Johns Family Nature Conservancy Regional Park Nocturnal Preserve

Johns Family Nature Conservancy Regional Park is a 405.8 hectare park run by the Regional District of Central Okanagan, directly south of Kelowna, British Columbia. The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada designated it a Nocturnal Preserve on May 3, 2023. It was the third Nocturnal Preserve in Canada. That category puts weight on night habitat as well as the sky. The park is a stop on the Okanagan Valley migratory bird flyway, and its owls and bats are part of the reason for the designation.

Kelowna is right next door, and the sky shows it. The RASC reports sky brightness readings of 20.23 to 20.70 mag/arcsec², varying with how clear the air is. Our light pollution map estimates Bortle 6 at the coordinates we use.

You reach the park from Chute Lake Road, just outside the Kelowna city boundary, about 2.9 km along the gravel section at 6970 Chute Lake Road. The park is nominally open from dawn to dusk, with hours shifting by season. Night visits mostly happen through programs. The Okanagan Centre of the RASC runs stargazing nights, and the park leads guided night hikes with themes such as owls, bats and other nocturnal animals. Check the regional district's event listings before planning a night shoot.

The Milky Way core peaks about 11 degrees above the southern horizon at this latitude, so you need a clear view low to the south. Our data gives May, April and August the most core hours, followed by March and July. Short midsummer nights cut into June.