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I continued my quest for waterfalls by visiting 3 beautiful sites around Kelowna.
With the help of a friend, we were able to visit Hardy Falls, Mill Creek Falls, and Canyon Falls and luckily they are all only a short drive from Kelowna!
Hardy Falls
Located just outside of Peachland, Hardy Falls was by far the easiest to visit.
The trail will take you through a valley of two tall hills so even though you are just a couple blocks from the highway you will feel miles away!
The walk to the falls is a simple 10 minute walk, but if you do it this quickly you will be missing out on some beautiful scenery!
The path is groomed excellently and there are a number of bridges that allow for a beautiful view of the stream.
We were fortunate enough to see a family of ducks as well! There are also a number of benches where you could sit, read, or just sip your tea.
I would visit this often just to walk and escape the world for a bit... Unfortunately I don't live near here.
At the end of the trail is an observation platform. Throughout the trail there are numerous information plaques about the area and the falls themselves.
Unfortunately, this is where the trail ends and compared to the other falls you don’t get very close which is a little disappointing.
While walking you can see where there used to be a path to get closer but I didn’t venture off the maintained trail. All in all the trip to the falls was more enjoyable than the falls themselves.
To get to the falls, simply set the GPS to: 37 Thorne Rd, Peachland, BC V0H 1X9 and it will take you to the neighbourhood where the trailhead is located.
Mill Creek Falls
Our next stop was Mill Creek Falls.
We drove from Peachland to the trailhead in Kelowna.
This too was in a residential area and if the parking spots are full there is a small vacant lot across the street.
This was a longer walk and again you will be walking next to a stream in a forest setting. The trail is well maintained and easy to follow and once you get to the falls the path becomes more “fun” as you will be scrambling up slopes, over rocks, and under tree branches.
The falls themselves are spectacular. These aren’t tall falls like the others but allow for an incredible sight none the less.
From the first set of falls there is a path to the left that will lead you to a view point from the top, this spot is also a great place to get your photo taken with the falls.
From here you can follow the path further to the upper falls. You will be treated to more falls and a fun walk.
Eventually you will leave the park boundaries. We chose to continue on for a bit but decided to head back so we’d have time to visit the final destination.
The start of this trail can be found at: 6200 Spencer Rd, Kelowna, BC
Canyon Falls
The final destination for the day was Canyon Falls.
Like the other stops, you can access this trail from a residential neighbourhood.
It’s pretty obvious from the cul-de-sac where the start of the trail is as well.
When planning this trip I was a little confused as some sites said the trail was closed.
We went just to make sure and the trail was indeed open! This trail was, by far, the most demanding.
According to my watch it was about a 60 meters (200 feet) descent to the bottom.
There are a number places where you will be using steps, either man made, well placed rocks, or just the natural forest floor.
The scramble down was pretty easy and I’m proud to say I was able to make it up too, although I was huffing and puffing at the top. Luckily there are some benches there if needed.
Once you are down in the canyon it is a pretty easy walk to the falls.
We chose a slightly harder route that followed the creek, climbing over the rocks was fun.
At one point I was able to cross to the other side for some pictures with a different perspective from this angle the falls were well worth the trip down.
You could walk right up to them and there was even a pile of boulders that worked as a great place to set up the tripod for pictures of the falls.
This was Canyon Falls. If you are REALLY adventurous you can follow a trail to the side of the falls to Crawford Falls.
This path will require you to climb a rope up a sheer rock wall, we both deemed this well past our skill set.
This path will take you to Crawford Falls. I think there is another route to Crawford Falls from above but there was a very serious looking “Do Not Enter” sign so we figured this was there for a reason so we headed the sign.
The entrance to the trail is at: 1842 Canyon Falls Ct Kelowna, BC
Thanks for taking this tour with me and I hope this inspires you to visit yourself. I had knee surgery about a year ago and this has enabled me to start adventuring again!
To see the complete set of photos please visit my website here. and feel free to contact me here.
This may be my last trip to the area for various reasons but visiting these falls, and capturing them in photos, will always bring back fond memories.
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