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Hiking and Walking Trails |
| The North Okanagan abounds with hiking opportunities. We have places for casual family walks and strolls to hikes that tax even the most avid outdoorsman. This list is intended as only a rough outline of some options. |
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Allan Brooks Nature Centre |
| Is definitely worth an afternoon - they often have scheduled walks with a naturalist accompanying the group. |
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Cool's Pond |
| A charming pond in a rural neighborhood with a viewing platform and interpretive signs. |
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BX Falls and BX Creek |
Slip into another world for a cool moist reprieve from the dry hillsides of bunchgrass and Ponderosa Pine. This trail offers several optional a quick trip for a view of BX Falls, or stay on the high real for a level easier jaunt to a view back to the Falls.
If you want more, retrace your footsteps from the viewpoint to the trail junction, drop steeply down to the bottom of the valley to experience the humid world of birch trees, Devil's Club, horsetail, and cedar at the base of the falls. From the bottom of the falls, follow the Creekside trail to Star Road. En route, the creek reveals evidence of agricultural logging history of the North Okanagan. Watch for the remains of a dam, flumes, & channels that fed BX Creek, water into the Grey Canal irrigation system. This will take 1 - 1.5 hrs of walking, double the time to return to the trailhead off Tillicum Rd. An informal trail between Star Rd and Silver Star Rd will bring you to the trailhead for the Grey Canal described above. |
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Vernon Commonage |
| Walk along Mission Road to reach the Allan Brooks Nature Centre for excellent viewing of important raptors in their habitats. The road continues to overlook several ponds rich with interesting waterfowl and shorebirds. |
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Silver Star Provincial Park |
| a system of trails wind through sub-alpine forest along slopes filled with seasonal flowers and historic sites. For information, call or visit the website. |
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Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park |
| Many trails through bunchgrass meadows, along cliffs; and Douglas Fir forests overlooking Kal Lake. Clean attractive beaches are great for swimming after a hike. Signs interpret the local flora and fauna. (250) 545-1560 or website |
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Ellison Provincial Park |
| Two trails explore forest and the cliffs overlooking Okanagan Lake. For more information, phone 1-250-545-9943 (Apr - Oct) or website. |
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Kekuli Provincial Park |
| A small park located on Kalamalka Lake with short easy graded trails around the campground and beach area. For more information, call 1-250-545-8874 or website. |
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Bluenose |
| Hike time: 2hrs, Distance: 5km, Difficulty: easy Elev. Gain: 200m From Polson Park, drive east on Hwy 6 (toward Lumby) fro 12.2km, turn right on Learmouth Rd, continue to the T-intersection, turn left, then right into Aberdeen Lake Road. Continue 4km to a cleared area on the left. The hiking sign near the road is the trailhead. |
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Camel's Hump |
| Hike time: 2hrs, Distance: 3kms, Difficulty: moderate, Elev. Gain: 300m. From Polson Park, drive east on Hwy 6, approx. 1km east of Lumby, turn right a the Creighton Valley Rd. Continue 16.25 kms, turn left into a logging access road with a cattleguard. This is private land and the road is rough but passable with a vehicle with good clearance. The next 7 km take you past Clier Lake, through a clearing and to the centre of a second clearing. Here a depression filled with water in spring & summer force you to stop and park. Cross the wet area and locate the trailhead marked with a hiking sign. |
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Mt. Rose & Mt. Swanson |
| Hike time: 3 hrs, Distance: 7kms, Difficulty: moderate Elev. Gain: 300m From Polson Park, drive north on Hwy 97 to Armstrong and turn left at the lights on the Hwy. At the T-intersection, turn right, then left at the next T-intersection, follow Pleasant Valley Blvd, turn right onto Bridge St, left onto Wood Ave. Follow Wood until you meet Salmon Valley Rd. on your right. Follow Salmon Valley Rod to Hallom Rd, then left onto Chamberlain Rd for 2km, through 2 deep bends and to a fork in the road. Turn L, watch for the trailhead sign about 500m to the left. |
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The Grey Canal Trail |
British Columbia's longest irrigation channel, the Grey Canal, once sustained orchards and small agricultural plots throughout these valleys. The builders used open ditches formed concrete sections, trestled metal sheets, flumes, valve boxes and any means available to direct the flow of irrigation water from Aberdeen Lake along its 50 km course. Smaller sources of water, such as BX Creek were also connected to the canal to contribute to the volume of water needed for agriculture.
The Grey Canal Trail recognizes the irrigation system as a fundamental ingredient of our heritage. The trial follows the canal alignment over 4.5 km of its course. The major trailhead is just off the Silver Star Road, 1.2 kms beyond BX School. This is not a looping trail, so select a section or series and double the distance to acknowledge the roundtrip:
- Silver Star to Rugg Rd (1.6 kms) fairly easy and allows dogs;
- Rugg Rd to McLennan Rd (1.2 kms) uneven trail surface, narrow track through the trees;
- McLennan to McKoryk Rd (1.1) follows Grey Canal for a short section, fabulous views;
- McKoryk to Glenhayes (1.2 kms) varied with changes in elevation, narrow uneven trail surface, steep slopes. |
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A little further for a walk |
.... but the hiking is quite spectacular
Enderby Cliffs - Be sure to ask directions for the head of the trails at the Information centre - you should be prepared for some exertion for this climb but the views are magnificent.
Monashee Provincial Park - Accessible only by foot, this park offers pristine trails through beautiful old growth cedar, hemlock and spruce forests with untouched watersheds, even beautiful alpine meadows at higher elevations.
Okanagan High Rim Trail - 50 km wilderness trail follows the crest of the mountain ridge on the east side of the valley from Vernon to Mission Creek on Hwy 33 - east of Kelowna. |
