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The forth day of our July 2019 vacation was a miserable rainy day. Since the rain was light we were able to grab some rain gear and do some exploring near downtown. Our first stop was hiking Paul’s Tomb Trail in Kelowna, B.C.
Paul’s Tomb Trail in Kelowna, B.C.
You might be asking is there really a tomb on this trail and who is Paul? As to your questions, I had the same questions and after some research I found that there is actually a family crypt for the Paul family.
Rembler Paul had the Crypt built near a secluded cove along Okanagan Lake close to modern downtown Kelowna, B.C. The crypt was built about a 100 yards back from the lake by George Patterson and his son James. The concrete vault was built to be 16 inches thick and Taylor Safe Works built the stool door with a combination lock. On the inside the shelves are supported by cement pillars and the shelves run the length of the crypt. The crypt is about 15 feet long and 9 feet wide. At its arch, the ceiling is 7 feet tall. The crypt was designed to hold eight coffins. The combination can be found in the files of the “The Royal Trust Company” in Vancouver. In 1971 the tomb was vandalized and a local contractor put 10 feet dirt in front of the entrance. Eventually this area became part of the city and was cleaned up and the arch is all that we can see of the tomb today. Just the date and the top of the arch is left. To see what the tomb entrance looked like before it was buried, check out the article, The Legendary Rembler Paul. There’s a lot of information about the Paul family, some old photos of Mr. and Mrs. Paul, photos of the cove.
Below is a link to my Gaia GPS tracking information. It tells us where we started, where we went and how hike was.
Who is Rembler Paul
From the time I first heard about Paul’s tomb I’ve been interested in wanting to know more. After some basic research I become even more interested in Rembler Paul.
According to Lynda Paul Doyle, the great grand daughter of Rembler Paul, in article she referred to him as “a generous, strong, confident character who was concerned with the humane treatment of animals. An eccentric, a cunning entrepreneur, an adventurous soul, a pioneer, a practised disciplinarian and was a good Conservative. Rembler Paul was a man who cared about his family.”
Rembler Paul was a veterinary surgeon for about 20 years and retired in 1879. He then become an adventurer and explored the north and west. He became involved with real estate and mining investments. He owned several gold mines, a silver mine, and a coal mine. He even did well as a stock trader and a money lender. At one time he owned over 3,000 acres near Regina, Saskatchewan where he owned horses and small farm animals and even grew 300 acres of grain. Then around 1883 he sold the land to incoming farmers.
In 1905 he settled in Kelowna and purchased 8 acres near downtown. In 1912 he built a summer home near where the current tomb now sits. To learn more about Rembler Paul, make sure to read the article by Lynda Paul Doyle.
Whose Buried in Paul’s Tomb?
In 1914 Mrs. Elizabeth Paul passed away from cancer and was laid to rest in the tomb. In 1916 Rembler Paul passed away will on a trip to Edmonton, Alberta. He was brought back to Kelowna and buried in the tomb. He was the second and the last to be buried in the tomb.
Hiking Paul’s Tomb Trail in Kelowna, B.C.
Hiking Paul’s Tomb Trail in Kelowna, B.C.
We did a mid morning hike from the parking area at the end of Poplar Dr. The parking area is very small and can accommodate maybe four cars. The trails is a wide multi person trail that has a good amount of local traffic. We found hiker, trail runners, and mountain biking on the trail.
I found the trail to be well kept, with chemical toilets a few minutes from the parking area at the end of Poplar Dr. and ton of scenic views along the way of both the lake and Knox Mountain.
Hiking the trail can be done in dry weather or in the rain. The trail is rock gravel and drains well. The difficulty level is easy and can completed by most people in less than hour. However you might want to take advantage of the cove and go for swim. If not you can take any of the side trails along the way. Some lead off to the Apex Trail and others connect to the surrounding neighborhoods.
At the end of the trail you will see the trail split off in different directions. Several go to the shore and another goes off to the neighborhood above and the final trails goes strait up to the tomb.
All that’s left of the tomb is the top arch with AD1910 stamped into the concrete. The gravel trail goes right up to the tomb.
This is a great trail for biking, running, hiking, and nature viewing. If you are looking for an easy trail with lake views that has some inclines and declines, Paul’s Tomb Trail is a great trail to explore.
About the Images
I shot the images with my Sony a6000 using my Sony SELP18105G E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS by hand. The images were shot on a gloomy rainy day. The images were then edited with Adobe Lightroom CC and Topaz Labs A.I. Clear and DXO NIK Collection to clean up the images, remove noise, and recover the lost details.
About James
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