(This is the fourth in a series of columns about the best trails to explore, city by city and regional district by regional district in the Southern Interior.)

The Okanagan Valley has undoubtedly the greatest density and variety of provincial parks in B.C.

Out of 644 provincial parks, the BC Parks website says the region has 83 parks. Wikipedia lists 15 major parks in the Okanagan-Similkameen, nine in the Central Okanagan and 11 in the North Okanagan.

For numerous reasons, the diamond in this chain of jewels is Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park in the Central Okanagan. The 12-kilometre Myra Canyon rail trail, formerly a key part of the Kettle Valley Railway, is now widely recognized as the best feature of the entire 28,000-kilometre Trans Canada Trail, thanks to its 16 wooden trestles, two steel spans, two rock tunnels and spectacular views of the canyon, Okanagan Lake and Kelowna far, far below.

You can also hike to 10-metre-high benches of tufa mineral deposits, pools, sinkholes and small caves at Angel Springs, deep in to Bellevue (Creek) Canyon and for the hardiest of hikers, to Little White Mountain ,which is noted for its dramatic escarpment.

Myra-Bellevue also has an extensive hiking, biking and horseback riding trail network, most of it on the lower elevation. Friends of the South........

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