Stunning mountain views, beautiful meadows of alpine flowers, a scenic bullet chairlift ride, homemade ice cream sandwiches and so much more can all be found at Big White over the summer.
With only a short drive from Kelowna, exploring Big White is the perfect place to escape from all the hustle and bustle!
Once arriving at Big White, we went to the Village Centre to grab a trail map and tickets for the chairlift. There are two options to choose from to reach the peak. You can hike or take the chairlift up. The hike starts on the Village Centre Trail and branches to either the Falcon Ridge trail or the Rhonda Lake Circuit. We decided to take the chairlift up to save our energy for exploring all the trails at the top.
The Scenic Bullet Chair offers fantastic views of the surrounding mountains and lets you check out what exactly is under all the snow that we snowboard or ski on in the winter!
From the top of the Bullet chair, we began our hike up to the Peak Trail. This 1 km trail is lined with beautiful alpine flowers. The trails are marked with orange inuksuks and little red flags making it easy to follow. It is important to stay on the marked trails as Big White is a very sensitive ecosystem.
With just a short, steep climb to the peak, we were rewarded with a fantastic 360-degree view overlooking Rhonda Lake and the surrounding mountains! After taking some photos, we headed back down the peak trail about 200 m or so to start the Falcon Ridge trail.
This 4 km trail runs along the top to the Falcon chair. As the amazing alpine views did not stop, neither did we! We continued along on to the new Jameson Loop Trail, which brought us above the Gem Chair and around offering an astounding view of the backside of Big White.
Big White is actually the highest point in the Okanagan Highland Mountain Range. That being said, it is also important to know that weather can change very quickly bringing strong winds, rain or even snow! Make sure to come prepared for everything.
After the Jameson Loop Trail, we continued back on to the Falcon Ridge Trail to start the trek back down to the Village. The trail brought us through an exquisite alpine meadow full of wildflowers. With different informational posts placed along the trail, you can learn about each flower as you hike past them.
Soon, the trail brought us down past the Powder chair, around the Snowghost Chair and towards the village. Once you reach the village, make sure to go in and grab a homemade ice cream sandwich from the clock tower Coffee shop in the Village Centre. It's a perfect way to end the hike!
Before you visit, make sure to check out the Big White website.
Special Events coming up:
From Highway 97 in Kelowna, turn onto Hwy 33. Follow Highway 33 until you reach the turn off for Big White Ski Resort on Big White Road. Follow this road until you reach the parking lot at the Village Centre.
The Scenic Bullet Chairlift is open on Saturday, Sundays and long weekends between 10 a.m. and 6 a.m. for a cost of $15 for an adult, $12 for children five to 12 and free for children under five
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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