Carrot Mountain is a remote and forested mountain near Kelowna. It is not a great hike and don’t read any further unless you are a strange peak-bagger that has to climb everything. As an alternative, try Carrot Mountain Bluffs – a wonderful little hike to a rocky outcropping on Carrot Mountain’s east side. Another option is to cheat and access Carrot Mountain by ATV/dirt bike.
There are a couple of different options if you want to reach the top of Carrot Mountain. Be warned first that there is no view and the top is covered in forest. One option is to bushwhack. Start by climbing up to Carrot Bluffs, pull out the GPS and tromp through the forest toward the summit. A second option is to walk along one of the many ATV trails littering the mountain top. One such trail is an offshoot of the McDougall Rim Trail on Hayman Mountain.
Directions To Trailhead:
To start with Carrot Bluffs go here. To access Carrot via McDougall Rim trail , park the same place as Hayman Mountain / McDougall Rim and after 2km there is an offshoot trail to the right marked by a small bridge. There is another ATV road you can access from Wild Horse Dr (Off Smith Creek Rd) in West Kelowna.
Distance from downtown Kelowna to Trailhead: 25 minutes (15 km)
Walking time: 5-8 hours depending on route
Trail Length: 15km minimum
Elevation gain: 980m
GPS: Essential
Easy to Keep on Trail: no. There is no clear trail or signage.
