kelowna

Kelowna and Lake Okanagan View from Bear Creek Park

View of downtown Kelowna and Okanagan Lake from Bear Creek Provincial Park near Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada

view of kelowna and okanagan lake panorama

Kelowna Panorama from Bear Creek Park (Purchase)

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   Back in 2013 I photographed this scene after hiking to the top of the stairs to view Bear Creek Falls. From this viewpoint one sees great views of Lake Okanagan, downtown, and the hills to the south of the city (the Thompson Plateau and Myra Bellevue Park). The fire damage to the hillsides above Kelowna here are from the Okanagan Mountain Park Fire of 2003. The firestorm that started in Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park spread to inhabited areas of Kelowna covered 250 square kilometers (61 776 acres) and destroyed 239 homes.

   To get to this location park at the parking lot on the west side of Westside Road in Bear Creek Provincial Park. From there it is a simple walk up the Loop and Canyon Rim Trail (with its many stairs) to the Bear Creek Falls view points. From there (if I recall) one of the trails heads towards the lake and this view.

For more photographs from Kelowna and other areas of the Thompson Okanagan visit the Thompson Okanagan Gallery in my Image Library.

Bubna Slough in Kelowna

Bubna Slough along Glenmore Road in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.

bubna slough on glenmore road kelowna british columbia canada

Bubna Slough in Kelowna, British Columbia (Purchase)

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   I have passed this small lake (or pond) along Glenmore Road in Kelowna, British Columbia for a few years – never really knowing the story of the poles stuck in the ground there. Google has turned up a lot of information about what these actually are, but I don’t know which story is true. Depending on who you believe these are either:

  1. An emergency refueling station for water bombers (this doesn’t seem too plausible)
  2. The remains of an old irrigation flume
  3. Remains of an old bridge or pier

Personally I think it looks like an old fence or someone just stuck a bunch of sticks in the ground in order to start this kind of speculation!

I did enjoy the Kildeer running around in the grasses near the road though. Not a good photo opportunity, but cool to see.

 

Kalamalka Lake and Kekuli Bay Provincial Park

In May I travelled through North Cascades National Park on the way (via the Okanogan in Washington State) to Kelowna, BC. Early the next morning I visited Kekuli Bay Provincial Park which is on the shores of Kalamalka Lake near Vernon, BC. I think this is nearly the perfect time of year to visit the area, the grass and foliage is still lush and the heat and dryness of the Okanagan summer has not baked everything brown yet.

A few shots from the shores of Kalamalka Lake:

kalamalka lake at kekuli bay provincial park train along kalamalka lake at kekuli bay provincial park ponderosa pine pinus ponderosa tree beside kalamalka lake at kekuli bay provincial park

A million dollar view (literally) along Kalamalka Lake.

million dollar view along kalamalka lake near vernon bc