On our recent trip to Kelowna, BC we had all sorts of places in mind we wanted to go to thanks to friends giving us suggestions. One place that kept being recommended to us was Knox Mountain Park. We didn’t have a whole lot of time there but it was just right for us to go hiking with kids.
LEAVE THE ROAD AND TAKE THE TRAIL
If you are able to, I’d suggest going as early in the day as you can to avoid the summer heat. If you can’t, be sure to bring water with you! There are actually a couple of different paths you can take. The one we heard the most about and took was Paul’s Tomb, we didn’t go all the way to where the actual tomb is located thanks to the hot weather. We did love the viewpoints we did made it to.
Currently, due to the fire ban, you can only drive up to the second parking lot. If you are wanting to go to the summit, be prepared to hike uphill. It’s also nice to see that they are limiting vehicle traffic as the area has several different Okanagan ecosystems. This provides a great learning opportunity for kids because within this one area of Knox Mountain Park you have lakeshore to mountain top with all sorts of things in between. It would be horrible if something were to happen there.
A FAMILY-FRIENDLY HIKE IN KELOWNA, BC
This place is definitely a favourite for locals and tourists. Jason kept talking about how amazing it would be to live in the area and go hiking there each day in the summer and then jump in the water of the lake right after. I really appreciated that trails are designated to certain uses. Mountain bikers are to stay on designated biking or shared use trails, hikers are to stay on hiking or shared use trails. It means we didn’t have to worry about our kids getting hit by a mountain biker.
The park itself is 310 hectares with the summit rising about 300 metres above the water level of Okanagan Lake. You cannot miss the views looking out across the water! The girls managed without much complaint; a rock in a shoe caused one of them to not be so happy. Paul’s Tomb Hike has very little incline which also made it easy on our beginning hikers.
If you’re looking for a moderate to difficult hike on Knox Mountain, try the Apex Trail. You’ll have steep inclines on that one, but some extraordinary views of the city and valley down below. We definitely hope to go back, bring a picnic and do more exploring the next time we are in Kelowna, hopefully without a time restrain too.
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What a beautiful place to visit! It makes me miss living in a place with mountains!
This hike looks incredible! When I saw the pictures I was really hoping it wasn’t Canada lol. I guess I just have to go to Canada now to see it haha.
What a beautiful place to hike! We love hiking with our daughters too!
I love hiking with my kids. I wish we lived closer to this area.