Parks Newsletter

Not every park is designed with equal accessibility, but with the right equipment, creativity and community support, every park can become a place where everyone belongs.

Since 2001, Adaptive Adventures has been guided by a simple but powerful belief: the outdoors should be accessible to all, regardless of ability. Through a growing partnership with the Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO), that vision is becoming a reality in our regional parks.

As summer unfolds across the Central Okanagan, a new group of energetic and passionate students is stepping into the Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO) Parks Operations team.

When visitors arrive at an RDCO park, they’re greeted by beautiful landscapes, clean facilities and well-maintained trails. What often goes unseen is the dedicated operations team working every day behind the scenes, to make those experiences possible.

Due to continued dry conditions and rising temperatures, the fire danger rating in Regional District of Central Okanagan regional and community parks is now high (level 4).

Ever wonder what those green, blue, and black symbols at the trailhead really mean?

If you are wandering through the backcountry sections of many of our regional parks there is a good chance you are walking on trails shaped by the careful planning and hard work of Marius Starr.

There’s a moment on every trail when something around you asks for your attention – a burst of birdsong, the scent of pine warming in the sun, or the sudden quiet that falls when the wind shifts. These moments are small but powerful. They remind us that our parks are full of stories waiting to be noticed. Interpretation is how we help those stories come alive.

Rose Valley Regional Park is healing after the 2023 McDougall Creek wildfire, and the signs of new life are already beginning to show. Over the last month, the Regional District of Central Okanagan Parks Services finished burning leftover wood piles from the fire. This helps prepare the land for new plants and trees to grow. As warmer weather arrives, you’ll start to see fire touched areas turning green again.