Trail: Giant's Head Mountain Park
Trail Distance: 1-4 kilometres (depends on the parking lot)
Trail Difficulty: Moderate
Directions:
This hike is located in Summerland. From Highway 97, turn onto Prairie Valley Road. Follow along Prairie Valley and turn left onto Giants Head Road. Take your second right onto Milne Road and follow the signs for Giants Head Park. Park along the side of the road to start the trail from the gate. When the gate is open, you can drive up the very narrow, steep road to the parking lot, closer to the top. Drive very cautiously and watch out for hikers, bikers and vehicles coming back down!
Description:
Take in the views with a steep hike up Giants Head Mountain! Located in Summerland, this giant, face-like shaped mountain can be seen from almost anywhere in town!
From the entrance, the 2 km paved road, switchbacks up the mountain-side. Right away, the views are beautiful looking north over Summerland and the Okanagan Lake. As we continued on, we passed many picnic tables and bench spots that offer more stunning views looking west over all the beautiful orchards and farm lands.
Once reaching the top parking lot, there are two trails to choose from. On the right, the trail goes straight up a steep, wide gravel pathway to the top. We continued along the road and took the trail to the right of the bathrooms. This trail is more narrow but not as steep. It also took us around the entire mountain offering all the different angles of the Okanagan Valley.
As we finally reached the top, the 360-degree view was amazing! There are metal 'telescopes' along the fence line pointing at different historical features and the surrounding mountains. If you’re lucky, you might even get a glimpse of the Kettle Valley Steam Train in motion!
After enjoying the view and having a much-deserved break, we returned down the first trail to start our trek back down.
An interesting fact about Giants Head Mountain is that it is actually an extinct volcano and stands 500 m above the Okanagan Lake.
Remember to always be mindful of your surroundings, pack out what you pack in, stick to the trails and happy exploring!
Things to bring:
Born and raised in the Okanagan, Kristy Draginda has 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.
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