Ride the Rail: Myra Canyon to Penticton

 

 

Those of us who live in the Okanagan Valley get to discover the back roads and country trails that few visitors know about or have easy access to.  And sometimes we also check out  the more conventional adventures that are popular with visitors.  One of these adventures is biking the KVR, aka the Kettle Valley Railroad.  And, by far, the most popular section of this former railroad bed now a bike/hike trail that winds through  600 km of BC's wilderness, is the section from Myra Canyon to Penticton.

 

Not only is this an accessible section with some spectacular scenery, it is quite an easy ride, with virtually no uphill to sweat over.  Having said that, riding 80 km on a bicycle without a seasoned butt makes for a sore rear-end.  And although much of the ride is on a smooth surface, there are sandy patches and rocks to dodge around and bounce over, so a mountain bike gives a more secure ride.

There is also the challenge of organizing transportation at both ends, unless you want to make it a very long round trip. 

This summer a Vernon Outdoors Club (VOC) member  organized a minibus and trailer to transport 27 of us from Kal Tire Place in Vernon to Myra Canyon Station.  Later in the day we were picked up in Penticton and taken back to Vernon.

 

There is access to the trail at several points along the way.  Many casual riders choose to ride or hike just  the 24 km circuit from Myra Station Parking lot to Ruth Station (and return) which hangs high up on Okanagan Mountain overlooking Kelowna.    There are 18 trestles and two tunnels, with fabulous views going both ways.  This section has a smooth surface, good for any bike and those less mobile can even be pedaled in a  pedi-cab (bike rickshaw) which can be rented via Monashee Adventure Tours.

We ride begins from the parking lot at about 10 am on a mid June morning.  It is sunny and the forecast is for a high in the mid thirties.  We lather with sun screen and strap water bottles to our bikes.  We pass a few walkers and cyclists along the trestles.

The KVR was built out of necessity.  After the 1885 completion of the transcontenential CPR line which was built much farther north, through the Rockies at Kicking Horse Pass then Rodgers Pass and down the Fraser Valley, silver was discovered in southern BC. Americans flocked into BC and began  transporting the minerals south on the Northern Pacific Railroad via Spokane.  This spurred on Canadian officials to select a new southern Canadian route.  Two mountain ranges had to be crossed resulting in some of the costliest track-mile construction in North America,  taking $20 million and 20 years to complete.  Originally a Midway to Vernon line was envisioned but that was changed to the Midway to Penticton section that opened in 1915.
The KVR took freight and passengers.  The rail line was connected to the southern CPR line so passengers could travel all the way from Vancouver to Medicine Hat AB on the line.  By the late 50's some parts of the rail line were closed but the Midway to Penticton section transported passengers until 1973. Rails along this section were removed in 1979.
However this section became an attraction for hikers and cyclists.  But after years of disrepair on the trestles and following a fatal injury to a cyclist, the public petitioned for upgrades to make the trail safer.  Following these upgrades the Myra Canyon Trestles section of the trail was declared a National Historic Site in 2002.

Then during the massive Okanagan Mountain Park Fire in August/September 2003, 12 of the 18 trestles were destroyed.  These were rebuilt by Federal and Provincial Government funding between 2004 and 2008 and the rail trail is now fully open to the public.  The Myra Canyon Trestle Restoration Committee has been involved with all the upgrades/construction  and continues to participate in improvements in this section of the trail.
After the last trestle we continue to gaze down at the black skeletons of the 2003 fire and glance at views of Kelowna below, the high-rise hotels along the lake, the bridge, the orchards and vineyards that stretch south on both sides of the lake.  Soon we dip into a forest of fir and spruce and enjoy the cool of the shade.  The trail surface becomes bumpy with patches of sand.  Our attention has to focus on the trail.  At about 35km we come to Chute Lake ,an alpine lake naturally stocked with rainbow trout.

It was a base camp during construction of the KVR and in the 70's a lodge and cabins were built.  We fill up some aged picnic tables in shade near the lake's edge and tuck into our bag lunches.  Other than a couple other cyclists, we have the place to ourselves.  A short rickety dock sticks out into the still lake.  Water lilies float near the water's edge.

Before pushing off south we study a map of the Naramata section of the KVR.  From this point the rail line zigzags down the remailing 45 km to Penticton.  The trail starts off hard packed but soon there is sand and rocks to navigate.  We bounce along, our hands squeezing the brakes, as we enter Rock Oven Regional Park. 

This is not a group intent on history or distraction, so there are no stops to check out these ovens.  Just off the trail near the Adra Tunnel  are 13 rock oven built by the railway workers to bake bread and probably other foods. We continue the descent from 4000 ft. at Chute Lake to 1130 ft. at Penticton.

Historians say that muscle power and black powder built the KVR.  In order for Andrew McCulloch, the chief engineer for the KVR, to design a route with a grade that a steam engine could climb, several switchbacks and two tunnels blasted out of solid rock were required.  Today's trail bypasses the Adra Tunnel and we coast down the bumps through the increasingly sparse forest of Ponderosa pines.  One last hairpin turn swings us back along Okanagan Lake and we take quick glimpses of Summerland across the lake.  Then suddenly, we hit a patch of pavement and roll up to the Little Tunnel.

The rest of the ride is a cake walk with little peddling required.  First we gaze down to the tidy green rows of vineyards and the town of Naramata and then we bike through the vineyards, admiring the Mediterranean-like view dotted with high end new homes in the rural setting.

 

 Signs for wineries, a restaurant and a ice-cream shop tempt us but we have a bus to catch in Penticton.

 

  Very soon we are biking along the parks and beaches on the south end of Okanagan Lake and through the streets of Penticton.  Our ride is over.

 

The bikes are loaded back into the trailer, we settle into the bus but all pile out a few miles out of town to enjoy a lunch, a glass of wine and a swim, a great way to finish a awesome Okanagan day.