Approximately 40 KM (25 miles) from Penticton, British Columbia. Hiking time round trip- 3.5 to 4.0 hrs allowing for stops. Round trip roughly 4.8 KM (3.0 miles), elevation gain-204M (668 feet). Best time is usually May to October.
Directions: Oliver Mountain is the west skyline of Oliver, British Columbia. It runs south to north parallel to Oliver. In the past this area was a significant mining center. The Fairview mine was located on the slope to the south of Oliver Mountain. There are still claim markers on Oliver Mountain. The top can be hot and is quite open except for a few heavily treed areas which are like an oasis. Must be considerable moisture under the ground in these areas. There are many ATV trails but powered vehicles are no longer allowed. There appears to be two high points, one on the east side and another on the west side of the mountain. The GPS shows an altitude gain of 204 meters but it is a bit more than that as there is considerable up and down on the trails.
From Penticton head south on Highway 97. A short distance past Kaleden roughly 14 KM (8.7 miles) from Penticton turn right (west) onto White Lake Road. Continue down White Lake Road past the observatory. Look for the Fairview/White Lake Road on the left (south) a few kilometers west from the observatory. Turn left (south) onto Fairview/White Lake Road and follow the road south. The road passes through the community of Willowbrook. Roughly 6 KM (4 miles) from Willowbrook a small parking area by a gate with a bench near the gate will be seen on the left (east) side of the road. There is a sign on the other side of the gate that motorized vehicles are not allowed. See the parking area photograph below. From the gate followed a road to the east side of the mountain which provided some good views. Locating a trail that went north to the east high point required some backtracking. Eventually found a wide trail that headed north off an east/west road. See photos below, it is also marked in the GPS data. Further north this trail was overgrown and hard to follow but did lead to a high point on the east side of the mountain. The views from this high point are quite good. The photos below show the route.
GPS Data: Right click on link to bring up menu to download (save) file.
Oliver Mtn 2011/09 |