This photo was taken in an enchanted forest at Carlson Park off Bench Row Road in Vernon.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Roseanne Van Ee

Magical and creative little worlds are tucked in and around communities in Kamloops and the Okanagan, where many hands come together to craft them and add new pieces.

Whimsical fairy houses, gnomes and painted rocks can be uplifting surprises for those passing by.

Kamloops resident Catherine Thompson said she was walking at McArthur Island Park in Kamloops last month when she came across a rock snake.

Rock snakes are found in neighbourhoods and parks where everyone is invited to paint and add a rock to the snake to see how long it will grow.

“What I like about these little ventures is that it’s a way of getting those creative juices going between young and old,” she said. 

This cheerful sign is posted at the head of a rock snake in Kamloops.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Darrel Frolek

She watched other passersby stop to admire each rock and take photos of them.

“I like the way each rock represents an age group, some you can tell are by children, they have foam stickies on them, some are painted cleverly or with fun whimsy,” she said.

“It makes people slow down but instead of smelling the roses, they’re admiring rocks.”

READ MORE: iN PHOTOS: Why rockhounding in Kamloops rocks

Hidden among the tall grass on the Rivers Trail near the Kamloops airport are figurines, wind chimes and wooden signs set up to create a magical miniature shire, based on the much-loved Lord of the Rings books and movies.

“I think it’s a wonderful thing, I’ve walked by numerous times and one day I looked down and saw the well-beaten trail,” said Kamloops wildlife photographer Darrel Frolek in a previous interview with iNFOnews.ca. “I love being out in the open country enjoying mother nature and this was a nice thing to see.”

READ MORE: Lace up your skates for these rinks around Okanagan, Kamloops

Last year, iNFOnews.ca interviewed Kamloops resident Melissa Zimmerman about an extensive fairy garden located on forest trails that begin at the end of McLeod road in the Barnhartvale community.

The garden started with a few baubles in 2017 and has continued to expand every year.

Zimmerman confirmed the fairy garden is still thriving with some neighbours planning to add Christmas decorations to it soon.

This little house is part of a fairy display in a forest in the Barnhartvale neighbourhood of Kamloops.

(SHANNON AINSLIE / iNFOnews.ca)

An enchanted forest is hidden somewhere in Carlson Park off Bench Row Road in Vernon, where hikers can find gnomes, ceramic toadstools and wooden, painted fairy homes.

“We’re so inundated with negative things every day, these little ventures are inclusive and uplifting,” Thompson said. 

We know we missed a lot of wonderful community rock snakes and fairy gardens in Kamloops and the Okanagan. 

Send us an email at news@infonews.ca and let us know about them. 

A sign, ceramic characters and a wind phone can be found off Rivers Trail in Kamloops.

(SHANNON AINSLIE / iNFOnews.ca)

These painted rocks are part of a rock snake at McArthur Island Park in Kamloops.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Catherine Thompson

These comical painted rocks are part of a rock snake at McArthur Island Park in Kamloops.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Catherine Thompson

A rock snake is located at McArthur Island Park in Kamloops.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Catherine Thompson

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