch for American dippers, a dark grey bird the size of a Robin. Dippers are North America’s only aquatic songbird, and you can often see them bobbing and dipping on the rocks along Mission Creek. Distance: Hollywood Road South trailhead to grasslands and back 4.5 km. Total hike time: 2 hours. Trailhead #2: At the opposite end of the park is the trailhead at Field Road, off McCulloch Road. If you’re looking for views of Layer Cake Mountain and Pinnacle Rock, then this is the hike for you! The trailhead is above the convergence of KLO Creek and Mission Creek; descend to the canyon bottom, and you’ll have the option to take a turn and pass over KLO Creek and go further upstream along Mission Creek, or you can stay on the main trail and continue downstream to caves known as the Rock Ovens. During the hike you’ll enjoy various perspectives of Layer Cake Mountain, a unique geological feature formed by cooling and pooling dacite rock. Distance: Field Road trailhead to Rock Ovens and back 3.5 km. Total hike time: 2 hours.
Johns Family Nature Conservancy Regional Park in the southern hills above Kelowna is a great hike to enjoy in the cool of a summer morning. The trail is exposed, opening to sweeping views of Okanagan Lake and the valley below. The trail takes you alongside the Crags, a popular rock-climbing destination, and passes through wetland areas where you can sometimes hear frogs or see birds such as Spotted towhees and Canyon wrens! Formerly known as Cedar Mountain Regional Park, this park was expanded and renamed in 2013 with the addition of a sizable land bequeath from siblings Nancy and Alfred Johns. Distance: Chute Lake Road trailhead to the Crags and back 3.3 km. Total hike time: 2 hours.
Black Mountain – Regional Park is a vast and varied park. We suggest that you start at the trailhead at Swainson Road, which can be accessed by turning off Highway 33 at Muir Road and then immediately turning onto McKenzie Road and following to Swainson. From there, you’ll enjoy a moderate hike, gradually ascending the trail into protected grasslands. There are several trail options, and you can enjoy the shorter Ephemeral Pond Trail or hop onto the Hoodoo Trail and over to the Coyote Trail. No matter what path you choose, you’ll be rewarded with undulating views of the grasslands and blue skies, interspersed with glimpses of Okanagan Lake and the city in the distance. Watch for curious coyotes keeping an eye on the trail and listen for the song of the Meadowlark. is a word that means the place where arrowheads/ flint is found. Distance: Swainson Road trailhead taking the Ephemeral Pond Trail and back 3.5 km. Total hike time: 2 hours.
Difficult hike for challenge-seekers:
Goats Peak Regional Park in West Kelowna is named for the Mountain goats whose shaggy white forms can sometimes be seen on nearby rocky slopes. There are two trailheads for this park, the trailhead on Seclusion Bay Road from which you’ll walk along a pedestrian-only road to access the park, and the trailhead on Whitworth Road. Both trailheads will get you to the same point and we recommend starting from Whitworth Road. From here you’ll immediately conquer a set of stairs and then steadily hike upwards to access the main trail. It’s a rocky trail through protected grasslands and a challenging climb up to the peak through open woodland. Your determination will be rewarded at the summit where you’ll take in sweeping views of Okanagan Lake and Rattlesnake Island. The park’s protected waterfront includes conservation areas for shore spawning Kokanee salmon. Distance: Whitworth Road trailhead to the summit and back 3.5 km. Total hike time: 2 hours.
Now choose your hike, lace up a pair of sturdy hiking boots and pack water and snacks for your crew. Wondering if a trailhead has an outhouse? Want to know if dogs-on-leash are allowed? Need directions to a parking lot? Looking for a park with a playground? Know before you go and visit rdco.com/pickapark for the most current park information. Park interpreters offer guided hikes year-round; if you prefer to hike with a guide then browse the schedule of upcoming hike dates: rdco.com/parkprograms. There are many ways to explore regional parks so make this the year that your family discovers their next favourite hike.
Risti Lesperance, BEd and Certified Interpretive Guide, is an educator and park interpreter who has been leading guided hikes, facilitating school programs, encountering local wildlife, and creating meaningful park experiences for 14 years with Parks Services at the Regional District of Central Okanagan. You can reach her at risti.lesperance@rdco.com.