Fantastic Views from the New Boucherie Rush Trail

Location: Boucherie Mountain

Trail: Boucherie Rush Trail

Trail length: 6km round-trip

Trail difficulty: Moderate to Difficult

Things to bring:
-hiking shoes/running shoes.
-Water/snack
-Bear spray, good thing to carry in case.
-Camera to capture the great views along the way

Dogs are welcome

Directions: Boucherie Mountain is located in West Kelowna and is visible from almost anywhere in town. When travelling from Kelowna along Hwy 97 turn left on Bartley Road at the Petro Canada.

Bartley Road will then turn to East Boundary Road. You will find the new trail parking lot 1.3 km from the highway on the left. Each trail (Flint Man, Andesite Grinder and Boucherie Rush) has an informative marker explaining directions for each hike. Take the Flint Man trail to get to the start of the Boucherie Rush Trail.

Description: West Kelowna recently built and upgraded the trails on the southwest side of the mountain. There are three main trails, we chose the Boucherie Rush Trail which takes you all the way to the top.

The trail is six km round-trip and has an elevation gain of 275 m. As we started our ascent it was clear to see the time and effort West Kelowna spent on the trail was impressive. The trail is wide with wooden railings at the narrow and steeper sections.

As we switched back and forth up the mountain the breathtaking views were forever changing. It was difficult not to stop every few hundred metres just to take it all in. Upon reaching the top we were treated with panoramic views of West Kelowna, Okanagan Mountain Park and Okanagan Lake, making it a great place to relax and have a snack or even catch the sunset!

For those who want to keep exploring you can head down the unmaintained trail taking you to the northeast side of the mountain. Here is where you find more fantastic views overlooking all of Kelowna, the lake and surrounding areas.

A fact we found interesting about Boucherie Mountain is that it is a dormant volcano that last erupted over 50 million years ago. Boucherie once stood as high as 2000 m and is now the highest elevation point is 758 m.

Always be mindful of your surroundings, pack out what you pack in, stick to the trails and happy exploring!

Born and raised in the Okanagan, Kristy Draginda always had a strong passion for the outdoors. Whether it be hiking to the top of a mountain or standing below a waterfall she says there is no better feeling than being inspired by nature. Follow along as Kristy shares different hiking locations in and around the Okanagan. For more adventure photos check out Hiking the Okanagan on Instagram or Facebook.