Description

Sitting right next to Shannon Lake - one of West Kelowna's most desirable neighbourhoods - this is quite a tough little hike which delivers plenty of bang for your buck! As with most Okanagan hikes the views are stunning, and the trip feels pretty wild despite lying so close to suburbia. Park up (respectfully and not blocking any houses or access routes) somewhere around where Shannon Heights Place meets Paramount Drive, and hike due north to reach a circular concrete structure. The up path is not immediately obvious, but on the far side of the concrete structure the path becomes clear after a few metres hiking through the bushes! Once you've located it the path is clear and climbs - steeply for much of the time - up the gulch to reach several beautiful viewpoints on the edge of the forest. The summit of Carrot Mountain itself is on a huge plateau which enjoys a magnificent vista across Okanagan Lake, and is marked with a model of a carrot sticking out of a cairn! The descent path is occasionally unclear but just follows signs of wear.

Much of the way down is pretty steep, dusty, and shale-y so hiking poles are highly recommended if you're to avoid regular slips! This hike is highly recommended in summer for 2 reasons - it's fairly quiet and so you can escape the crowds, and secondly much of it is in quite dense forest so it isn't quite as sun-baked as some other trails in the area.

In the spring and fall it is even more spectacular due to the colours you'll find in the forests, and even quieter!