7. Knox Mountain Park – Paul’s Tomb

Category: Return

Distance: 6.8 km round trip

Height gain: 92 m

High point: 446 m

Time: 1–2 hrs. round trip

Difficulty: Moderate

Seasons: Spring, summer, fall

Trailhead coordinates: N49 54.326 W119 29.453

Directions to trailhead: From Harvey Ave. in Kelowna, turn north onto Ellis St. Drive to the end of Ellis to the Knox Mountain Park lower parking lot. Ellis St. continues past the far end of the parking lot as a paved park road, arriving at two more parking lots farther up. The first upper parking lot eliminates some of the trail’s elevation and distance, but the explanation below begins at the lower parking lot. Regardless, there is a gate that disallows vehicular traffic and it is closed most of the time.

The first part of this trek is an uphill climb, but beyond that it is a pleasant, effortless stroll alongside Okanagan Lake. The goal of the hike is to reach the tomb of Rembler Paul and his wife, Elizabeth. Rembler Paul was born in Montreal in 1932. While his occupation was as a veterinary surgeon, he yearned to travel west and north. He later became a successful, wealthy real estate and mining entrepreneur in Regina, Saskatchewan, and eventually settled in Kelowna in 1905, where he and Elizabeth lived in a large house on Bernard Ave. Wanting to leave a legacy for both himself and his wife, Paul had the tomb built in 1910. Rembler Paul died in 1916, two years after his wife.

 

See map here.

  1. The trail begins as a gravel path heading up the left side of the above-mentioned paved road. This trail is well defined, as it is heavily used.
  2. Continue upward, tracking a fenceline that accompanies the trail. Following directional signs, you will come to a staircase constructed of landscaping ties within ten minutes. There are about 80 steps in this staircase.
  3. The trail reaches the upper parking lot a few minutes beyond the top of the stairs. The trail picks up at the far right (north) end of the upper parking lot. You have now walked 700 m and gained 92 m in elevation.
  4. As you leave the parking lot onto the trail, the trail splits. Stay on the main trail travelling straight.
  5. The wide gravel path remains flat for almost half a kilometre before it eventually begins to descend to the shoreline of Okanagan Lake.
  6. The journey is an uninterrupted downhill meander, with only one exception: where a side trail joins the main trail, there is a marker informing you there is one kilometre remaining.
  7. The destination, the tomb of Rembler Paul and his wife, Elizabeth, is almost at water level. There is some disappointment at the final goal, as the entrance to the tomb has been filled in with soil and capped with concrete to prevent grave-robbing. All that remains visible is the year “D1910” etched into the concrete. The tomb is on the right (east) side of the trail as you approach the end of the trail. This area is also a fantastic picnic spot, complete with tables, lawn, outhouses and a wonderful little swimming bay.

A spectacular sunny view looking north up Okanagan Lake along the trail to Paul’sTomb.