The KLO Creek Trail starts at the north end of KLO Creek Regional Park in East Kelowna. There is a small parking area at the hairpin turn on McCulloch Road, about 200 meters past Field Road. The single track trail that starts at the parking lot meanders along KLO Creek into a canyon flanked on either side by imposing gneiss crags. In the last few years this area has become the new hotness for local rock climbers. We didn’t see any climbers on our way through (in February), but there was plenty of evidence of their hard work throughout the area. If you’re interested in climbing this area click here for more information.
The KLO Creek Trail reminds me a little bit of Creek Park in Naramata with it’s imposing rock walls, bridges, trickling creek and creek crossings. The first two creek crossings are along bridges, but the rest (to my knowledge) are not. In the winter the creek crossings can be snow packed (as it was on our hike through), but in the springtime, when the water is high, these creek crossings can be dangerous for children. The trail continues onward gradually climbing through a beautiful forest of cedar trees for a ways and eventually ends with a steep climb up to Angel Springs (about 4 km, one way).
There are also some other interesting features along the way. At the beginning of the trail there’s a rock quarry, we didn’t notice it on our way through because it was covered in snow, and further along there’s a big black pipe that passes over the trail, a siphon that was part of an old irrigation system. We also discovered a rickety swing and took a chance swinging on it over the snowy creek.
We turned back shortly after the rickety swing and hiked approximately 2 km return, a nice short hike. I would definitely recommend this trail (especially the first section) as an easy family adventure with plenty of interesting features to explore. Just one word of caution, be very careful around creeks in the winter, especially with children, it’s best to stick to the trail to avoid any slips into the water.