Watching Salmon Run at Hardy Falls in Okanagan Valley

If you are visiting the Okanagan region during the fall months, it is a perfect time to watch the salmon run.

This is one of the coolest natural events where salmon returns to the place where it was born after spending four years in the ocean.

Unfortunately, most of the Salmon die after spawning because of the energy required to get them upstream to the spawning spots.

I wanted to watch Salmon run for a while and decided to go to the Okanagan region this fall.

There are a lot of other places on the west coast of British Columbia where you can watch Salmon run but Okanagan is one of the closest spots from Calgary, Alberta.

Another option is to go to the East Kootenay region of BC.

Where Can You Watch Salmon Run in Okanagan?

Hardy Falls Park is located in Peachland not far south from Kelowna and it is an awesome spot to see the salmon run.

Another place to watch salmon run is at Mission Creek Park right in the middle of Kelowna.

An even better spot is Adams River which is located closer to Kamloops than Kelowna.

Visit Tsutswecw Provincial Park (Roderick Haig-Brown) if you decide to watch Salmon run at Adams River.

I didn’t watch salmon spawning at Adams River personally but I heard that it is unreal especially in dominant years (ex. 2014, 2018, and 2022) when millions of salmon come there to spawn from the Pacific Ocean.

Watching Salmon Run at Hardy Falls Regional Park

I was traveling from Vernon to Penticton and decided to do a quick stop at Hardy Falls located just outside of Peachland.

There is a very short walk to the falls located less than one kilometer away from the parking area.

As you walk, you will see a lot of red-colored Kokanee Salmon trying to make its way upstream closer to the falls to spawn.

I didn’t see any bears at Hardy Falls but there was a small black bear when I was watching salmon run in Kelowna.

Tired salmon is a very easy meal for the bears so keep this in mind when watching salmon run.

Might be worth bringing a bear spray just to be safe and keep your dog on a leash to avoid surprising the bear.

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