Visits to my home town are usually short and filled with family stuff, so I rarely get an opportunity to go on an adventure. However, after the brutally cold winter we had in Montreal, I couldn’t let a beautiful Sunday afternoon go by without taking a couple of hours to explore. Mill Creek Regional Park behind Kelowna airport was the perfect place for a late afternoon escape.

Even though it is wedged between two subdivisions, Mill Creek is large enough to feel like you’ve escaped civilization for a wilderness hike. Spring arrived early in the Okanagan, so the creek and waterfalls were full and the hillsides were dotted with Brown-eyed Susan’s, a common yellow wildflower in the area. While the hike was short – less than 5 km round trip – it had some challenging sections so it felt more like a hike than a walk.

It’s also a great park to practice waterfall photography!