From where we parked near the turnoff from Bear Lake FSR, Zosia and I walked up Blue Grouse Mountain Road and quickly passed a private access road which veers off to the right.  Past this split, Blue Grouse Mountain Road makes three long ascending switchbacks, but we instead grinded up a series of very steep short cuts which saved us some distance but definitely got my heart pumping rapidly.  Upon regaining the road past the third switchback, we settled into a long but uncomplicated walk for the remainder of the ascent.  The road rises gently along the east side of the mountain before winding around and up the north side of the summit.  This last section of road was snow-covered and icy, but we managed to get through without any slips.  The top of Blue Grouse Mountain is cluttered with all sorts of telecommunications infrastructure, and disappointingly, the actual summit is inaccessible behind a chain-link fence.  We got as close as we legally could before heading to the scenic east side of the summit block to take a break.

Zosia and I timed our summit break perfectly as we started our descent just as a group of motorists arrived in their 4WD vehicles.  To descend the icy section of road near the top, Zosia donned her ice cleats, but I managed just fine without them.  Further down, some sections of road that were frozen earlier in the morning were beginning to get a bit mucky in the warm afternoon temperatures, but fortunately, the footing was still generally okay unlike our recent hike to Cedar Butte in Idaho.  Once we put the wet sections of road behind us, we had no further issues with the remainder of the descent as we faithfully retraced our steps all the way back to our car.

	Zosia hikes up Blue Grouse Mountain Road.  The bump that is visible at left is a false summit.
	Zosia follows another hiker up a very steep short cut.
	After regaining the road, Zosia pauses to enjoy the view of Kelowna across Okanagan Lake.
	The top of Blue Grouse Mountain finally comes into sight.
	The last section of road before the top is icy.
	Zosia gets as close as she legally can (1291 metres) to the true summit of Blue Grouse Mountain.
	Zosia and Sonny give thumbs up to the far-reaching views from near the top of Blue Grouse Mountain.
	Standing out to the north is Terrace Mountain.

Here is a closer look at Kelowna and William R. Bennett Bridge.

 

	Zosia drops down the short cut near the start of the hike.
	Total Distance:  13.1 kilometres Round-Trip Time:  5 hours 38 minutes Cumulative Elevation Gain:  706 metres GPX Data

After returning to our hotel and relaxing for a bit, Zosia and I still had some daylight left, and not wanting to let the fine weather go to waste, we decided to tack on a quick ascent of Mount Boucherie in the heart of West Kelowna.  The mountain has at least two distinct summits, both of which are accessible via good trails starting from a handful of different trailheads.  Despite its low stature, the mountain grants a commanding view of the city and is popular with locals.

Zosia and I chose the trailhead (49.84964, -119.58007) located on the north side of Cabernet Way.  There is a large parking lot here, but unsure if the entrance gate would be closed at dusk, we chose to just park on the street.  From there, we started up an unsigned trail running behind some private residences and eventually grinded up the south side of the mountain.  At a split near the crest of the summit ridge, we followed the right-hand trail without difficulty all the way to the scenic east (true) summit.

With daylight waning, Zosia and I managed to backtrack and then tag the lower west summit before descending the same trail we came up.  Near the bottom, we took a slightly different route by descending directly to Cabernet Way before walking back to our car along the sidewalk.  As we departed for our hotel well after sunset, we noticed that the entrance gate was still open.

	Zosia begins her hike up Mount Boucherie from this parking lot along Cabernet Way.
	The trail goes behind some impressive private residences.
	The trail going up the south side of Mount Boucherie is a short but steep grind.
	Zosia stands on the gazetted summit (760 metres) of Mount Boucherie.
	Zosia stands on the east (true) summit (761 metres) of Mount Boucherie.

The view from the east summit includes Blue Grouse Mountain (left) and the city of Kelowna (far right).

 

	Here is another look at Kelowna and William R. Bennett Bridge.
	The view to the southeast includes a couple of snowy mountains on the horizon.
	Zosia arrives at the lower west summit (757 metres) of Mount Boucherie just after sunset.
	Total Distance:  3.7 kilometres Round-Trip Time:  1 hour 39 minutes Cumulative Elevation Gain:  190 metres GPX Data