Okanagan High Rim Trail (Bear Valley), Vernon
About Okanagan High Rim Trail (Bear Valley), British Columbia, Canada
The Okanagan High Rim Trail is an idyllic hiking trail that stretches for around 57 km between the cities of Vernon and Kelowna, British Columbia. The entirety of this hike takes several days round trip depending on fitness levels and distance goals. The trail provides epic views of Kalamalka Lake, Wood Lake, Ellison Lake, as well as providing stunning panoramic scenes of the Okanagan Valley and its surrounding mountains. Hikers can seemingly continue on forever as the trail eventually connects to the lengthy 650 km Kettle Valley Rail Trail.
This lengthy hiking trail is divided into sections so that you don’t have to do the entire hike all at once. The first portion of the Okanagan High Rim Trail is called Bear Valley. This section of the trail meanders through beautiful grasslands, open meadows, and lush green forests. The trail is aptly named and seeing fresh bear shit is certainly a common occurrence, with that is recommended to exercise caution while hiking this trail through Bear Valley. Once hikers reach the end of this section they will be treated to spectacular views of Cosens Bay and Kalamalka Lake. At this point, hikers will have the option to continue on the High Rim Trail or take one of the many other trails that lead through Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park.