Kelowna Runs

If you find yourself in Kelowna in business, carless, as I found myself recently, you can seek solace in some very decent urban runs. Most of you will know about these already, but I didn’t, so here you are for future reference:

1. Knox Mountain Park
   
   About 5 minutes north of the Kelowna downtown core, this hill reserve is covered in trails of various steepness and length, most providing a pretty skookum view of the city, lake, and environs. http://www3.telus.net/fkmp/img/trail_map.jpg

2. Mission Creek Greenway
   
   The Mission Creek Greenway trail starts about 30 minutes run south of downtown Kelowna, near the Manteo Resort on Lakeshore Road, and follows meandering Mission Creek. The trail is well marked, with several map kiosks and kilometer markers every half-kilometre. It is a well-groomed 16.5K gravel trail of two distinct characters. The first 7.5K, Lakeshore Road to Ziprick Road, is flat: http://www.greenway.kelowna.bc.ca/TrailmapPh1.html . Phase II, beyond Ziprick Road, is still being polished, and takes you through forests and valleys, and up ridges: http://www.greenway.kelowna.bc.ca/TrailmapPh2.html . It does not take long to feel that you are well out of the city, as neighbourhoods are replaced with farms and grasslands. Pleasant bridges cross the creek and the views are very agreeable.  If you closed your eyes, the Kelowna terrain could remind you of parts of the Western States route. The downside is that if you find yourself at the end of the trail at sundown, as did I, the eastern terminus is a good ways from the city: expect a $30 cab ride back. http://www.greenway.kelowna.bc.ca/