Spion Kop

Elevation: 879 m
Elevation Gain: 250 m
Located between Okanagan Lake and Wood Lake, Spion Kop is the official name for a hill at the sout end of Ellison Ridge. The feature was named by Leslie Caesar who was the brother of an early settler in the area. Leslie was a veteran of the Boer War and, while visiting his brother’s homestead, noted a resemblance between this hill and South Africa’s Spioenkop. The latter was the site of a battle that cost 300 lives in January, 1900. Spion Kop is derived from the Afrikaans words "spioen" (meaning spy or look-out) and "kop" or "kopje" (meaning hill or outcropping).
My Ascents:
April 30 2022
Trailhead: Upper Lakes Trailhead
GPS Track: Spion Kop

After record late-April snowfall and winter conditions in Calgary, we decided that we’d had enough and set course west for the more temperate Okanagan Valley in search of actual spring. A few years back, my sister-in-law Jana and brother-in-law Craig moved to the Okanagan so we’re now blessed with a great place to crash whenever we’ve reached our wits end with Calgary’s weather. In addition to escaping winter-in-April, this also meant that we’d get to enjoy an overdue visit with my niece Maren (and her parents, of course). When last we’d visited, we accompanied Baby Maren on her first hike. With Maren bigger and stronger now, this visit seemed like a perfect time for Baby’s first summit…

Mera, Penny and Crux eager to get underway at the trailhead. After an unnecessarily long 9-hour drive (thanks Highway 1 construction), our kids (including Crux) arrived in the Okanagan Valley with energy to burn!

From the well-marked trailhead, we set off along the aptly named and color-coded “Arrowleaf” trail with spring in full swing 😍 🌻.

LEFT: Baby Maren was PUMPED at the prospect of her first summit (and even more PUMPED that she was going to be carried all the way up it 😂)!
RIGHT: Her Dad (Uncle Craig) was less pumped, however, as she wriggled her way lopsided, requiring occasional “adjustments.”

LEFT: Spion Kop is home to a myriad labyrinth of trails (some for hiking, some for dirt-biking and some simply to confuse). Fortunately, the “Walk Around Lake Country” group beautifully maintains and marks the hiking trails with color-coded blazes. Indeed, route-finding proved so easy that even our colorblind dog managed to stay on the correct trail! In all seriousness, Crux wasn’t much help but the trail was so well-marked that 4-year-old Penny took great pride in leading us along the correct path at every possible junction.
RIGHT: In addition to the colored blazes, there were other signs which were enjoyed by all (but none more-so than 6-year-old Mera). 🐢 ❤️

LEFT: Lovely spring views over Lake Country, BC from Spion Kop’s lower slopes.
RIGHT: Abundant arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittate) colors the hillsides.

Mera stops to smell the flowers alongside the “Arrowleaf” trail.

Penny takes a break from her route-finding duties.

LEFT: Back at it… Penny excitedly points towards the next yellow blaze 🟡 as we get back underway.
RIGHT: Epic creek leap in 3, 2, 1…

After 2.5-km of flower-littered slopes, we reached the “Grand Overlook” and stopped to do just that (look over the valley grandly).

Maren and Uncle Craig take in the view (of the overlook and the Baby, respectively).

LEFT and RIGHT: Mera teaches her little cousin all about arrowleaf balsamroot. Of course, Maren was most excited to determine if they were edible; fortunately, they are!

After “overlooking grandly”, we started up the “Tower” trail towards Baby Maren’s first summit. Once again, Penny was happy to point out every one of this trails (now) white blazes ⚪ for us.

About 3.5 km fro the car, Spion Kop’s rocky summit (and its eyesore tower) came into view.

LEFT: Brianne tackles a rocky section just below the summit. Note the 5 blazes visible immediately in front of her; it really is hard (though not impossible) to get off-trail here!
RIGHT: The trail map describes a “short scramble” near the top but, as you can see, even a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old found it fairly trivial; essentially, hands-in-pocket walking. 😉

While the eyesore communications tower occupied the summit proper, a spacious sub-summit outcrop provided great views and great seating thanks to a carefully crafted picnic table.

Spion Kop offers up a spectacular Lake Country panorama stretching from Wood Lake (left) to Ellison Lake (center left) and then onto the grandest of them all, Okanagan Lake (right). Certainly a great view for Baby’s first summit! Click to see larger.

LEFT: As you can see, Baby Maren was extremely excited about her first summit and elected to celebrate with a nap. 😴 😂
RIGHT: Another summit for the old dog, Mr. Crux (who has mostly thrown in the towel on such endeavors).

The Hobbs family, successfully on top again (and in actual spring conditions, no less 🙏)!

LEFT: Hmmm… What’s this? It seems Maren wasn’t the only BABY enjoying her first summit up here… #ComingSeptember2022!
RIGHT: Miss Penny is very, very, very excited to be a big sister! 😁

Of course, while everyone else was getting excited about Babies, I busied myself taking photos like this picturesque one of Wood Lake and Lake Country.

LEFT and RIGHT: An interesting perspective on the region’s air traffic thanks to Spion Kop’s proximity to the Kelowna airport.

A host of vineyards occupy the bountiful slopes west of the Okanagan Lake. In the distance, the 650-m-long Okanagan Lake Bridge can even be seen connecting Kelowna and West Kelowna at the foot of Mount Knox (center left).

Looking east across the Okanagan Lake towards aptly named (and still-snowy!) Terrace Mountain.

A surprising summit find: a Northern Alligator Lizard. Who knew there were alligators in the Okanagan?!

LEFT: Another summit surprise (as if there hadn’t been enough already!) – an obnoxiously loud dirt bike revving its way all the way up (stopping just shy of the picnic table). While dirt bikes are, apparently, allowed in the area, clear signs below ask them to refrain from riding on the dedicated hiking trails (like the one this guy is currently on). Sadly, our experience of being nearly run off with children a couple of times suggests that sign literacy may not be a strong suit for some in the local dirt biking demographic. 🙄
RIGHT: The arrival of the cacophonous two-wheeler heralded an end to Baby Maren’s naptime (much to the delight of cousins Mera and Penny who can’t get enough of her).

Brianne looks good with 3 kids, doesn’t she?...

After taking in the view, almost stepping on lizards and completing an obligatory (for some) nap, we decided to get going and asked a kind lizard-enthusiast to snap a family photo to commemorate both Babies’ first summit!

LEFT and RIGHT: ♫ On the Road Again… ♫

On descent, we shortcutted via the “Summit” (red 🔴) trail which provided some unique perspective on the rocky summit (in addition to sparing us an unnecessary 0.5 km distance).

Toute la gang back on the Arrowleaf trail, plodding slowly downwards towards Lake Country.

Arrowleaf-filled vistas provided an apt send-off for a beautiful spring day filled with first summits (plural)!

Hey Brianne, what do you think of the name “Spion Kop” for a new Baby?... 😉