Sugarloaf Mountain | An Okanagan Family Treat
This is me! Happily at the top of Sugarloaf Mountain!
Shuswap Adventure Girl
Sugarloaf Mountain has been on my hiking to-do list for some time now. Every time I would search for a hike to do in the Okanagan area, beautiful photos of this scenic summit would come up. It seems to be a very popular hike and doable for most levels. We were headed to Kelowna for the Thanksgiving weekend and made it our plan to hike this mountain! Tucked on the westside of Okanagan Lake between Kelowna and Vernon, sits Sugarloaf Mountain. The gravel road, off of North Westside road is a rough road leading up to the trailhead and did not seem suitable to do in a car or minivan in my opinion. There are lots of large rocks and pitted areas. Be warned! We had our truck and still, it was a bit rough!
As a family of five with three small children, we found the ascent quite strenuous, and we were cursing the sweetness of the Sugarloaf. One of my secrets to keeping the kids motivated to hike without being upset about it is to drop candy along the trail for them to find! Just kidding, but I did give a nice lollipop to each of them at the top and skittles at a few of our rest stops. My oldest boy brings his remote control car on longer hikes to keep him keen and drives it up the trails.
A well-deserved treat, the views on top of SugarLoaf Mountain are certainly worth the climb!
Shuswap Adventure Girl | Kalamoir Regional Park, Okanagan Lake
The trek upwards takes you through an open forested area made up of large ponderosa pine trees and douglas fir. I love these types of park-like forests as you can see so far into the woodland and even on an overcast day, the forest is bright under the tall canopy.
After what felt like a very long but enjoyable climb, we made it to the top! The views of the Okanagan Valley, the Whiteman Creek Valley, and Okanagan Lake were absolutely incredible! The edges were steep but there is lots of room to stay back, keep the kids safe and soak in that impressive scenery. The view is even more expansive if you continue a little bit further south (left) on the trail to the true viewpoint where the rustic Sugarloaf sign is nailed to a tree. This venture south continues to make a small loop at the top and will head back down the mountain.
The descent downwards was a little hard on the knees and footing was sketchy in spots. Proper footwear and a hiking pole are super helpful on this hike. Don’t worry if you don’t have a pole, there is a huge bucket at the trailhead with all kinds of hiking sticks to choose from.
All in all, we really enjoyed this hike! It was a challenge for our kids and us but we all felt super accomplished after completing it!
“Mystic dragon monster” on the trail , named by my kids.
Shuswap Adventure Girl
Category: Return, scenic w/ views, steep edges
Kid-Friendly: Yes
Distance: +/- 5-6 km round trip
Time: 1.5- 3 hours
Directions: Coming from Salmon Arm: Travel south on Highway 97 towards Vernon. At the north end of Swan Lake continue on Highway 97. travel approx. 5.5 km, driving past the Spallumcheen golf course and Historic O’Keefe Ranch, and highway signs will direct you down Westside Rd toward Fintry and Killiney. Drive 23 km to North Westside Rd, turning right up this gravel road. Travel upwards for 3.75 km, looking for the green and white hiking sign on the left side of the road. Park here, the trail starts here.
