Kelowna Parks Challenge – Trip #16
This week, for the Kelowna Parks Challenge, I once again hiked into Knox Mountain Park. I visited Kathleen Lake, a lovely and ecologically valuable feature of the park. Since I still haven’t visited the entire park, I am not yet able to check it off the Official List, but I had a great adventure and saw a beautiful area.
Read on for more about my trip!
The Trip
Though it is very easy to drive to the park, I chose to once again walk there from Downtown Kelowna. That was partially because I find the experience of walking towards a mountain and then up a mountain to be very rewarding, but also because I wanted to explore an alternative route into the park.
From the north end of Gordon Drive, I climbed a short trail to Mount Royal Drive. I previously visited this spot a few months ago, during Kelowna Parks Challenge Trip #5. This time, I kept going north, beyond the lower slopes of the mountain.
Mount Royal Drive led to Churchill Road and the short cul-de-sac of Churchill Court. There, I found a gated walkway that leads up a steep arid hillside, all the way to the top of the cliffs that mark the south face of Knox Mountain.
Here I found myself among the mansions of the Highpointe neighbourhood. A gated community, this neighbourhood features private streets and signs that say ‘Residents Only’. Enough of them also said ‘except for pedestrian access to Knox Mountain Park’ that I didn’t feel like I was completely trespassing.
Before entering the park proper, I backtracked along the Highpointe Access Trail to the top of the highest cliff visible from the city. From here the view was amazing, showing me all of the historic centre of Kelowna, from the North End below my feet to the Mission in the far distance.
Knox Mountain Park
I entered the park via a walkway at the north end of Pinehaven Court. This entrance is well-marked and maintained. It is acknowledged in the 2011 Knox Mountain Plan, but the trail that leads from it is not scheduled to be sanctioned.
From the entrance, I travelled a short distance uphill to meet the Front Side Connector Trail. The 2011 plan designates this as a mountain bike trail, but I saw no signs to that effect during my visit. I turned west (left) and followed the path around the front of the mountain. I saw two deer, three flickers, and a couple of magpies.
After a little while, the trail paralleled Knox Mountain Drive, and eventually, it met the road at a crossroads with the Kathleen Lake Trail. In the 2011 plan, it is suggested a small parking lot will be built at this spot, but there isn’t one here yet.
Kathleen Lake
Kathleen Lake sits in an endorheic basin on top of Knox Mountain. Since it does not drain, it provides an important source of water during the dry summer months for local animals. Just like the separate Knox Mountain Park – East parcel, which I explored a couple of weeks ago, the lake and the area around it was only added to Knox Mountain Park within the last twenty years.
There is a loop trail all around the lake. It is 1500m long and has very little elevation change for most of its length. As such it makes a great short hike for those who need something nice and simple, such as those with small children.
From the lake, I made my way down the Summit Trail and out of the park. I found myself on Highpointe Drive and made my way to Clifton Road to walk back to my starting point.
Reflections
This adventure was a bit of an indulgence for me. I have often looked north from downtown Kelowna and seen the southern cliffs of Knox Mountain. Inevitably, I have wondered what it would be like to stand atop them. Once I learned there were alternate entrances to the park up there, the route of this trip suggested itself.
Beyond the personal thrill of stepping outside my front door and walking all the way to the top of a mountain and back, I was happy to be able to go for such a nice autumn hike at the end of November. In the few days since, the weather has gotten much colder here, and I know snow will soon be coming to obscure the mountain trails. Nevertheless, I will keep going out every week to see what I can see.
Conclusion
Because I only explored part of Knox Mountain Park this week, I cannot check even one park off my Official List. I always knew Knox Mountain would take several visits to complete, but I must still be mindful of my challenge.
After this visit, I have seen seventy-three parks in one hundred twenty-seven days, or 36% of the parks in 35% of the year. I am still on track to meet my challenge, but I feel motivated to see five or more parks next week.
