Bear Creek Park is a BC Parks site in the Central Okanagan Basin on the west side of Okanagan Lake. BC Parks places it on Westside Road, nine kilometres off Highway 97 west of Kelowna.
The park has lakeside camping, more than 400 metres of sandy beach, and five kilometres of marked hiking trails.
Bear Creek is a busy Okanagan park for camping, beach time, canyon hiking, paddling, fishing, and lake activities. BC Parks says Bear Creek has carved a picturesque canyon into bedrock before reaching a cottonwood-lined delta.
The Bear Creek Canyon Trail is the signature hike. BC Parks says to allow one hour for the loop, which crosses the creek by footbridge, climbs stairs to viewpoints, follows the canyon rim, and descends back toward the creek. The canyon creates a microclimate, with dry ponderosa pine and grasses on one side and cooler Douglas fir and moss on the other.
The lakefront supports swimming in a buoy-marked area, canoeing, kayaking, freshwater fishing in Okanagan Lake, Discover Parks programming, Learn to Fish programming, roadway cycling, waterskiing, and jetskiing opportunities nearby.
Plan around campground stays, beach swimming, Bear Creek Canyon Trail, viewpoint stops, paddling, Okanagan Lake fishing, youth fishing programs, birdwatching along cottonwoods, roadway cycling, waterskiing, and summer lake days.
This park is extremely busy in summer and camping reservations are required. The canyon trail was affected by wildfire in 2011, with hazards beyond the main trail. Confirm reservations, fire restrictions, water rentals, and BC Parks updates.
