Team Power Smart

outdoor adventure Oliver Hike and Bike Trail 3 0 1 2 km ND Ra d Road 22 HLA Deadman Lake HIG HAYNES LEASE ECOLOGICAL RESERVE To Keremeos N Okanagan River GAN R 97 ANA e Sag d. OK Ryegrass Rd. (Road 18) Inkaneep Cree k To Oliver ck io Tr an sm itter Rd. Osoyoos Lake To Osoyoos rob struthers Location: The parking lot is accessed on Road 22 off Highway 97, 8 km north of Osoyoos. Hiking distance: Total distance: 18.4 km. Difficulty: Easy. Wheelchair and stroller accessible. Good to know: Watch for poison ivy, which flourishes in the area. Info: Oliver Tourism (winecapitalofcanada. com). Search "Things to Do." of birds, from Bullock's orioles to bobolinks, which nest in nearby meadows. There are more than 10 species of owls listed and at least eight different types of woodpeckers alone. For the converted birder, it's an avian Graceland. t The sun-dappled setting is bucolic, but it's also important. Along the river trail there are rich valley-bottom habitats that are very rare in the Okanagan. "We've lost probably 80 percent or more of those kinds of habitats in the valley," says Dick Cannings, naturalist, birder, and Okanagan resident. The area encompasses a range of wet and wild habitats, including old river oxbows, wet meadows, marshes, birch and alder, and just a couple of hundred metres away are dry, desert-like grasslands with scorpions and rattlesnakes. It's a dense area with some rare birds, says Cannings. Birders from around the globe bring their binoculars in the hopes of seeing species such as endangered yellow-breasted chats, bobolinks, or long-billed curlews. My shoes crunch on the gravel path as we head south toward Osoyoos Lake. We are the only people on the trail, though there is the constant flutter of winged creatures. I am not a skilled birder and don't spy any unusual species, although I do recognize the black-billed magpies showing their white-tipped wings. Wild rose and sumac bushes dot the landscape, as well as occasional bales of hay, and brown cows regard us with deadpan stares. At the trail's end near the northern tip of Osoyoos Lake there are a series of oxbows and wetlands supporting close to 300 species Bla B irds and grapes are both plentiful in the Okanagan, and nowhere is this more apparent than the pocket between Oliver and Osoyoos, which includes "the Osoyoos Oxbows," one of Canada's Important Bird Areas. An information kiosk next to the parking lot where Road 22 meets the Okanagan River Channel details some of the species in the area and shows the patchwork of ownership. One of the most photographed buildings in the Okanagan can be seen near the kiosk: the historic Haynes Ranch, which dates to the early 1900s. The abandoned, now dilapidated wooden structures sit on the east side of the river and are sometimes occupied by barn owls and long-eared bats. Most of the land around the structures is a wildlife management area, and there is also an ecological reserve nearby. From the trailhead, we see Burrowing Owl Estate Winery, where visitors can peruse the wine shop or lunch at their acclaimed restaurant The Sonora Room. The trail, a maintenance road for the canal, follows the Okanagan River. Heading northwest, the path intersects with Ryegrass Road (Road 18). Along the way, there are wineries on the east side of the river, their crops forming orderly, sunlit rows. Short blasts at regular intervals ring out, intended to deter birds from pecking grapes. The only traffic on the route is the occasional farm vehicle. to know if you go The Okanagan Valley is about a halfday's drive northeast of Vancouver in the province's southern Interior and has a mild, dry climate that is suited for grapes and fruit trees. The area is popular for its beaches, ski hills, lakes, and wineries, so there is a range of accommodation options, from campgrounds, to motels, to high-end resorts, particularly in Kelowna, Vernon, and Penticton (though rooms may fill up on holiday weekends). For accommodation info see hellobc.com. info • Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (250-860-5999; hellobc. com/thompson-okanagan.aspx). web extras bcmag.ca Search "hiking boots" for expert footwear tips. • David Leach and Jenny Manzer explore the path along the Okanagan River channel. 40 B rit is h C olumbia Magazi ne • fall 2013

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