Discovering Fintry Provincial Park

A well-rounded Boating adventure on and off Okanagan Lake.

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Words by Perry and Cindy Mack

Wooden stairs led up to a small landing, with a second set rising out of sight. I started climbing in an attempt to reach the top viewpoint of the falls. As I crested the final landing, panting, a young girl and her fit father were resting on one of the wooden benches. “How many stairs was it to the top?” I asked breathlessly. “Three,” she replied, humbly holding up the required number of fingers. Her estimate was a little low. It was more like three hundred.

Fintry Provincial Park and Protected Area spreads out more than 360 ha (890 ac) along 2 km (1.2 mi) of the west shore of Okanagan Lake between Kelowna and Vernon. Provincial parks are quite common in the region, but Fintry stands out. 

To experience the true nature of the park and Okanagan Lake, it’s best to make Fintry your home base like we did so you can enjoy all that it has to offer at your own pace. What many non-boaters don’t realize is that when you have a pleasurecraft in the Tri-Lakes, your options to discover new attractions increase two-fold. 

Camping and boating complement each other and during our visit last summer, we realized Fintry caters to outdoor enthusiasts on land and the water. Even though it may be a little chilly when it opens March 31 and closes just after the first week of October, there is plenty of time to reserve any one of its vehicle-accessible sites. 

After we settled at a campsite, it was time to explore. We learned that Fintry has three group camping sites with washrooms, showers, a dump station and water. Keep in mind, power is not available. We also saw every type of camping accommodation in use from tents to luxury Class As - many had cartops or pleasurecrafts in tow. If you are staying nearby, or just passing through, the park is open for day use. 

With its expansive shoreline, the sand beach offers excellent swimming and the well-maintained boat launch allows you to hit the water quickly and efficiently. It’s the ideal entry point to many water-based pastimes. 

This area is known to be a refuge from the busier boating areas on Okanagan Lake. So, you don’t ever have to cruise far to drop anchor and relax in the comfort of your boat. 

You can cruise from one end of the lake to other at full throttle in a few hours, but take your time. To the south of Fintry are the scence shores of Lake Country as well as a number of anchorages including near Traders Cove Regional Park and Bear Creek Provincial Park. 

Continuing further south leads to Kelowna. Plan a visit around lunch or dinner as there are a variety docking options at a variety of boater-freindly restaurants or at the Downtown Marina Kelowna, which offers access to downtown with more choices and shopping.   

Other places past Kelowna to visit include Commando Bay and Rattlesnake Island. You’ll also come across many open water areas to tow wakeboarders and good locations for fishing. Downriggers are recommended peak summer for the best success. 

If you cruise north from Fintry, you’ll see areas like Okanagan Forest Park that has a few mooring buoys, Ellison Provinicial Park with additional mooring balls and overnight beaching, and Kin Beach in the City of Vernon. Blue Heron Heron Marina offers fuel (contact the marina for tranisent docking) or visit the popular 1516 Pub and Grill that is popular among the boating crowd. 

Back in Fintry Provincial Park

After learning about all of the boating options from Fintry, we wanted to see more of the park. Over the millennia, Shorts Creek, which is just one the park’s natural attractions, cut a canyon through the cliff creating a rich delta before finally entering Okanagan Lake. 

Captain James Cameron Dun-Waters came to the Shorts Creek delta in 1909 for the love of the outdoors and was so enthralled, he purchased the land and renamed it Fintry after his hometown in Scotland. In the 30 years he lived there, he cleared land for a farm and built an impressive estate including the construction of a waterwheel to harness the power of the creek. 

He cleared and irrigated more than 81 ha (200 ac) and planted 5,000 fruit trees, built a packing house, sawmill, stables, four upland hunting lodges, a quarry, and the only octagonal dairy barn in BC. He also created landscaped gardens and constructed a roofed-in electrically lit curling rink.

Several buildings in the park are now on the Canadian Register of Historic Places including The Manor House, Packinghouse, Haybarn-Granary, and the Octagonal Dairy Barn. The Friends of Fintry Provincial Park Society was formed in 2000. They not only work to restore the buildings but host public tours and events. It’s an incredible addition to your experiences. 

The waterfall is not one, but three successive falls with a total height of 87 m (285 ft). While I chose the ‘easy’ route up the 300-plus steps, there are also many trails that lead to the top providing a host of adventures with spectacular views of the falls, park, and lake. Bring your camera and binoculars to take it all in.

Access to the park is via Westside Road and since its the only way to the park (from either Vernon or West Kelowna), it’s a winding, often narrow, sometimes rough route with spectacular cliff-side views of Okanagan Lake. We’ve often seen herds of Bighorn Sheep standing unconcerned around blind corners so drive carefully and keep to your lane as it’s popular with motorcycles, cyclists, and sports cars.

Wildlife in the protected area includes the California Bighorn Sheep, deer, moose, bears, lynx, coyotes, and the occasional cougar. Birdwatchers might see the red-listed Western Grebe, Ruffed Grouse, Northern Goshawk, Great Horned Owl, Pileated Woodpecker, and many others.

With heritage buildings, hiking, an expansive waterfront, and great boating opportunities, Fintry checks off all the key points we look for in a destination. Each family has their own checklist for a great boating vacation. What’s yours?

For more information visit www.bcparks.ca/fintry-park