Kelowna Parks Challenge – Trip #45
This week, as part of the Kelowna Parks Challenge, I explored the parks in the Black Mountain neighbourhood. These are parks on and around Mine Hill in the southeast part of Kelowna, though none of them are actually on Black Knight Mountain. This week’s adventure featured neighbourhood parks, two great hikes and plenty of amazing views!
Read on for my impressions and reflections.
The Trip
Settler families have been living in the Black Mountain area for over a hundred years, but it is only in the last couple of decades that subdivision on Mine Hill has really accelerated. Just as in every other part of Kelowna, new streets and lots are being carved out of all the hillsides in an attempt to give all who can afford it an amazing view from their home.
Black Knight Mountain, the peak that dominates the line of mountains to the east of Kelowna, has been protected in a Regional Park, but its foothills have not. Subdivision on Mine Hill has been going on since at least twenty years ago, with the establishment of the Black Mountain Golf Club. Starting from the south slope, development has spread around the east side of the hill (facing the golf course) and has now reached the north side. Happily for the public, the west side has been protected as a public park.
Parks
As in any new subdivision, there are several neighbourhood parks on Mine Hill. From what I can tell, Loseth Park and Lund Park are both about twenty years old, though Lund looks like it might be slightly newer. Birkdale Park, however, was only recently built and has the most modern and innovative design of the three.
Just as we saw in other new hillside developments, swathes of the hillside have been protected on both Mine Hill and its adjacent sibling, the smaller Bell Hill. Mine Hill Park and the Stockley Open Space both preserve popular trails, while the Carnoustie Open Space will soon have one whether the city creates it or just waits for the locals to do it.
The views from the top of Mine Hill and Bell Hill do not disappoint, of course. To the west, visitors can see both north, up the Ellison Valley, as well as west, across Belgo and the benches to Okanagan Lake. To the east, both hills provide the best views available of Black Knight Mountain.
Loseth Park
Located at the corner of Loseth Road and Highway 33, this park sits on the border between the older Oswell subdivision to the east and a newer one to the west. It is surrounded by a substantial berm and has clearly been designed to double as a stormwater retention basin.
The playground at the centre of the park is simple, but very popular. This park is clearly well-used by people in the area.
Washrooms and Drinking Fountains: There is no drinking fountain in this park. There is no washroom in this park.
Dog Rules: Because this park is mostly a playground, dogs are not allowed in this park.
Mine Hill Park
Mine Hill Park preserves the west side of the hill as a conservation corridor and hiking spot. An old trail travels from north to south through the park, with connections to both new subdivisions and the hill’s peak.
Clearly long-beloved, the trail features make-shift log benches and old fire rings. Though the park gives access to the top of the hill, that spot is not part of the park, but rather is zoned for multi-family residential development. I don’t know what, if any, plans have been made for it, but I suggest getting out there and admiring the view while you can.
Washrooms and Drinking Fountains: There is no drinking fountain in this park. There is no washroom in this park.
Dog Rules: Dogs are allowed in this park, but they must be on-leash and they must stay on trails.
Carnoustie Open Space
No amenities, such as a walking trail, have yet been developed in this horn-shaped crescent of land. Nevertheless, it is connected to the adjacent subdivision by a walkway at the end of Birkdale Avenue.
Because of this obvious entrance, an unofficial trail has already begun to form. I did not follow it, but it is possible it connects to the north end of the trail through Mine Hill Park.
Washrooms and Drinking Fountains: There is no drinking fountain in this park. There is no washroom in this park.
Dog Rules: Dogs are allowed in this park, but they must be on-leash.
Birkdale Park
This beautiful neighbourhood park is located at the corner of Birkdale and Black Mountain Drive, but can most easily be accessed through a wide walkway on Prestwick Street. It also has a long ramp connecting it to the Black Mountain Recreation Corridor along Black Mountain Drive.
This park has a tennis court and a wonderful wood-and-stone-themed playground, but its best feature might be the view of Black Knight Mountain. Given the lack of tall trees growing along Black Mountain Drive, I think the view from this park is better than that from the Black Mountain Lookout.
Washrooms and Drinking Fountains: There is no drinking fountain in this park. There is no washroom in this park.
Dog Rules: Dogs are allowed in this park, but they must be on-leash and they must be on paths. Dogs are not allowed near the playground.
Stockley Open Space
Another swath of land protected for conservation and aesthetic purposes, this park preserves all of the land on Bell Hill that hasn’t been zoned for residential subdivision. As such it preserves the well-known and well-used Black Mountain Lookout Trail.
The trail leads up the steep slopes of the hill, through the park, all the way to the flat hilltop, where hikers can see excellent views to the east, south, and west. As with Mine Hill, however, the viewpoint at the top of the hill is not part of the park. This means, it is not guaranteed that the public will be able to enjoy it once it has been developed.
Washrooms and Drinking Fountains: There is no drinking fountain in this park. There is no washroom in this park.
Dog Rules: Dogs are allowed in this park, but they must be on-leash and they must stay on the trail.
Lund Park
Another neighbourhood park, Lund Park makes great use of a triangular lot at the base of Bell Hill.
Home to a playground and small lawn, this park also features a circular basketball court.
Washrooms and Drinking Fountains: There is no drinking fountain in this park. There is no washroom in this park.
Dog Rules: Dogs are allowed in this park, but they must be on-leash. Dogs are not allowed near the playground.
Reflections
Mine Hill offered another chance to explore a new neighbourhood as it’s being built. Just as in Wilden and the Ponds, I found it fascinating to observe the process of transforming and redesigning the land to serve the needs of residents.
In none of those other neighbourhoods, however, have I felt the spirit of gentrification as I did on Mine Hill. In Wilden, the streets are being carved out of the wilderness and in the Ponds, the new houses and parks are being placed on formerly agricultural land. On Mine Hill, however, I got the distinct feeling that a communal back yard is being privatized and fenced off.
The most obvious example was the fire rings and party site I found on top of Mine Hill. An old painted sign nailed to a tree, saying ‘Please pack out your cans and garbage’ attests to the fact that people have been taking their 4X4s up the rough roads on the hill’s east side for decades in order to party and share the view. Now the communal nature of that spot is destined to be disrupted when it is handed over to a private landowner rather than being protected in a public park.
The most poignant example, however, was a gnarled pine tree further down the slope, with an old tire swing hanging from it. Formerly located in the middle of a grassy hillside, with an amazing view to the west, the tree now sits metres from the fence that marks the park’s edge, with no official access to it. Soon large houses will rise between the tree and its view and the site will resemble even less the pastoral wonderland of someone’s youth. Spray-painted along the tree’s trunk is the word ‘WHY’.
I also worry about the fate of the Black Mountain Lookout. As with the top of Mine Hill, the top of Bell Hill has similarly not been protected. It almost beggars belief that someone would destroy such a well-beloved public amenity, but it too has been zoned for multi-family residential development. I hope, however, that the viewpoint at the summit will be incorporated into the future plans of the site’s future developer. Certainly the bluffs there are steep enough to hide townhouses beneath.
Conclusions
Another week with six parks means good things for my ability to finish this challenge on time. As a reminder, the deadline is September 22, so I have less than three weeks to go.
With the addition of this week’s six parks I have now seen one hundred ninety-seven of the two hundred and three parks on the Official List in three hundred forty-five days, or 97% of the parks in 95% of the year. It feels good to be ahead, but I know I don’t have any more six-park weeks planned.
With only six parks left, the finish line feels so close I can touch it. I hope you enjoyed reading this post and come back for the remaining adventures in this series.
