Kelowna posted May 17, 2024 @ 10:00am by Josh Duncan

Closures at Knox Mountain this weekend for 65th annual Hill Climb

If you were planning on a hike at Knox Mountain this weekend, it may be easier to make other plans.

A large portion of the downtown Kelowna mountain park will be closed to the public to accommodate the 65th annual Knox Mountain Hill Climb this weekend.

The annual competition, which is the longest-running paved hill climb in North America, sees cars race up Knox Mountain Drive against the clock.

“The event attracts top drivers from throughout the Pacific Northwest, looking for the challenge and thrill of being fastest,” explains the Knox Mountain Hill Climb website.

<who>Photo Credit: Knox Mountain Hill Climb/Facebook

It doesn’t result in a full closure of Knox Mountain Park, but the majority of the park that people use the most will be shut down for the bulk of the long weekend.

The closures began at noon on Thursday, as Knox Mountain Drive was fully shut down for set up and will stay closed until Monday afternoon.

The disc golf course closed on Thursday as well, to accommodate campers, while the dog park will close for the weekend starting today.

As a whole, Knox Mountain Park will remain open to visitors until the end of the day on Friday, but a few parking restrictions will go into effect earlier than that:

Main parking area: closed from Friday until Monday.
Poplar Point Drive parking area: closed from Thursday until Monday.
North side of Broadway Avenue: parking restrictions in effect from Thursday until Monday.

The Apex Trail will remain open over the course of the weekend for hikers and mountain bikers, but it will only be accessible via the north trailhead entrance in the Magic Estates area.

“Organizers anticipate the park will be fully accessible to visitors by about noon on Monday, though event takedown may still be ongoing,” a release from the City of Kelowna said.

If you want to head down to Knox Mountain Park to watch the event, tickets are $25 per day or $35 for the weekend, and kids under 16 are free when accompanied by an adult.

For more information on the 65th annual Knox Mountain Hill Climb, click this link.

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