Backwoods Mamahike

A Unique Gift Guide for Outdoorsy Kids

A Unique Gift Guide for Outdoorsy Kids

Encouraging kids to spend time outside is one of the best gifts they can receive. With that in mind, this gift guide was carefully curated to encourage kids to get outdoors. Each item is something that my own children enjoy using, or would enjoy, or it's something...

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Hiking Kalamoir Regional Park

Hiking Kalamoir Regional Park

Kalamoir Regional Park is a lovely park located on the edge of Okanagan Lake in West Kelowna, BC. To access this park take the exit for Boucherie Road off Highway 97 in West Kelowna. Follow Boucherie Road down a ways and take a left turn on Ogden Road. Odgen Road will...

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Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park: Interpretive Trail

Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park: Interpretive Trail

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...

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Hiking at Yellow Lake

Hiking at Yellow Lake

Yellow Lake is located 14 km west on Highway 3A from the Okanagan Highway 97 junction near Kaleden, BC. It is 27 km south-west from Penticton and 20km north-west from Okanagan Falls, BC. The lake is a good spot for shore fishing and is well stocked with trout making...

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Hiking McIntyre Bluff

Hiking McIntyre Bluff

UPDATE 2023: It has come to my attention that the Covert Farm access to this hike has been closed. There is a second access at another location but this entrance crosses private property and is also closed to the public. Unfortunately this means that the McIntyre...

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Osoyoos Lake Oxbows

Osoyoos Lake Oxbows

We have explored a couple hikes in and around Osoyoos, British Columbia such as the Osoyoos Desert Centre and the Nk'Mip Desert Cultural Centre but a recent drive in that direction had me searching for a new adventure. After considering several options I...

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Pictographs in the South Okanagan

Pictographs in the South Okanagan

What happened to this post? Update April 2019: This post is currently being edited and reworked. If you have questions about pictographs in the South Okanagan please email me directly. Thank you!

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Mahoney Lake

Mahoney Lake

Mahoney lake is a very unique lake located about 6 kilometers south of Okanagan Falls, British Columbia, via Green Lake Road. What makes this small lake special is that it is very saline (salty) and alkaline (basic). These unique features are a result of the watershed...

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Naramata Creek Park in the Summer

Naramata Creek Park in the Summer

Naramata Creek Park is a good place to visit in the summer. The trail winds through a well sheltered gully following Naramata Creek. The towering rock slabs, trees and trickling creek help keep the gully...

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Peterson Creek Nature Park

Peterson Creek Nature Park

On our way back from Prince George we stayed a couple days in Kamloops. On our last visit to Kamloops we explored Kenna Cartwright Park. I would have liked to explore that park a little more but felt that my children would enjoy something different. After a little...

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Nk’ Mip Desert Cultural Centre

Nk’ Mip Desert Cultural Centre

We joined our fellow home learners to explore the Nk' MipDesert Cultural Centre (pronounce in-Ka-meep) this week. It was a sunny cloudless day in Osoyoos, BC which meant that it was hot, very hot. Our tour started with a video about the Syilx people of the...

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Visiting Kamloops: Kenna Cartwright Park and the Spirit Bear

Visiting Kamloops: Kenna Cartwright Park and the Spirit Bear

This past weekend we had the pleasure of visiting our friends in Kamloops. I enjoyed the chance to catch up with them and see how much their little ones have grown. It was also a great opportunity to unplug from the distractions of technology and do a little reading,...

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Vaseux Lake Wildlife Centre

Vaseux Lake Wildlife Centre

Vaseux Lake lies between Okanagan Falls and Oliver in a narrow part of the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. At the north end of the lake there are thick rushes and the east and west sides are covered in grasslands that abruptly give way to impressively large rock...

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The Osoyoos Desert Centre

The Osoyoos Desert Centre

At first glance the semi-arid landscape of the South Okanagan can appear desolate, but on closer inspection this is far from the truth. The South Okanagan is an extraordinary place. It is Canada's only "pocket desert", a fragile and endangered ecosystem that is...

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Naramata Creek Park

Naramata Creek Park

The Naramata Creek Park hiking trail follows Naramata Creek through a gulley that leads to a more canyon-like area covered in beautiful waterfalls. The hike is about 2.4 km, round trip, and takes about an hour or...

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Rock Climbing with Young Children

Rock Climbing with Young Children

We are fortunate that we live close to a world renown rock climbing area: Skaha Bluffs. Climbers come from across the country and around the world to rock climb at the bluffs. Even for the non-climber it is a beautiful place for a hike and picnic. I was introduced to...

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