H20 Adventure and Fitness Centre features waterslides, a FlowRider surf simulator, wave pool, lazy river, splash park, diving boards, plus adult-only fitness areas operated by the YMCA. Kelowna has embraced adrenaline sports, and there are plenty of options for kids and kids-at-heart - even on cold November days clouded with rain and snow. We also hoped to check out a Wild Tea workshop at the Okanagan Heritage Museum but it was sold out - bad luck for us, but great to see local Indigenous tourism so well supported in the region. We didn’t have time on this trip, but Moccasin Trails offers Indigenous cultural tours from a Syilx knowledge keeper for a hike with ecological and cultural information. My favourite part was looking across the valley at the perfectly straight rail line cutting through the trees, lattice-like trestles bridging the gaps over all the wrinkles in the mountain.įor another hiking option closer to town, try Knox Mountain Park, with a variety of trails for all skill levels and panoramic views of Lake Okanagan. The 11-year-old’s favourite part was spotting charred remnants of the original trestles as we peered over the edge of the reconstructed ones. Renting bikes in town would be a great way to see more trestles and up the fun factor ( Myra Canyon Bike Rental and Tours offers bike rentals at the trailhead, but they only operate in the summer). The only issue with the trail, from a kid’s perspective, is that it’s about 20 minutes of walking before you get to see the first trestle. Getting to the trailhead is part of the fun, driving eight kilometres up a smooth gravel forest service road past cattle guards and golden larch trees glowing yellow in late fall. After a devastating wildfire burned most of the trestles in 2003, the Society oversaw gargantuan reconstruction efforts that led to the trail reopening in 2008.
The trail traces that original history of epic pioneer building as well as the more recent history of the Myra Canyon Trestle Restoration Society, whose team of volunteers built boardwalks, guardrails and other features to improve safety in the 1990s. The trail follows the former Kettle Valley Railway, opened in 1915 to connect the West Kootenays and Boundary Country with B.C.’s Coast, through a spectacular section of wooden bridges and hand-cut tunnels high above the valley floor. With its flat, wheel-friendly trail surface, gorgeous valley views and story-rich rail trestles, the Myra Canyon Trestles is a perfect destination for a family hike. I never wanted to go hiking as a kid, but as I tried to remind the 11-year-old on this trip, once I got outside I usually enjoyed at least part of the hike. Kelowna is best known for summer tourism, but there’s plenty to explore when the leaves change colour and the mountains are dusted with snow.
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