The chilly arctic front has finally retreated and been replaced with warmer temperatures (relatively speaking of course). The warmer weather has made a mess of the roads but it’s been perfect for winter hiking. Usually we reserve the winter months for skiing, skating or sledding while hiking takes a backseat. It can a bit challenging for little legs to trudge through snow up hills for great lengths of time. However, as a child I did a fair bit of winter hiking and really enjoyed it.
Part of the challenge with winter hiking with kids is finding a trail that is interesting but not too long or difficult, at least to begin with. After considering several options we picked A Deer’s Tale Interpretive Trail at the Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park located south-east of Kelowna, BC. The trailhead is located at the end of Stewart Road East where there is plenty of parking. The trail itself is a 1.7 km long loop that is fairly easy and clearly marked (see map). There are some hills to climb and descend but nothing crazy, just enough to make the hike fun and interesting in the snow. There are also alternate trails that cut through the loop providing short-cut opportunities if need be. It took us an hour to hike the loop with plenty of playing and silliness along the way (and a shortcut at the end). This interpretive loop is a great trail for kids to explore and revisit in each season. Although, I would avoid this trail on hot summer days as it is fairly exposed.