Hiking Mission Creek Greenway in Kelowna, B.C.

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During our family trip in early July 2019 we were able to hike Mission Creek Greenway in Kelowna, B.C. That day we explored a well used minor trail that leads to a waterfall. After that, we werethen off to the Rock Oven Caves along Mission Creek.

Mission Creek Greenway in Kelowna, B.C.

Kelowna has a lot of public, private, and unofficial hiking trails in the surrounding areas. Figuring out exactly what trail we were on was difficult. My wife’s parents called the trail we were on Mission Creek and technically were on the trails at Mission Creek.

After some research the trails were on were part of the Scenic Canyon Regional Park Trail System along Mission Creek Greenway area. The trail system has at least five trails marked by trail signs. I believe one trail was closed for repairs. That particular trail has some great views of Layer Cake Mountain. According to Alltrails.com, the trail system is 4 miles a long with elevation gain of 669 feet. My guess is the trails if hiked completely will be longer than that. Plus many of the trails in the Scenic Canyon Regional Trail System connect to other trails.

Hiking Greek Greenway in Kelowna, B.C.

The area we explored was Mission Creek Greenway in the Phase II area. We were there only a few hours but this park could be an all day adventure.

The first trail we took was a side trail that follows KLO Creek and dead ends at a waterfall. It looks like the waterfall is sits at an abandon train trestle footing. The side trail took about 30 minutes to complete there and back.

Once back at the Field Road parking area we took the trail entrance that lead us to down to the creek via switchbacks. At the first switchback you will find one of the old abandoned ranger’s log cabins. These abandoned cabins can be found in various parks where the government no longer fund rangers living within the cabin.

We then followed Saskatoon Trail enjoying the wooded trail that had variety of wild flowers and Saskatoon Berries that were in season and could be picked (we didn’t). In the distance you can hear Mission Creek and see Layer Cake Mountain.

Eventually, we came to a split in the trail with an option to take another trail. Off to the left of the new trail we found a trail head sign with maps and the name of the trail. We had planned to take this trail at least a part of the way. But unfortunately it was closed and we do not know when it will open again (Closed as of July 3rd, 2019). From the maps and from our family that lives in the area says its has some close up views of Layer Cake Mountain.

If you need a break, there’s a nice new bench that faces Layer Cake Mountain.

So we continued on down the trail for a ways until we found another side trail. This little trail is a short trail that leads down to the edge of Mission Creek. Its a great little area to take a break or play in the water if the water levels are low.

Once back on the trail, we continued passed the trail split. With a trail marker pointing in the direction to go if we wanted to continue on the Mission Creek Greenway trail or continue on to the Oven Rack Caves. We choose to take this trail. Its a short beautiful trail that takes you along the base of the cliff and Rock Oven Caves and Mission Creek. The trail continues past the caves but dead ends at the bend in the creek. I read on another site that the trail continues along the creek and through the water. I looked for a continuation of the trail I didn’t find any signs of a trail. Once finished, we back tracked to the cars.

We traveled 3 and half miles and didn’t come close to completing the trails that day. We were at Mission Creek Greenway for just over 2 hours and as I mentioned before I could see easily make a day trip out exploring the area.

My Review of Mission Creek Greenway Trails

The trails are in great shape but have a few spots with loose rocks on the trail. I would suggest giving a few days after heavy rains. during our hike we didn’t really have to deal with heavy incline or declines. The parking area is at the top of the canyon and you have take some switchbacks down to the bottom. This is an easy trail to hike and from what I was told the rest of this system isn’t much more difficult. According to my Gaia GPS tracking data there was elevation gain of about 300 ft. If in the area, I recommend hiking these trails and we plan to revisit these trails in the future.

 

Tips for the Trails

1. Although you spend time in the trees, much of the trails are in direct sunlight. So make sure to wear the proper clothing for the day. Wear and bring sunscreen to apply throughout the day.
2. Bring plenty of water if you plan to be out there more than hour (some of our group didn’t bring water and were fine, I drank about half a liter).
3. You can get with away tennis shoes, but having a trail shoe or hiking boots would be helpful if you have bad ankles or plan to cross or play in the water.
4. Carrying a small day pack with a first aide kit and snack is a good idea. In the 2 hours we were there, we didn’t need food but if we had stay another hour it would have been nice to have food and extra water.
5. Keep an eye out for trail markers and other signs. These can be helpful and keep you on the right trail and learn more about the wildlife that can found in that area.

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 sunny day in the woods down in a canyon. 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.