Parson: Explore Wetlands and Disc Golf

Parson can be explored through two specific themes: the community’s history and activities at the Columbia Wetlands Outpost. Henry George Parson, a merchant and politician in British Columbia who was born in England, bought land where the present-day community of Parson is located. This means that, alongside recreational activities, learning about Parson also leads to a specific figure from the community’s history.

Visitors can explore the wetlands at the Columbia Wetlands Outpost. Up the Creek, a disc golf course founded in 2022, is also located there. The activities offer different experiences: one focuses on exploring wetlands, the other on disc golf. As you plan your trip to Parson, consider which of these themes will have a greater influence on your choice; the community’s history offers another way to learn about the area.

In the wider Columbia-Shuswap destination

The wider Columbia-Shuswap destination includes other specific themes that help shape the region’s character. Tsútswecw Park contains Shuswap cultural sites, including kekulis (pit houses), artifacts, and rock paintings; these sites are strictly protected. The park’s trail network is 26 kilometres long and is used for hiking and mountain biking in summer, and cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in winter. The park can therefore be understood through both its cultural heritage and its seasonal trail activities.

Destinations on Shuswap Lake also provide specific points of comparison. Shuswap Lake Park has one kilometre of sandy and gravel beach with a buoy-marked swimming area. Copper Island in Shuswap Lake Park has a 2.8-kilometre hiking trail. Shannon Beach is a park owned by the Columbia Shuswap Regional District, with more than 400 metres of shoreline on Shuswap Lake. The Shannon Beach Trail Network includes four kilometres of hiking and cycling trails, as well as two loop options. The figures refer to different things: the beach and shoreline figures describe the waterfront, while the other figures refer to trail distances and loop options.

For a shorter hike, the Sicamous Creek Trails are an option: the easy route is 0.5 kilometres long and winds through hemlock trees along Sicamous Creek. There is parking for 15 to 20 vehicles at the trails, as well as a picnic table and a pit toilet. The Columbia Shuswap Regional District, the Shuswap Trail Alliance, and the District of Sicamous jointly develop and maintain the trails. Another regional trail fact concerns the Salmon River Parallel Trail: completed in 2019, it is 3.65 kilometres long and is a non-motorized trail for pedestrians and cyclists between Haines Road and Silver Creek Community Park. The Columbia Shuswap Regional District also has approximately 60 developed parks and 86 kilometres of trails. The difference in trail types can be summed up briefly: a single easy 0.5-kilometre hike at Sicamous Creek, or a four-kilometre network with two loop options at Shannon Beach.

Discover more destinations: Revelstoke, Salmon Arm, Sorrento, Beaverfoot, Tappen, Sicamous, Scotch Creek, Malakwa

For the wider travel overview: Columbia-Shuswap.