Mara Meadows Park is on the southeastern edge of the Larch Hills, about 12 kilometres southeast of Salmon Arm. BC Parks says the park was established through the Okanagan-Shuswap Land and Resource Management Plan.
The park complements nearby Upper Violet Creek Park and Mara Meadows Ecological Reserve, which protects a unique calcareous fen with rare orchids.
Mara Meadows Park protects a major portion of Mara Meadows Creek on the north side of the ecological reserve, along with forested upland on the east side. Its value is closely tied to the adjacent protected wetland landscape: the park adds creek and upland protection around the more sensitive ecological reserve.
This is not a developed campground or beach park. The official activity listed by BC Parks is hunting during open seasons, and any other visit should be very low impact. For people interested in protected-area systems, the park is useful because it shows how a standard park can buffer and complement a stricter ecological reserve nearby.
Hunt during open seasons where permitted by regulation, observe creek and forest habitat from legal access points, photograph the Larch Hills setting, and learn how the park relates to Mara Meadows Ecological Reserve and Upper Violet Creek Park.
Expect few visitor facilities. Carry navigation, water, and emergency basics, follow hunting regulations, keep disturbance away from the adjacent ecological reserve, and avoid damaging creek banks, wet ground, or forest understory. Use the park as a conservation landscape, not as a developed recreation stop.
