The Rim Rock Trail | A Rock In Time
The kids scaling down the Rim Rock Trail
Shuswap Adventure Girl
Are you looking to experience a completely unique and adventurous hike? Head to the Rim Rock trail located near Coldstream/Lumby. It is like nothing I have ever seen in this region before. Complete unique geology! We found this hike in one of my local hiking books and since we have a young boy who loves volcanoes we decided to head out and explore. This family-friendly adventure really sparked some interesting conversation. What is the history here? Were there dinosaurs in this valley? Was this whole valley filled with lava? Is Bluenose Mountain a volcano? We felt like we were stepping back in time!
The trail is quite easy to find and the forest road up is bumpy and fun! You gain a lot of elevation traveling upwards so we knew the views would be impressive. Despite the rather boring and unimpressive first leg of the hike up a logging road, the trail quickly turns to beautiful hemlock and cedar forest. Look closely and you will find huge rock faces hidden within this lush forest, we suspected that these rock faces were most likely related to the volcanic rock as they had an unusual presence about them!
The trail is an uphill climb and very well marked. A beautiful old panel truck is interestingly parked on the side of the trail and makes you wonder how on earth it got there! As you approach the top of the mountain, the trail levels out and opens up to present expansive views of Coldstream, Lavington, and Vernon, along with a peek at Kalamalka lake. The trail follows the ridge safely along until you meet the sight of the massive lava beds and lava “mountains”!
Old panel truck sitting off to the side of the Rim Rock trail! Perfect family photo opportunity.
Shuswap Adventure Girl
It is an incredible volcanic valley made up of an expanse of old lava beds and lava spires- lava formations that look like mountains. They stand about 15-20 meters high! The area below seems void of life and is an unbelievable and awe-inspiring sight to see!
The steep descent down into the beds, cisterns, and caves is totally scary and we had to take turns as it was absolutely not suitable with a baby on the back! We didn’t even make it the whole way down. Both the older kids, aged 8 and 6 shimmied down the first leg of the descent and checked out a cave, also known as “the eye of the needle”. This keyhole is apparently the entrance into the lava beds below and climbers have to maneuver through this. We would have loved to continue on downwards but after talking with a few young men who were preparing to do some rock climbing, we quickly realized it was not at all suitable for young kids! Getting down into the lava field requires hikers to climb down using ropes, and is rather steep and risky.
Known as the “Eye of the Needle”- the entry or keyhole into the lava fields below
Shuswap Adventure Girl
The steep descent down, careful footings, and use of the ropes help with this risky trail section
Shuswap Adventure Girl
We did, however, continue along the cliff face and were able to see so much from above. The path along the cliff face provides several different clearings and viewpoints. You can even see one of my favorite mountain ranges way off in the distance- the snowy tips of the Monashees gleaming in the sunshine.
The kids did great on this 6 km hike and we were all in awe of the crazy and unusual scenery and the views of the Coldstream Valley. A grizzly bear’s tracks were apparently spotted on this trail only a few days prior to us going and on the day we were hiking, there were a couple of black bears spotted at the base of the trail. A must-do adventure!
A great and adventurous hike for the whole family! Views of the Coldstream Valley
Shuswap Adventure Girl
This is me, enjoying my hike with my family on a sunny Okanagan day!
Shuswap Adventure Girl
One of the incredible lava spires of the Rim Rocks
Shuswap Adventure Girl
Category: Return, scenic w/ views, steep edges
Kid-Friendly: Yes, until the steep ascent down onto the lava beds. Older, capable kids could accomplish this ascent. My kids are all under 8 years old and went partially down to get a peek. Adult supervision and assistance a must.
Distance: +/- 6 km roundtrip
Time: 2-3 hours with kids
Directions: Located just outside of Vernon in Coldstream on highway 6. Follow along Hwy 6 South and travel 8.8 km to King Edward Forest Service Road on the right (south) side of the highway. Stay on this gravel road for 4km and veer left onto Brewer Road. Follow for 1.5km where you will find the trail head and hike sign along the right with makeshift parking along the left just past it. The trailhead actually starts on a deactivated forest road in a large clear cut. Do not take the trail on the inside of the fence.
