7 easy adventures in Kelowna: beyond the beaches and wineries

Known for its wine and California vibes, Kelowna summers tend to revolve around lake days and tasting rooms. Point in fact—I’ve lived here seven years and we always hit a beach and go wine touring when guests come to town. 

But I recently discovered a few new-to-me activities—and tried a couple of old standbys a different way — during a staycation at Kelowna’s oldest resort, the historic Hotel Eldorado. It was a good reminder of why my family moved here: easy access to nature and all of the pursuits that are possible when wildlife, water and forest trails are close at hand. 

Here are some ideas for adventuring beyond the beach this summer.

Birdwatch at Robert Lake

North of town, Robert Lake Regional Park packs a lot of birdlife into its two hectares of water ringed by cattails and bulrushes. 

“Every morning you come here is different,” said Kalin Ocaña, a bird expert and interpreter with the Regional District of Central Okanagan. “You just never know what’s going to drop in.”

On a spring morning we saw yellow-headed blackbirds calling from the bulrushes, American coots waddling across a grassy field, and male Ruddy ducks blowing bubbles through their bright blue bills in an effort to impress the ladies. 

Those were just a few of 296 bird species Ocaña has spotted there—the highest species total of anywhere in Kelowna. Other good birding spots include Rotary Mark Park downtown and “Secret” Beach where Mission Creek empties into Okanagan Lake.

Stargaze at a Nocturnal Preserve

High above the city, the Johns Family Nature Conservancy protects 162 hectares of land that was donated by Kelowna residents Alfred and Nancy Johns in 2013. Now a popular hiking and rock climbing spot, the park was named Canada’s third Nocturnal Preserve by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 2023. 

“We’re learning more and more how important it is to have dark skies. Animals need these sorts of spaces,” said park interpreter Rose Maunder on an evening walk to appreciate twilight far from city light pollution. The Nocturnal Preserve designation means the park is committed to preserving darkness, and works to reduce or eliminate artificial light. On clear nights gazers can see thousands of stars. 

The Regional District of Central Okanagan offers night programs in the park in the spring and fall, and will be leading a full moon hike there on July 18.

Paddle on Okanagan Lake

Early in the morning, before jet skiers and splashing youngsters take over the water, Okanagan Lake is a glassy surface perfect for paddling. I set out in a kayak from the private beach shared between the Manteo and Eldorado resorts, and glided north past Rotary Beach Park and Boyce-Gyro Beach Park, one of only two boats on the water.

More ambitious kayakers can tackle part of Kelowna’s 27 kilometre long paddle trail that passes three lakeside resorts, two bird sanctuaries and numerous beaches. Regular buoys mark distances and alert paddlers to beach access points where they can rest or stop for a swim.  

Kayak and paddle boards can be rented from the Eldorado Marina from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the summer.  

Cycle Myra Canyon

I’ve pedalled through Kelowna’s most popular tourist attraction a number of times, but never with a guide. Ben Vos with Myra Canyon Bike Tours led our small group over 18 train trestles and through two tunnels on this flat, scenic stretch of the Kettle Valley Rail (KVR) Trail as it curves around steep Myra Canyon.

Thanks to Vos, I learned that the “viewing platforms” on the longer trestles were used to hold water barrels in case a steam locomotive sparked a fire back when the recreational pathway was a railway. Vos also took us through a historic KVR work camp and talked about the hardships faced by railway workers, including a diet of mostly bread that was baked in still visible rock ovens. 

The family-run business also rents out bicycles, adult trikes and dual bikes for self-guided riding, and reserving ahead during summer is recommended. E-bikes are not part of the company’s arsenal.

“I want it to be more like slow travel,” said Vos, who encourages visitors to stop for pictures and views along the way.

Learn about indigenous plants

I knew that powder from the bark of an aspen tree could be rubbed onto skin as a natural sunscreen, but the fact that red willow bark can be turned into a pain-relieving tea (the inspo for aspirin) was news to me on a Traditional syilx Plant Use Walking Tour organized monthly by Kelowna Museums. 

Syilx knowledge keeper Jasmine Peone led our small group through Rotary Marsh Park downtown where native plant species like wild rose, western red cedar, frog leaf, red willow and Oregon grape all grow in abundance. With a great blue heron looking on, she showed us plants that can be eaten (rose petals), turned into medicinal teas (burdock, rose hips), or used to make everything from fish traps (red willow) to axe handles (black hawthorn). 

“You never know how nature might inspire you!” she said. Indeed!

Hike up a volcano

On a busy summer morning, Apex Trail in Knox Mountain Park can feel like the Grouse Grind. But locals know the best views are from the top of the city’s extinct volcanoes, and Knox—the closest to downtown—delivers the biggest reward for lake and city vistas. 

The Okanagan Valley is a small rift valley that formed when tectonic plates pulled apart and released magma that formed a range of volcanoes. They have eroded over millions of years into the rounded humps of Mount Boucherie in West Kelowna, Spion Kop in Lake Country, and Knox, Dilworth and Black mountains in Kelowna. All are hikeable.

I trek to the top of Knox every spring when the yellow Okanagan sunflowers are blooming; in summer, get an early start to beat the heat or plan to cool off in the lake post-hike.

E-bike the new Boucherie pathway

Hitting a few wineries on an e-bike isn’t new, but the Boucherie bike route is. The new 4.8-kilometre mulit-use pathway alternates between paved and crushed gravel sections and connects quite a few wineries on Boucherie Road along the Westside Wine Trail, including family-owned Volcanic Hills Winery and valley mainstay Quails’ Gate, celebrating 35 years this summer. 

New Heybike e-bikes were waiting for us outside of Grizzli Winery, thanks to a drop off by Lakeside Eco-Sports. The sustainability-minded company offers e-bike tours and also rents out the scooter-like conveyances—complete with a throttle that makes pedalling obsolete—in two-hour increments. 

After a quick lesson on how to use them, we set off toward Quails’ Gate. As a bonus, the e-bikes’ panniers can hold up to 12 bottles of wine (and throttle mode lets you effortlessly zoom back up the hill to Grizzli). Naturally, I purchased a few bottles to take home with me, and to sip between summer adventures.