Fintry Park
About this Park
Fintry Park includes 360 hectares of the former Fintry Estate, a heritage site with a colourful history.
From the delta area to a forested area made up of ridges and deep slopes, this park offers two dramatically different topographical areas. There is over 2km of waterfront with surrounding mountains and deep canyons. Shorts Creek passes through a deep canyon creating a series of waterfalls and deep pools. With almost two kilometres of waterfront property, the park has opportunities for camping, swimming, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, and wildlife viewing.
Recreational users can enjoy the natural sand beach while wildlife viewers can hike the Canyon trail and view a variety of birds, small mammals, deer, and bighorn sheep in the higher regions.
Historical features throughout the park include the Manor House, the octagonal barn and several other farm buildings. A small wetland area located south of the Packing House, a portion of lakeshore and the Shorts Creek corridor and canyon below Westside Road are designated special feature-natural conservation areas. Notable features within the zone include a large eagle’s nest, old growth cottonwoods, and several wildlife trees, Shorts Creek waterfall and kokanee spawning grounds. The Fintry Manor House, garden, the barns, remnant power generation, and irrigation systems are special heritage features.
Fintry Protected Area was established on April 18, 2001, to enhance the ecological viability of the existing park. This protected area protects important California bighorn sheep habitat and provides increased representation of the North Okanagan Basin ecosection by capturing an increased elevational gradient as well as providing a spectacular canyon and hiking and viewing opportunities.
Safety information
- Visitors are advised to stay on designated hiking trails, away from steep cliffs.
Special notes
- The Friends of Fintry Park Society, incorporated in 2000, assists BC Parks in the management of Fintry’s unique cultural history. Presently, the Society is focusing on preserving and restoring buildings from the Dun-Waters’ era in this, B.C.’s newest museum. Captain James C. Dun-Waters was the incredible man who, between 1909 and 1939, made the Fintry delta a garden of Eden, a place filled with innovations far ahead of their time. The Society is doing a lot of the physical work plus raising funds through grant applications and special projects, when restoration demands professional help. In their efforts to bring Fintry’s marvelous history back to life, during 2002 alone, the 150 individual and corporate members contributed over 8,000 hours of volunteer time and drove more than 30,000 kilometres.
- If you come to visit Fintry’s spectacular triple waterfall, you’ll walk past the barn complex where a lot of restoration work has been completed by BC Parks and the Friends of Fintry. Look for:
- the reshingled roof on the unique octagonal dairy barn plus new roofs on the horse barn, granary and machine shop
- repaired exteriors on all buildings in the barn complex
- the reconstructed hay shed
- new fencing in the barn area that copies Dun-Water’s original design
- a barn yard that’s on its way to being as attractive as the “only-the-finest-accepted” Captain Dun-Waters would allow
- On the way to the beautiful sand beaches, you’ll pass the Manor House, where:
- guided tour of the house and hear the story of the man who wove such magic on the Fintry delta
- see Dun-Waters’ clothes and artifacts that have come back to Fintry thanks to Historic O’Keefe Ranch Museum, the Kelowna Museum and descendants of families who played important roles in the Dun-Waters story
- explore the beginnings of a new heritage-cum-ornamental garden, including a 60 foot labyrinth.
Location notes
The park is located on Fintry Delta road, off Westside road, approximately 34km north of Kelowna or 49km south of Vernon. The park is on the northwest side of Okanagan Lake. Watch for marker signs located on Hwy 97. Access is also possible by boat: 6km across Okanagan Lake from Ellison Park and 6km across the lake from Kopje Regional District Park in Lake Country. The closest communities, towns and cities are Kelowna, Vernon, Lake Country (across Okanagan Lake), and the Westside Road Community Plan area from Trader’s Cove to Killiney Beach.
Activities
- 9213:Interpretive programs Find fun summer outdoor learning experiences with Discover Parks Ambassadors here all summer long. For specific dates, along with many more seasonal and year-round activities, visit discoverparks.ca.
- 9213:Hiking Shorts Creek trail has narrow, steep cliffs. Trail starts approximately 1 to 2km from the campground area where there is parking for 6 or 7 vehicles on a gravel pullout just past the octagonal dairy barn. The trail follows the fenced corral to enter the canyon behind the old bunkhouse building. A staircase of milled lumber climbs steep north side of the canyon. The staircase has handrails and another rail at knee level.Children must be accompanied by an adult. After the first flight of stairs, the trail levels out to an area perched on the edge of the canyon opposite the base of the waterfall and fenced in by a chain link fence. The area offers a stunning view of the two-tiered cascade and the steep canyon walls. The stairs continue up to a series of three wooden viewing platforms each offering a slightly different view of the falls as the stairs climb higher up the canyon wall. The third, and largest platform, offers the best view looking both down on the falls and the other platforms, and upstream to a corner where the canyon narrows and a pool forms.There are fantastic views of Okanagan Lake and the Fintry Delta. Saskatoon bushes cling to life on the edge of the canyon beside the platform which has a small triangular bench. Above this are the remnants of the irrigation system. There is no designated trail beyond the chain link fence that blocks off access to the irrigation system. For your own safety and the preservation of the park, obey posted signs and keep to designated trails away from the steep cliffs of the canyon. Shortcutting trails destroys plant life and soil structure.
- 9213:Swimming A natural sand beach and warm water makes this park ideal for swimming.
- 9213:Canoeing With almost 2km of waterfront, the park has lots of opportunities for canoeing.
- 9213:Kayaking With almost 2km of waterfront, the park has lots of opportunities for kayaking.
- 9213:Fishing Various freshwater fish available in Okanagan Lake. Please obey posted signs regarding speed and vessel restrictions. For information about freshwater fishing, including regulations, restrictions and limits, please check the freshwater fishing regulations synopsis. Also see boat launch information.
- 9213:Wildlife viewing There are viewing platforms situated in key locations on the Shorts Creek Canyon trail that offer spectacular views of the waterfalls and of remnants of the irrigation and power generation system built in the early 1900s.
- 9213:Pets on leash Pets and domestic animals must be on a leash at all times and are not allowed in beach areas (except for the designated pet beach) or park buildings. You are responsible for their behaviour and must dispose of their excrement. Backcountry areas are not suitable for dogs or other pets due to wildlife issues and the potential for problems with bears.
- 9213:Cycling Bicycles must keep to roadways. Bicycle helmets are mandatory in British Columbia. No mountain biking trails.Please note that bicycles with electric assist motors (e-bikes) are not allowed on the trails within Fintry Park. E-bikes are restricted to park roads and areas where motorized use is permitted. The only exception to this policy will be for authorized and identified trail maintenance bikes conducting work on behalf of BC Parks.
- 9213:Waterskiing Waterskiing is popular on Okanagan Lake. A boat launch is available.
- 9213:Windsurfing Windsurfing opportunities are plentiful along the two kilometres of beach.
- 9213:Scuba diving There is a sunken barge reportedly offshore of the park. An existing diving site is located across from Fintry on the east side of Okanagan Lake at Ellison Park.
Facilities
- 9213:Accessibility information Accessibility information is available for this park.
- 9213:Picnic areas This park has a variety of day-use activities. Visitors can hike in Shorts Creek Canyon, wander past the heritage buildings (entry is prohibited) or relax on the beach. The day-use beach area is accessed from the new campground. There is a paved parking lot a short distance along a wide gravel trail from the coarse sand beach beside the Packing House. There are tables and a pit toilet near the beach and the swimming area is marked with buoys. The beach extends past the Packing House and around the point. There are opportunities for bird watching in the wetland and old growth cottonwood southwest of the Packing House.Two gravel parking lots straddle the road to sites 51-100. They provide parking for those wishing to access the Manor House and the large irrigated lawns surrounding it. A labyrinth is located east of the Manor House.
- 9213:Pit or flush toilets The park has mostly flush toilets, however, there are also a couple of pit toilets located throughout the park.
- 9213:Showers There are three shower buildings for registered guests only. One is located in between sites 25 and 26. It is a concrete block building with five showers and three flush toilets. The building also has a dishwashing station at the rear end for your convenience. The second shower building is located in the 51-110 section behind sites 100 and 101 the paved day-use parking area. It has four shower stalls and two toilet and sink stalls, each with individually locking rooms. The third shower building is located at the entrance of section 112-160 it has 7 showers, 4 flush toilets and a urinal including an accessible washroom. The building also has a dishwashing station at the back end.
- 9213:Drinking water Drinking water is available in the park. There are cold water taps in the campgrounds and taps in the shower buildings.
- 9213:Playground There are 2 playground areas available at the park.
- 9213:Boat launch There is a paved boat launch and a floating dock for easy boat access.
- 9213:Sani-station There are two sani-station located by the falls day-use parking lot. Drinking water is also available at the sani-stations during the collecting season from March 31 to Oct 9, 2023.Sani-station use fee: Payment of $5 should be made at the gatehouse or upon registration with staff at your site
- 9213:Campfires While campfires are allowed and campfire rings are provided at each campsite, we encourage visitors to conserve wood and protect the environment by minimizing the use of fire and using campstoves instead. Firewood can be purchased in the park or you may bring your own wood. Fees for firewood are set locally and may vary from park to park. To preserve vegetation and ground cover, please don’t gather firewood from the area around your campsite or elsewhere in the park (this is a ticketable offence under the Park Act ). Dead wood is an important habitat element for many plants and animals and it adds organic matter to the soil. Campfires are not permitted in the Protected Area as there are no facilities provided for fires.
Location
50.13658, -119.50686 · South Okanagan
