Glen Canyon is an urban canyon trail network, located immediately south of the district of West Kelowna. The upper and lower sections of the canyon are separated - split roughly 70/30 by Hwy.97, which runs north-south through the canyon. Click the image above to expand it.

The upper seventy percent of Glen Canyon is currently a diamond in the rough, while the lower thirty percent has recently been updated and enhanced through the combined efforts of the Regional District of Central Okanagan and a local, grassroots group, the Gellatly Bay Trails and Parks Society.

This chapter of SweetSingletrack.ca deals with the lower section of the trail network, as there exists a good deal of work to be completed on the upper trails. In addition, there are small sections of the upper linear park that are currently under negotiation with private land managers.

Though it is much improved, the lower section is not a complete route from Hwy.97, all the way down to the lake. The missing piece of the lower trail puzzle is a brief span between where the singletrack trail begins / ends on Gellatly Rd., and the 800 meters between there and Okanagan Lake. The RDCO has plans to create a roadside path / boardwalk that will close this gap at some point in the near future.

This discontinuity of the trail is confusing to many, as folks who enter the canyon at the [very] bottom, near Okanagan Lake, are greeted by a welcoming parking lot and trailhead, signed as Rotary Trails Park. Unfortunately, this is only an entrance to a very brief section of trail, which soon dead-ends and returns one back to the parking lot. The problem in connecting the two lower sections of trail relate to the narrow width of the creek and encroachment upon private property.

The balance of the [actual] lower Glen Canyon trails offer hikers amazing canyon views, excellent signage, several canyon-crossings via well-engineered bridges and some of the most well-built forest staircase that I've seen in a municipal park to date. Kudos to the local volunteer community, as well as the West Kelowna Regional District, who obviously understand the importance of urban recreational infrastructure.

I suggest that you begin your exploration of the lower trail network from the new Glen Canyon parking lot, located approximately 800 meters up Gellatly Rd., measured from the shore of Okanagan Lake.

FYI; the tight bend in Gellatly Rd., near Okanagan Lake offers access to another excellent pathway and trailhead, which, while not the type of singletrack that we usually seek, splits north and south. Southbound, it traces a route to the amazing Gellatly Nut Farm, while northbound, it follows the shore of Okanagan Lake for several kilometers.

Download and preview the supplied Google Earth data file of the Glen Canyon trail. It's three-dimensional overview will clear up vagaries in my descriptions.

From the Gellatly Rd., / Glen Canyon parking lot, one heads up into beautiful singletrack, and soon finds themselves ascending several hundred new, well-constructed wooden steps (roughly 300 in all, or so I'm led to believe, though I've not counted them myself...)

The trail enters a field-clearing approximately one kilometer along, where hikers can split right, crossing a bridge over Powers Creek, leading to a road which enters a subdivision - not the best bet for scenery, more of a canyon entry-point.

I suggest that you explore the area, but carry on ascending a further 800 meters, where the trail splits again; left up to a small parking area along Gellatly Rd., or right (recommended) to cross a bridge.

Fifty meters beyond the opposite side of the bridge, a path splits left and follows the fence line, dropping down to a beautiful clearing full of berries and creekside succulence.

If instead, you choose to ignore the fence-line pathway, continue to the right, following along the edge of Glen Canyon. You will soon find yourself popping out near a shopping mall and Holiday Inn hotel.

Overall, this beautiful little creekside trail network provides a nature-sanctuary within the community of West Kelowna. I recommend that you explore the canyon in the spring, summer or fall for the full flora and fauna experience, along with the sound of the rushing water of Powers Creek - though winter-time adventures have their own quaint charm as well.

I'll be providing a comprehensive overview of the Upper Glen Canyon trail network in future editions of SweetSingletrack.ca, once private property issues are ironed out.

Low: 353m | High: 439m | Length: ±3km | Water: N/potable | Cell Reception: Patchy