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| Welcome to British Columbia! |
To hike and bike the area around scenic Kelowna, British Columbia!
The campground…
Canyon Farms RV Park is unique and special family-owned campground. Lesley and her sidekick border collie, Jake, were there to greet us and make us feel welcome. “Peaceful and serene, surrounded by nature, yet just 15 minutes from downtown Kelowna".
It is “an agri-tourism farm tucked away on the ridge of rural East Kelowna” with only 8 sites. We made reservations last year when we discovered it in our search of the area. Even though it was early in the travel year, they were full during our time there.
Our site was a level pull through, surrounded by flowers and grape vines. We had full hookups, good wi-fi, and good satellite signal. The only negative was that due to high runoff, they recommended boiling of drinking water. It happens every spring.
Lesley delivered fresh free-range eggs every other day. They’d be waiting on the picnic table for us when we got up. The one morning, I opened the door, Jake was there waiting too. I had a lot of fun playing fetch with him. And Arleen had fun feeding the chickens our vegetable scraps. At other times of the year, campers can buy poultry, fresh vegetables, berries and fruits from Lesley.
Both Lesley and her husband Mike spent time with us discussing our plans and making suggestions to ensure we fully enjoy the incredible area.
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| We had full hook-ups and were very comfortable at Canyon Farms RV Park |
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| Feeding the chickens |
Jake, the farm dog, was awesome. We put food scraps in the bucket to feed the chickens. We got fresh eggs a couple of times during our stay.
Nearby towns…Kelowna, Okanagan for “Grizzly Bear”, has a population of nearly 200,000; the third-largest metropolitan area in the province, and sits at 1,129 feet.
The scenic city of Kelowna is cut in half by the Okanagan Lake, which is 84 miles long and about 3 miles wide. It is a clear fjord lake and was carved out by repeated glaciations.
To add to the beauty, the entire Okanangan Valley is back-dropped by three mountain ranges: “the Columbia Mountains, a range of the Rockies, and comprised of the Purcell, Selkirk, Monashee and Cariboo sub-ranges lay to the east of the Okanagan Valley; the Cascade Mountains, specifically the Okanagan, Hozameen and Skagit ranges, form the south-western border; and the Coastal Mountains are to the west”.
“Orchards and vineyards thrive within a 10-minute drive from the downtown core. The Spring, Summer and Fall Wine Festivals offer hundreds of activities focused on wine making, tasting and touring.”
“Kelowna’s downtown area features a concentration of galleries, museums, theatres, a casino, artists’ studios, fine dining, and unique shops. Prospera Place, home to the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League, attracts major entertainers, events, and is also located in the heart of the city.”
We were here for the outdoor recreation that the Kelowna area is known for. We first came to the Okanagan Valley to ski at Big White ten years ago. We said then that we wanted to return during the summer to thoroughly explore the area.
“In summer, boating, golf, hiking and biking are popular, and in winter, both Alpine skiing and Nordic skiing are favorite activities at the nearby Big White and Silver Star ski resorts.”
Adventures...
Hikes from our home base...
The Misison Creek Greenway slices 10 miles through southeastern Kelowna and includes the Scenic Canyon Regional Park. It was just a short couple hundred yards from where we stayed. Most evenings we walked a two mile loop through the upper canyon with views of the creek and falls.
Throughout Scenic Canyon there is a network of four trails that meander to different points of interest. One morning we set out to explore the Rock Ovens.
The ovens are caves formed from the high waters along Mission Creek eroding the volcanic rock. “The largest cave is stained with a black film, presumably from smoke. For this reason it is believed to have been used as an outdoor oven by Chinese placer gold miners, perhaps as early as 1859.”
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| Two walk routes from the RV park through the Mission Creek Greenway |
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| The entrance to the Mission Creek Greenway |
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| We always enjoy trails through Ponderosa forests |
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| This pretty waterfall was the goal on our first hike |
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| The goal on our second hike was the Rock Ovens |
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| Balsamroot flowers and a Ponderosa |
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| A couple of the Rock Ovens and Mission Creek |
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| Checking out the really cool rock formations |
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| A great place to relax! |
Knox Mountain Park, at 766 acres, is the city’s largest park and it is located just north of the bustling downtown area. “The summit of Knox Mountain rises approximately 1,000 feet above the high water level of Okanagan Lake."
“The lake borders most of the western park boundary; much of the remaining boundary is surrounded by residential development. Views to the park from the City and views from the park of the City, lake, and surrounding mountains are unparalleled. The original parcel of parkland was first dedicated to the City in 1939.”
The park consists of “forest and grassland and contains a variety of wildlife, such as deer, birds, an occasional grizzly bear and Kokanee salmon that spawn along the lakeshore adjacent to the park.”
“There are 10 trails in the park of varying length and difficulty, providing views of both Kelowna and Okanagan Lake. There are two lookout points, including the mountain's summit, which can be reached by car.”
We parked out on Broadway Avenue where there was plenty of free parking and room for our truck. We set out on the paved and winding Apex trail joining countless other Kelownans enjoying the perfect Sunday weather. The trail pitched up immediately but we were able to catch our breath when we stopped to take in the view of the bright Arrowleaf Balsam Root (the city flower) blooming against the backdrop of the dazzling lake below. With each switchback the view widened and transformed.
Just before the summit, we walked to an overlook. From here, we had a grand view of the fjord to the north. We could imagine that we had been transported to Norway.
The summit was crowded with those that had driven to the top and now were taking a little stroll around the network of trails at the top. We quickly escaped and dropped down to the Pavilion trail running along the ridge to the east boundary. This was the quiet part of the park and we only saw a few other hikers. We took a left on the Ogopogo trail that dropped steadily to the Paul’s Tomb trail.
Here a number of dog walkers and stroller pushers were doing out-and-back strolls. It was easy to see this park is fully utilized and loved by the locals. We ended up making a perfect 4.5 mile loop and climbed just over 1,200 feet.
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| Hike route up Knox Mountain |
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| That’s where we’re going |
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| It was like walking through a bouquet |
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| Climbing higher above the shimmering lake |
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| Learning about the area |
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| Looking up the north arm of Okanagan Lake |
“Mount Boucherie is the remnants of a former stratovolcano created nearly 60 million years ago. Six different glacial periods over the past 50 million years have eroded the volcano to produce Mount Boucherie. Though it now only rises 1,368 feet above the nearby lake level, it is estimated to once have had an elevation of 6,562 feet or more.”
It stands out in West Kelowna as a steep bluff on the other side of the river. There are a couple of ways to approach Mount Boucherie. We approached from the west side and parked near the ball fields and a trail head. A flat trail led us to the base of Rush Trail.
Rush Trail consists of over 20 switchbacks that climb a mile and a half and about 1,000 feet to an overlook. The trail is never overly steep but is definitely a good aerobic workout.
We met a number of locals that do the trail regularly. That’s how we found out that the recently placed picnic table at the top is a memorial for a local firefighter. It is in the perfect spot for a picnic.
From the overlook, we continued along the ridge. The trail gets sketchy here as there is a network of trails crisscrossing but they all seemed to join up. The Rush trail up had been in great shape but on the ridge we had to climb over rocky areas and watch our footing across the top.
After a mile, we came to the east overlook. Here we had a great view of downtown Kelowna and Knox Mountain. After admiring the view, we backtracked. We had wanted to take a different way back but did not trust the mire of trails that were not clearly signed.
Still, we are just amazed at the quality of hiking that is available right in town!
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| Hike route up Mount Boucherie |
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| Headed up the trail |
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| Looking towards Kelowna |
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| Looking south and hoping that shower wouldn’t get us |
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| Very peaceful |
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Looking towards Kelowna and the north arm
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We had read about the Myra Canyon Trestles Rails-to-Trails a number of years ago and it was one of the reasons were in Kelowna. Recent reports indicated there was still snow on the trail so we waited for our last day hoping that it would melt.
“The Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) was constructed between 1910 and 1916. The KVR was constructed to move the production of the rich silver and copper mines of the West Kootnays and the Boundary District and agricultural produce of the Okanagan to the coast via a direct southern route. The average cost per mile was $50,000(C). Myra Canyon is a spectacular 5 mile section of the KVR that contains 18 trestles and two tunnels.”
“The decline of the KVR started in 1961 with the permanent closure of the Coquihalla line. Removal of tracks started in 1973 and most of the rails were removed by 1979.”
“From 1993 to 1995, under the leadership and direction of the Myra Canyon Trestle Restoration Society, individual volunteers, service clubs, school groups, and small and large corporate businesses of the Okanagan joined together to deck and handrail the trestles for the safety of all visitors to the Canyon.”
We parked at the Myra Station. It was about 15 miles from Kelowna. About half of that was up a dirt road with some washboard but it was not a problem in our truck.
We hopped on our bikes and eagerly hit the trail. As soon as we approached the first trestle we noticed that Myra Canyon is a very steep “U” shaped canyon. We saw trestle after trestle lining the far side. As we rode across the trestle it made the thump-thump-swoosh sound similar to a train. The faster we rode, the more of a swoosh sound it made!
The trail itself is hard-packed dirt so our bikes and bodies handled it pretty well. There were a few mud puddles, remnants of the melting snow. And there was snow in the shady areas on the north side of the canyon. But we were able to get up speed and punch through!
The temperature was significantly colder in the tunnels. And it was hard to see with sunglasses on.
We rode 7 miles to Ruth Station, stopping along the way to take pictures and to admire the engineering marvel. We saw a few other cyclists and a number of walkers out enjoying the gorgeous day. It was just as fun on the ride back!
This route will always stand out as one of our most memorable Rails-to-Trails rides.
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| Route for our awesome bike ride across the Myra Canyon Trestles |
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| One of our favorite rides! |
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| Interesting info about the Kettle Valley Railway |
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| It’s amazing that this was built. |
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| Riding across the trestles is a lot of fun |
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| See Kelowna far below in the distance? |
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| This is the highest trestle, nearly 160ft high |
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| It was so cool riding through a dark tunnel and onto a trestle |
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| There were a few short stretches of snow and mud |
We detoured to Roundup MT to help Arleen’s mom and then had two great weeks near Whitefish MT. Now we are in St Mary MT exploring the east side of Glacier National Park. Next we head to Pincher Creek AB to explore Waterton National Park.
Parting shots...
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| A golf course surrounded by fruit trees. The trees started blooming as we left. |
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| Still freezing on 1 May |
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| “Come on ladies. Let’s go for a ride!” |
(237,300)
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