Happy Canada Day everyone!! I thought I would share my hiking experience up/to the Enderby Cliffs. I went there 2 days ago. A brand new paved parking lot with lines and 2 new pit toilets have re-opened today July1/09. the Cliffs are easily visible from Hwy 97. looking east.
Directions to the cliffs. Turn at the lights in Enderby onto the Mabel lake turnoff. Drive 1.9km to Brash-Allen rd, turn left. It is about 3km to the end of the road, which is half paved and then a narrow gravel road.
The Trail… the trail sign shows you where to start. And it is a pretty steady climb all the way. This trail is not for those with a weak heart or knees. It is a total leg workout,plus cardio. But there a couple of reststops or viewpoints along the way.. The first is about 20-30 minutes up with a bench and a moderate size crucifixtion statue. Why? I don’t know..Maybe to pray the Lord you’ll make it to the top or to thank HIM for making it back down. About 10 minutes later is great lower cliff lookout. The next 30-45 minutes is again moderate to steep ascent. Some sections have rope to pull yourself up or to slow you down. These parts could become very slippery after a rain. As well the trail has very good tree cover, so it nice and shady.
then you arrive onto a plateau where the trail is easier but still climbs up. A few points are right along the cliff edge, so be careful. Again this part to the top has shady sections too. A nice breeze on my day was welcome. Finally after 1 1/2 hours , for me, I was at the very top of the cliffs..
Spectacular views of the north Okanagan valley. You can see all the way to the north end of OK Lake and the south end of Shuswap Lake by Salmon Arm. The meandering Shuswap river is very evident with the farmlands all around it.
At this time of year some subalpine flowers are blossoming, very nice mixture. I don’t know the names very well.
Recommendations: Bring lots of water, 2 litres? No other source on the way up/down.
Bring bug spray, lots of mozzies in the lower/mid treed section. (I didn’t stop except to take waypoints for my GPS). So if possible do the hike in the am, because late a’noon or evening will intensify the buggers appetite.
I used a sturdy wood walking stick, very helpful for either ascents or descents.
Wear good hiking boots/ shoes because of the steepness in some sections.
a cushion to sit on up top, the rocks are pointy near the edge.
Oh yes, bring a camera, I forgot mine, so I’ll have to go again to post some pictures..
Facts: elevations– trail head 505m, clliff plateau 1023m,cliff top 1180m, distance about 4.5-5km return.
Also after your hike go for a swim/tube float in the river. there are a couple of parks in Enderby where you can go in the water.. Hope you will enjoy this hike..grant
ps I see there is another local Grant on this website, so it may be confusing who posts what (excepts for us Grants)
ppss Hi Clayton, yes you should do this hike, it’s very rewarding..Also it looks as though one could take an ATV on another trail and arrive up top too.. There are signs and pathways of where the oldhiking trail used to go, but the trail is pretty well indicated.. I’m editting here because I couldn’t figure out how to reply to your comment….
Wow! I have this on my bucket list. The last info on the Enderby Cliffs that I had seen did not mention any true trail and I thought hikers still had to ask the farmer for permission to hike through his field. Sounds like some awesome trail work has been done.
Your descriptions are so precise that I didn’t even need to see a picture Grant! 🙂
Thank you very much for this hiking information.
Ahh, found this comment section. Just wanted to add this for the Enderby Cliff trail. For those who may want to know, I did not see any old or new signs of bear scat or even deer raisins…grant j
Went up the middle of August 2010. The family was pretty tired coming back, and we saw a young black bear on the trail. Didn’t think we had the strength to run back so fast! Made lots of noise when we continued and fortunately never saw the mother.
Congrats on completing the cliffs…and for getting the opportunity for a little bear watching!
Thanks for the great comments everyone.I do this hike every week and truly enjoy it.My only gripe is all the rude ignorant& selfish dog owners that let their uleashed dogs run wild chasing the wildlife,crapping on the narrow trails,which seem to amuse these rule breaking pet owners.One guys dog charged me as i was overlooking a very dangerous ravine.I yelled at him to leash his dog and he gives me a dirty look.Next time that dog will be introduced to bear spray.It is a proven fact that pets off leash often bring bears back to us hikers.There are documented case of this happening,as a result hikers have been mauled by bears.There are responsible pet owners too. that follow the rules.But the majority just dont care about anyone but themselves.If one of the aproximetly 6 unleashed mongrels that are up there everyday endangers my life again i would have to take defensive action.
Hey, I hiked up to the top of the bluffs today, what a great hike! The trail is well used and very well maintained. None of the trail is too steep, its a very steady climb up to the top. On the way back down the park maintenance has left different faces painted on the butts of the logs they have cut to clear the trail, enjoy!
One of my goals for this trip was to find the lake at the top, behind the bluffs, but I could not find it, has anyone been there? How do you get there, do you have any pictures, and are there fish?
Just remember there are two lights in Enderby now and you turn off the highway on the road right between the two lights now. Also, unfortunately no mountain biking on this trail, its just to busy with hikers and it is not permitted.
Great trail intel Jesse! I guess I hope to get there on a dog walking ASAP. When I do I will be sure to bring my GPS and maybe even record a track to the lake. 🙂 I would have done the trail sooner than now if I knew it wasn’t as steep as it looks like it could be!
Thanks to the visitor who gave the following historic info on the cross that is on the cliffs!
I heard the cross is for a fellow from Switzerland who died climbing
the cliff area many years ago.
I remember a helicopter rescue effort on the cliffs when I was a
teenager, but that was 35 years ago now, don’t know if it is connected