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Gellatly Nut Farm

Gellatly Nut Farm Regional Park is 4 hectares of a working heritage farm. The park is a significant and unique site because of the heritage components as well as the recreational, archaeological, and educational values.

Features:

  • Heritage nut trees, some of which are unique to Canada
  • 485 feet of lake front
  • A heritage house
  • Log cabin
  • Various other heritage buildings and articles that have been collected by the Gellatly family over the years

Things To Do:

  • Stroll the pathways

  • Take a self guided tour of the nut orchard -during the summer months special park interpretation programs are offered.  Check out the Parks Guide for details and special programs in the park.

  • Walk along the waterfront and beach

  • Come down to the farm and enjoy the fall harvest!  You can purchase nuts from volunteers of the Gellatly Nut Farm Society by the pound, or experience the farm firsthand by picking them yourself, with proceeds from the nut sales going to future park enhancement.  Varieties for sale include:  Walnuts, Chestnuts, Hazelnuts, Butternuts and more. Nut Sale and Storage Information Sheet

The park is open dawn to dusk. 

Dogs, overnight camping, and open fires are not permitted.  Smoking is not permitted in any Regional District park.

History:

In the late 1800's the Gellatly family moved to the shore of Okanagan Lake and pioneered on the flats now known as Gellatly. The family became an important part of the community in the Central Okanagan, pioneering many of the farming practices that would influence the entire Okanagan valley.

The Gellatly Nut Farm was Canada's first commercial nut orchard and in the early 1900s the nut farm became known internationally for its hardy nut growing and the development of innovative nut breeding, finding new varieties of walnuts, heartnuts, filberts and chestnuts.

The Gellatly Nut Farm was designated a Class A Heritage site in the Central Okanagan Heritage Resource Inventory in 1984. The Regional District worked together with the Gellatly Nut Farm Society to acquire the park in 2002 and is now working towards further development.

The Gellatly Nut Farm Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the hundred year old orchard and trees in perpetuity. The Society is still accepting donations towards restoration and development of the park. For more information about the Gellatly Nut Farm Society please direct correspondence to #22 - 2475 Dobbin Road, Unit 702, Westbank, B.C. V4T 2E9.

Directions:

To get to the park follow Gellatly Road from Hwy 97 to Whitworth Road.

Planning Initiatives and Document Links

Conservation Report for Gellatly House and Barn
Gellatly Nut Farm Regional Park Concept Plan
Gellatly Nut Farm Development Plan

Other park master plans such as Mission Creek Regional Park and Scenic Canyon Regional Park are also available by contacting the Regional Parks Office.

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