KELOWNA / YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD GUIDE

Black Mountain.

Golf, grasslands and valley views above Rutland

schoolsgolfviewstrailsparksskiquiet

Find it on the map Explore homes with Elaine

Myra Canyon trestle · local or nearby attraction; not a property photograph · credit & photograph date

Approximate location of Black Mountain — Myra Canyon trestle · local or nearby attraction; not a property photograph · credit & photograph date

Homes you might explore

hillside view homes
family homes on quiet crescents
golf course homes
townhomes

Parks & waterfront

Mine Hill Park
Birkdale Park
Lund Park
Stockley Open Space
Loseth Park
sntsk'il'ntən Black Mountain Regional Park

Trails & outdoor time

Black Mountain Lookout Trail (Bell Hill)
Mine Hill Park trail
sntsk'il'ntən Black Mountain Regional Park grassland trails
Scenic Canyon Regional Park trails

Wine, food & local stops

Carrington's Restaurant & Patio at Tower Ranch Golf Club
Rutland restaurants such as Olympia Greek Taverna and Salsa & Sabor (a short drive downhill)

Exploring with a dog

No official off leash park in Black Mountain; the nearest is Rutland Dog Park, 645 Dodd Rd
Black Mountain Lookout Trail and Mine Hill trails (dogs on leash; dogs are kept out of playgrounds)
Note: Loseth Park does not allow dogs

Ideas for a visit

Climb the 300 plus stairs of the Black Mountain Lookout Trail
Play a round at Black Mountain Golf Club
Hike the grasslands of sntsk'il'ntən Black Mountain Regional Park
Take the kids to Birkdale Park's playground and tennis court
Head up Highway 33 for a day at Big White

Family outings

Start with Mine Hill Park. Plan a picnic or an unhurried outdoor visit around the facilities and access available.
Choose a walk from Black Mountain Lookout Trail (Bell Hill). Match the route to your group; check surface, grade and seasonal access first.

Lake life & boating

A beach visit, a paddle or an afternoon on the water can shape a summer day. Use the public access points listed here; private beaches, marinas and resident amenities are not automatically available to visitors.
For boating, confirm launch access, moorage availability and any membership requirements directly. Owning a home nearby does not guarantee a slip.

Winter & mountain days

Plan a mountain day at Big White for skiing, snowboarding, tubing or snowshoeing. Check the operating calendar and activity availability before setting out.

Schools to investigate

These are research starting points, not confirmation of catchment, admission or availability.

Black Mountain Elementary elementary
École Belgo Elementary elementary
Rutland Middle middle
Rutland Senior Secondary secondary

Check the school district directly

THE PLACE BEHIND THE ADDRESS

How Black Mountain took shape

Black Mountain, sntsk'il'ntən in nsyilxcən, rises above Rutland and the old Belgo orchard district. Its lower slopes were ranch land, then irrigated orchards from about 1909. A golf course opened in 2003 and Melcor's BlueSky neighbourhood grew around it, below a regional park established in 2015.

The syilx name for Black Mountain is sntsk'il'ntən, which the Friends of Black Mountain translate as 'place where flint is found'. The mountain supplied stone for tools, and its height made it a lookout. Ranching followed settlement. The same group records Eli Lequime buying 7,000 acres in 1879 and building one of the largest cattle ranches in the valley. The next era came from Belgium. Around 1909 the Belgo Canadian Fruit Land Company began one of the Okanagan's most ambitious irrigation projects, a 14 mile ditch from Belgo Creek meant to water orchards above Rutland. Engineer Grote Stirling designed the system, and his 1912 Belgo House near Belgo Pond is on the City's heritage register.

Private water companies struggled, and in 1920 the Black Mountain Irrigation District took over, with Stirling as engineer. A fire lookout went up on the summit in 1954. Suburban change arrived much later. Black Mountain Golf Club, designed by Wayne Carleton, opened in 2003, and Edmonton based Melcor bought it in 2006, building the BlueSky at Black Mountain neighbourhood of view homes around the course. Above the houses, the Regional District and Westbank First Nation signed a management agreement in 2014, and sntsk'il'ntən Black Mountain Regional Park was established in 2015 to protect its grasslands. Today the neighbourhood is mostly newer hillside homes off Highway 33, the road to Big White.

1912Belgo House is built for engineer Grote Stirling near Belgo Pond. Source

The homes & their setting

Mostly homes built since the golf course opened in 2003, including Melcor's BlueSky at Black Mountain view lots, family homes on crescents and some townhomes, with older rural and orchard era homes on the lower Belgo slopes. Mostly freehold.

Building age, tenure, amenities and permitted uses vary by address. Explore the actual property documents with Elaine and the appropriate specialists.

Places with a story

Belgo House — 1912 home of Grote Stirling, who designed the Belgo irrigation system and later became federal Minister of National Defence. History source
sntsk'il'ntən Black Mountain Regional Park — Protects grasslands and syilx cultural values; jointly managed under a 2014 agreement with Westbank First Nation. History source
Former summit fire lookout — Installed in 1954 and no longer in use, reflecting the mountain's long role as a lookout. History source

A little more local context

What does sntsk'il'ntən mean?

The Friends of Black Mountain translate the syilx name as 'place where flint is found', reflecting its use as a source of tool stone.

When was the Black Mountain neighbourhood built?

Most homes date from after Black Mountain Golf Club opened in 2003. Melcor bought the course in 2006 and has developed BlueSky at Black Mountain around it.

Who supplies water in Black Mountain, Kelowna?

Most of the area is served by the Black Mountain Irrigation District, formed in 1920. Confirm the provider for a specific address.

Story sources & editorial date

Editorial research supplied September 30, 2026. Historical accounts can differ; development references describe the research date and do not confirm current approvals or completion. Detailed origin stories have been held back where the supplied research identified insufficient evidence.

Keep the details current

Regional outings, not amenities within this neighbourhood. Travel depends on your starting address, route and winter road conditions.

bigwhite.com · winter activities

This editorial guide draws on the supplied neighbourhood research. Amenities, businesses, dog rules, development plans and access can change. Confirm details with the operator, municipality, school district and property documents before relying on them. Map areas and centres are approximate; they are not legal boundaries or catchments.

Research links