A top list of West Kelowna Home Builder James Zeleznik’s favourite outdoor spots.
Here in the Okanagan Valley, the spring and summer months offer some pleasingly warm weather. Hiking is one of my favourite pastimes, and the surrounding region is not shy of picturesque places to visit. Dense forests, rolling meadows, vast valleys, and massive alpines are all to be found. Many lakes and creeks provide these landscapes with rich green trees and blooming wildflowers. One would be hard pressed to find such a plethora of alluring hiking trails more stunning than the ones found in the Okanagan Valley. Here is a brief list detailing some of my favourite trails to trek.
Spion Kopie
Starting from West Kelowna, I’d say it takes about an hour to arrive at one of the most beautiful and accessible mountain tops in the Okanagan Valley. The Walk Around Lake Country (WALC) group has developed the 880 acres into a series of well marked trails, offering a scenic view of the Lake Country district of Kelowna. The Spion Kopie Hiking Trails range in various degrees of difficulty, but tend to be more challenging for the average person. There are a total of five trails in the region: Arrowleaf, Paintbrush, Ridgeline, Tower, and Lupine. You can access these trails from two different trail heads, Raven Ridge and Upper Lakes. Funded by local organization WALC, these trails are a must for any hiking enthusiast.
McDougall Rim
The McDougall Rim is a small series of trails that offer stunning views of Kelowna, West Kelowna, the Okanagan Lake and Hayman Lake. The Interior Perimeter Trail is roughly 20km, so be prepared to spend about 4 – 6 hours out there. The same goes for The Exterior Perimeter Trail, which is also about 20km. The Hayman Lake Loop Trail, at roughly 15km, is a bit easier. All 3 start with a steep incline, however, the eventually start to plateau as you enter patches of woodland. If you’re looking for Okanagan hiking trails, this West Kelowna spot offers challenging climbs whose peak views and scenery will not disappoint.
Zoa Peak
Drive along the Coquihalla highway towards the summit and turn off onto Falls Lake Road. Eventually you will discover one the most accessible and fun hikes in the Okanagan Valley, the Zoa Peak Trail. Looking northwest from atop the peak you can see the Zuma Peak with the Vicuna and Alpaca Peaks draped behind. If you look southwest, you’ll find views of Mt. Baker and The Anderson Peaks. Plan for an adventure, because the 9km hike, plus the 2 hour drive in and out will surely pack your day with a stunning outdoor experience.
Monashee
The Monashee Provincial Park In Cherryville is home to some of the most beautiful Okanagan Valley hiking trails. The Little Peters Trail, which takes you around Spectrum Lake (located at the foot of Mt. Fosthall), is one of my personal favourites. The Rainbow Falls waterfall in Monashee is a striking design of cascading water. From Cherryville, you want to drive northwest on Highway 6 then quickly get onto N Fork Road. Along with hiking, this area is great for camping and fishing. So instead of just planning for the day, you might want to plan your whole weekend around spending some time in Monashee.
You should always exercise a certain degree of caution before heading out on a hike. Many of the trails I discussed can be quite strenuous at times. Always be well versed in how to deal wildlife encounters, and make sure to wear the proper clothing (especially footwear). I know I only provided fairly broad directions to each trail, but I highly recommend using Google Maps, or any other GPS service to locate these areas. For further research on the Okanagan Valley hiking region I suggest using hikingaddiction.ca or env.gov.bc.ca. All in all, have fun and enjoy the scenery, you can’t get much better than those Okanagan Valley hiking trails.
Got a challenging Okanagan Valley hiking trail to share with James Zeleznik? Leave us a comment below and let him know! The Okanagan Valley is full of adventures and he would love to hear about yours!
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