By Risti Lesperance, Certified Interpretive Guide • Regional Parks Services
Let the Visitor Services team at Regional Parks be your starting point for exploring the outdoors. Every season offers natural wonders to enjoy and with a little preparation and a sense of adventure, you and your family can embrace the outdoors in accessible ways for every level of outdoor enthusiast. Each regional park has unique experiences any time of the year, and to help you explore we’ve made seasonal park recommendations below. Discover your family’s new favourite park trail and be an advocate for natural spaces and species in our region!
We acknowledge our presence on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded tm̓xʷúlaʔxʷ (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!
Spring:
sntsk’il’ntən – Black Mountain Regional Park is a vast and varied park. We suggest that you start at the trailhead at Swainson Road, off of McKenzie Road. From there, you’ll enjoy a moderate hike, gradually ascending the trail into protected grasslands that will be blooming with spring wildflowers such as lupin. 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 open sky, with glimpses of Okanagan Lake and the city in the distance. Listen for the song of the Meadowlark. sntsk’il’ntən is a nsyilxcən 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 walking time: 2 hours.
Kalamoir Regional Park is a waterfront park in West Kelowna with trails that follow the shoreline and then take you up to spectacular views of the lake. The sun-exposed hillsides of this park come alive with Arrowleaf balsamroot in the spring, and you don’t want to miss it! Enter this park from Collens Hill Road and then head out on the Sunnyside Trail and Upper Rim Trail for a walk that will take you up and over the park before bringing you back down to the lake. There will be many wildflowers, birds, and pollinating insects to marvel at. Distance: main parking lot along the Sunnyside Trail and Upper Rim Trail and back 3km. Total walking time: 1.5 hours.
Summer:
Scenic Canyon Regional Park in Kelowna is a large park that encompasses the upper reaches of the Mission Creek Greenway. Starting at the trailhead at Field Road, off McCulloch Road, the trail in this park follows Mission Creek and meanders through canyon woodlands, offering cool and shady respite on a hot day. If you’re looking for views of Layer Cake Mountain and Pinnacle Rock, then this is the adventure for you! Listen for summer insects, such as the cicada, which will be buzzing in the trees. Along the way, 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. Distance: Field Road trailhead to rock ovens and back 3.5 km. Total walking time: 2 hours.
Bertram Creek Regional Park is a summertime favourite. Pack a picnic and plan to make a day of it! The beach is rocky and clean with a floating platform that the kids can swim out to. There are washroom and changeroom facilities, a pier, picnic tables, a playground, grassy areas perfect for spreading your blanket, plenty of trees and shady areas, and even a volleyball court. Deer can be seen enjoying the park and if you’re there at sunset you may even see the bats come out to swoop over the lawn and the lake. If you haven’t been to Bertram Creek yet, then prepare to fall in love with this waterfront haven. Distance: easy walking to the beach and playground from both the lower parking lot and the upper parking lot.
Fall:
Hardy Falls Regional Park in Peachland is one of the most stroller-friendly and wheelchair-accessible regional 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. Distance: trailhead to waterfall viewing platform and back 0.9 km. Total walking time: 30 minutes.
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: trailhead to dam viewpoint and back 4 km. Total walking time: 2.5 hours.
Winter:
KLO Creek Regional Park is a wonderful gem of a park on McCulloch Road in Kelowna. The trail is lovely in the winter with snow-laden trees and the creek gurgling under the ice. Along the way, you’ll encounter Black cottonwoods, Western redcedars, and Western yews. 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 walking time: 1 hour.
Glen Canyon Regional Park offers more of a challenge, with several sets of stairs as you ascend the trail up through the canyon alongside Powers Creek. Starting at the trailhead on Gellatly Road South, the trail stretches through the trees and offers views of unique geological features. We recommend that you follow the trail until you reach the bridge that spans across the canyon, high above the creek and waterfalls below. Watch for the American dipper bobbing and swimming in the creek; it’s a non-migratory aquatic songbird, dark grey and about the size of a robin. The dipper loves to plunge into icy cold waters in search of insects and rearing salmon to eat. When venturing on trails in the winter, it’s a good idea to pack a pair of traction devices, such as Yaktrax, for each member of your crew in case of icy and slippery sections. Distance: trailhead to bridge and back 3 km. Total walking time: 1.5 hours.
You’ve picked your park destination but not sure what to bring? Most likely you already have everything you need to hit the trails. Sturdy footwear, weather appropriate clothing (cool, breathable fabrics in warm months and water resistant, insulating layers in cold months), SPF, a first aid kit, water and snacks for the crew will help you explore safely and comfortably. Want to know if dogs on-leash are allowed? Need directions to a trailhead? Looking for a park with a playground? Know before you go and visit rdco.com/pickapark for the most current park information. If you prefer to explore with a guide, then browse the schedule of upcoming programs offered by our Visitor Services team and register today: rdco.com/parkprograms.
Risti Lesperance, 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 16 years with Parks Services at the Regional District of Central Okanagan.