Regions - Okanagan - Boulder Fields
Website: http://kelownarockbc.com/
The Boulderfields was Kelowna’s best kept secret until the launch of the Kelowna Rock guidebook in 2008. Even so, a busy day will have no more than a dozen cars, and most days, you will have Kelowna’s largest climbing area to yourselves. Climbers have 32 bolted walls to choose from, spread out around and within a basin of massive boulders. And yes, the bouldering is fantastic. Many problems are documented, and many are just waiting for crash padders to discover. The rock is solid gneiss.
All of the climbing routes can be done with a 60m rope, but a 70m is nice to have for beginner routes on the Main Wall. The level of difficulty ranges from easy to expert, with the majority of the climbs falling in the 5.11 range. The Boulderfields borders the KVR railway and is higher in altitude than the other areas. For this reason it is the last Kelowna crag to open and the first to shut down due to snow. Thanks to the altitude and variety of exposures, however, the Boulderfields has some of the best summertime climbing in the Okanagan. The Dark Side wall, for example, is in perpetual shade, and can comfortably be climbed while the rest of the Valley is seared by blistering heat. Be sure to bring a cell phone, because even though it is only 15 km out of town, it is rugged terrain. Don’t hike here in the dark.