Okanagan. 
Know before you go
Advisories
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.
Review the detailed guides under visit responsibly for more information on staying safe and preserving our natural spaces.
Visit responsibly
Follow these guides to ensure your activities are safe, respectful, and ecologically friendly:
Maps and location
Getting there
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.
Things to do
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.
A natural sand beach and warm water makes this park ideal for swimming.
There are no lifeguards on duty in BC Parks.
With almost 2km of waterfront, the park has lots of opportunities for canoeing.
With almost 2km of waterfront, the park has lots of opportunities for kayaking.
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.
Anyone fishing in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
About this park
The small amount of archaeological evidence visible at Fintry suggests that the Shorts Creek delta was a summer fishing camp and was on a trade route through the Okanagan Region. During the 19th century, fur traders for the Hudson’s Bay Company were the first to make contact with the native inhabitants of the valley. The park contains a short section of the Okanagan Brigade Trail.
The Fintry Estate exemplifies the agricultural and settlement history of the Okanagan Valley. It was one of the valley’s early pioneer settlements functioning as a self-sufficient community in the early 1900’s. Fintry’s first Eurocanadian settler was a pioneer steamboat captain, Thomas D. Shorts who established a fleet of freight boats on Okanagan Lake and played an important role in the maritime history of the Okanagan.
In 1909, James Cameron Dunwaters purchased the property naming it Fintry after an ancestral estate in Scotland. He erected many of the heritage buildings which currently exist, including the Manor House, made of stone quarried from the area, the very unique Octagonal Dairy Barn for his Ayrshire cattle, the Packing House, the Gatekeepers House and several farm buildings. Remnants of power generation and irrigation systems are visible along Shorts Creek. The octagonal barn and packing house are possible candidates for national historic designation underscoring their value and the importance of the park.
The Park was established April 30, 1996. The estate was purchased in December 1995 and officially became a park in the Spring of 1996. It is one of the few remaining natural areas in the Okanagan that has not yet succumbed to the pressures of growth and development.
The Protected Area was established on April 18, 2001
The high importance of the park for conservation is unexpected in an area this size given its immense heritage value. A key feature protected by the park is the Shorts Creek Canyon, which contains many scenic waterfalls. It offers important spawning grounds for kokanee and essential rearing habitat for rainbow trout and eastern brook trout in their first two years of life.
Fintry was important within the historic range of California bighorn sheep with a full range of habitat including escape terrain along the canyon. The park also has class one deer winter range that is used extensively during severe winter conditions.
The old growth cottonwoods along the beach are a red listed plant community. The park offers two dramatically different topographical areas: a delta at the mouth of Shorts Creek dominated by old orchard trees and hay fields, and a forested area made up of mature ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir. Ponderosa pine forest is one of the most threatened forest types because of urban growth and resource development activities and is very sensitive to disturbance. Another rare plant found in the park is the blue listed Okanagan Flame Flower.
Blue listed California bighorn sheep and Townsend’s Big-eared bats are present in the park along with the red listed Western Grebe. Other wildlife is abundant and includes black and grizzly bear, lynx, marten, coyote, moose, white-tail and mule deer, ruffed grouse, northern goshawk, great horned owl, pileated woodpecker. A bald eagle’s nest is found in the cottonwoods south of the Packing House.
Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples
BC Parks honours Indigenous Peoples’ connection to the land and respects the importance of their diverse teachings, traditions, and practices within these territories. This park webpage may not adequately represent the full history of this park and the connection of Indigenous Peoples to this land. We are working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to update our websites so that they better reflect the history and cultures of these special places.
Contact
| Reservations, changes, and cancellations | Our call centre is open from 7 am to 7 pm Pacific Time. There is a $5 fee for reservations, changes, or cancellations made by phone.
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| Park operator | This park is operated by Kaloya Contracting Ltd. Please specify the park name when sending or leaving a message. |
| General questions and feedback for BC Parks | We answer emails weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm Pacific Time. |
