BOU AVENUE
Mount Law And Pincushion Mountain
With an unsettled weather forecast on 20 April 2025, Zosia Zgolak and I opted to hike up a couple of short, undemanding mountains--Mount Law and Pincushion Mountain--located near Peachland, British Columbia.  Mount Law is mostly a forested hump crisscrossed with old exploration roads and probably appeals more to dirt bikers than hikers.  In contrast, Pincushion Mountain is like Peachland's version of the Grouse Grind--only shorter--and is exceedingly popular with locals.  We started our day with the longer trip to Mount Law.

There are several possible starting points for hiking Mount Law, and Zosia and I opted for a longer but more gentle approach starting from an access point (49.85525, -119.71220) along paved Glenrosa Road (we parked in a nearby pullout).  After leaving pavement, we immediately turned left onto an obvious exploration road and followed this southward for about 2.4 kilometres to a power line right-of-way.  While the road was easy enough to follow, we had to detour around countless mud puddles which made hiking this section more tedious than expected.  Although it is possible to turn westward and climb straight up the right-of-way to the crest of Mount Law's north ridge, we made a more gradual ascent by following the continuation of the exploration road up a series of switchbacks.  We eventually regained the right-of-way near a small tarn, and shortly after, we reached a scenic viewpoint on the ridge crest.  From there, we turned southward and followed the ridge crest over a couple of unremarkable forested bumps--one of which is the true summit--until we arrived at a second scenic viewpoint overlooking Okanagan Lake.  We stopped here for a short break before commencing our descent.

For our return, Zosia and I mostly backtracked the way we came except for a couple of short cuts--one off the summit ridge and one down the power line right-of-way.  Though very steep in some parts, neither short cut presented any serious problems for us.  The hike out along the exploration road was just as tedious as before, but already familiar with the route, we seemingly made more efficient progress getting back to our starting point on Glenrosa Road.
Look both ways before crossing the road! Zosia walks a short distance to the start of the exploration road leading to Mount Law.
Should've brought a kayak! Long stretches of the exploration road are flooded on this day.
Kind of an ugly pond! This small tarn sits near the crest of Mount Law's north ridge.
Nothing special but it's nice to have some views after a long march through forest.

Zosia enjoys far-reaching views where a power line right-of-way goes over Mount Law's north ridge.

Cool moss on the trees. Zosia follows a trail along the north ridge.
A most unglamourous summit! Zosia stands on the true summit of Mount Law (1130 metres).
 

Happy Easter!

Zosia and Sonny stand on a viewpoint overlooking Okanagan Lake.

 

 
Good short cut--no bushwhacking! Zosia takes a short cut on descent.
This was the worst spot to descend--steep and loose. Zosia takes another short cut by dropping steeply down the power line right-of-way.
A nice rainy day objective. Total Distance:  10.6 kilometres
Round-Trip Time:  4 hours 15 minutes
Cumulative Elevation Gain:  239 metres

GPX Data
After finishing up our trip to Mount Law, Zosia and I drove into Peachland for a quick pit stop before continuing to the trailhead (49.78848, -119.73423) for Pincushion Mountain just off 7 Avenue.  The trailhead parking area has space for maybe about a dozen vehicles (parking on the adjacent roadway is strictly prohibited), and given this hike's popularity, we were quite fortunate to snag a spot just as someone was leaving.  The trail to Pincushion Mountain starts very steeply for the first 250 metres or so before climbing more moderately in an ascending traverse to the north.  There is a short cut trail branching off to the left at about the one-kilometre mark, but we kept right to continue along the rising traverse.  The trail eventually makes a hairpin turn to the south as it gains the crest of the north ridge, and other than one steep rock step that requires some easy scrambling to descend, the remainder of the trail to the summit is straightforward.  The summit is comprised of two distinct rocky bumps of roughly equal height, and after tagging both, we dropped down slightly to a viewpoint marked by a Canada flag.  This viewpoint offers a more complete view of Okanagan Lake than the summit and gave us a good excuse to take another short break.

For our descent, Zosia and I backtracked mostly the same way except that we took the aforementioned short cut trail which saved us maybe about half a kilometre of extra walking.  This short cut is very steep though and requires some care to descend safely.  Upon regaining the main trail, we turned right and descended the rest of the way to the trailhead without trouble.
Nice porta-potty! Zosia starts hiking at the trailhead for Pincushion Mountain.
More interesting than Mount Law for sure! Zosia gets a glimpse of some cliffs guarding the upper parts of Pincushion Mountain.
A blue ghost! Zosia has a handy poncho to keep her dry in the rain.
Looks like a forested summit with no views... The summit of Pincushion Mountain comes into view as Zosia gains the north ridge.
Not just a boring hike! Zosia carefully scrambles down a steep section along the trail.
Surprisingly scenic summit! Zosia reaches the true summit of Pincushion Mountain (809 metres).
Close enough to possibly be the true summit or just as high. This subsidiary high point is only about a metre lower than the true summit.
O Canada! A flag marks a superior viewpoint south of the summit.

Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
 

Best view of the day!

Here is an unobstructed view of Okanagan Lake from the flag site.

 

Deservedly, the most popular hike in Peachland. Total Distance:  3.9 kilometres
Round-Trip Time:  2 hours 6 minutes
Cumulative Elevation Gain:  252 metres

GPX Data