Oct14

Dog-friendly Parks & Beaches for Your Vacation

La Casa Beaches, Blog, Kelowna 0 comments

Dog-friendly Parks & Beaches for Your Vacation

Bringing your furry friend on vacation? Want to make sure they have a paws-itively perfect time? Here are some dog-friendly parks and beaches that will have your bestie feeling right at home. (Please remember to check park websites for up-to-date information and notice of park/road closures during the cooler months).

Kelowna (more info here)

Knox Mountain Park – the city’s largest Natural Area Park has both on-leash and off-leash areas.

City Park – the park has a range of facilities including trails, beach access, tennis courts and a play area. Dogs are required to be on-leash.

Waterfront Park – you can walk all the way from this park to City Park on the boardwalk. Dogs are required to be on-leash.

Myra Bellevue Provincial Park – a beautiful provincial park with a number of trails, the Kettle Valley railway and Myra Canyon. Dogs must be on-leash throughout the park and backcountry areas are not suitable for any pets due to wildfire issues and potential conflicts with bears.

Poplar Point Drive #1 Beach Access – lovely beach access where dogs are required to be on-leash.

Vernon (more info here)

Silver Star Foothills Trail – this is part of the Grey Canal trails and is very popular with dog-walkers. Expect stunning panoramic views and dogs on-leash.

Kalamalka Lake – the dog beach lies between Cosen Bay and Juniper Bay. Since the beach is stony, you will need appropriate footwear if you’d like to splash around with your pet.

Ellison Provincial Park – Sandy Beach is dog-friendly. Access the beach by taking the trail leading out of the campground, near sites 11 and 12.

Middleton Mountain Trails – dogs are required to be on-leash. These trails offer stunning views of the local area and are home to a variety of birds.

Ready to plan your vacation? We have a limited number of cottages that are pet-friendly, so please make sure you request one when you are making your reservation and we will try our best to accommodate your request! Call our friendly La Casa team at 1-888-226-5566 or email rentals@lacasacottageresort.com for more information. We hope to see you soon.

p.s. Sections of the beach at La Casa are also pet-friendly!

Oct30

Day trip to Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park

La Casa Blog, British Columbia, Hikes, The Okanagan 0 comments

Day trip to Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park

Now that the weather is starting to cool down and Lake Okanagan is getting almost too cold to swim in, why not embark on a hike? Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park is open year-round and is the ideal place to warm up your muscles.

The Park spans over 10,580 hectares and is the only part of Lake Okanagan’s shoreline that remains undeveloped, making it perfect for hikers. As you explore higher levels of the mountain, you will be treated to superb views of the lake. You can enjoy a range of ecosystems and micro-climates because of the park’s large size. This means you might be in partial-desert wilderness when you are at lower levels, then as you climb further you can expect to see beautiful green forests. Also watch out for wildlife in the area – if you’re lucky, you might get the chance to see deer, elk and black bears! Why not sit tight and see if you can find a mountain goat? There are also several reptiles to keep your eyes peeled for, including the Western Rattlesnake.

Go camping, hiking & boating!

For keen campers or boaters, this park offers six marine campgrounds as well as sheltered beaches – an excellent opportunity to explore the lake from a different location!

There are several trails of varying lengths and difficulties, so be sure to check out the BC Parks map to see what ones are most suitable for you. It’s also important to note that the area is prone to wildfires – watch out for unexpected hazards and expect some unstable conditions. Travel carefully and always let someone know where you are going. The park has limited facilities so make sure that you take plenty of water with you, especially in the summer.

For more activities in the Okanagan, check out our previous blog posts here. Happy hiking!