Although I have elected to skip major discussion of the overall valley rail bed systems within this publication, I felt that describing sections of the rail beds immediately adjacent to Penticton made sense as many recreationalists enjoy these scenic, easy-to-access routes in and out of the city. Those interested in learning more about the KVR should read local historian Joe Smuin’s ‘Kettle Valley Railway - Mileboards’ publication. It is easily the most comprehensive publication that I have seen on the topic (ISBN: 0-969697120). Rail beds highlighted in this chapter include:
- Trans Canada Trail (KVR) between Penticton and the ‘Little Tunnel’, north of Penticton
- Trans Canada Trail (KVR) between Penticton and the Trout Creek Trestle, north of Penticton
- CPR right of way between Penticton and OK Falls, south of Penticton
- OK Falls to the ‘end of the line’ and ponds, south of Okanagan Falls
Trans Canada Trail (KVR) between Penticton and the ‘Little Tunnel’, north of Penticton Here I only describe the Okanagan Valley’s northeastern leg from Penticton to the first tunnel, what locals call the “Little Tunnel” (its quasi-official title). The Trans Canada trail (TCT) from Penticton to points north, currently begins along Calgary Ave., west of Main St., though one can access it from numerous locations along its length. The reason for this odd trailhead location is due to its close proximity to the old CPR building. The Kettle Valley Division superintendent's offices, train dispatch and yard offices were once located half a kilometer ‘down the line’ from Calgary Ave.
Though this building still stands, there are no longer any railway tracks located near it. These days, one would never know that a set of tracks ever passed through the area as much of it is built up beyond recognition with homes and businesses.
If you wish to travel the TCT to the ‘Little Tunnel’ and beyond, situate yourself at the intersection of Calgary Ave. and Main St., then walk 150 meters west on Calgary Ave. On your right, you will see a paved path joining with Calgary Ave. - this is the current trailhead. See the chapter titled City of Penticton - Surfaced Trails, for more details.
Travelling northeast on this path, you will soon find yourself at the intersection of Preston Ave & Main St. Cross Main St. at the lights and head north on the sidewalk bordering Main St. for approximately 40 meters. There you will find the resumption of the TCT, passing through an opening in the fence. Travel northeast on this paved path, crossing no less than ten roads before junctioning with Vancouver Ave. and Vancouver Place.
Cross Vancouver Ave. and make your way up Vancouver Place about 230 meters. There you will find the TCT resuming as a standalone trail system. Here the pavement ends and the trail presents a well packed, gravel base as it runs above the clay banks north of Penticton, heading for Naramata Rd. Spectacular lake views are evident over the length of the trip.
The trail turns sharply to the east and then north again, running through orchards and crossing McCullough Trestle over Randolph Creek. During the summer months, a small retailer known as ‘The Trail Store’ operates along the edge of the TCT, 2.9kms beyond the Vancouver Pl. entrance.
Make your way across Naramata road (a busy highway) and continue along the obvious trail on the other side of the road. Here the trail begins to noticeably rise, and to varying degrees, will continue to do so all the way to Chute Lake, where it begins to level out. The TCT crosses Riddle road 750m beyond the Naramata Rd. crossing. Riddle Rd. is the hopping-off point for those wishing to explore the Three Blind Mice trail network, described elsewhere in this publication.
Those continuing along the TCT to Chute Lake Lodge and points beyond, need only make their way north approximately 11 kilometers in order to arrive at the Little Tunnel - or 36.7km to reach Chute Lake Lodge (rail bed switchbacks make the route longer than it looks). At less than 50 meters in length, the tunnel is quite short. It is safe to pass through as there are no boulders afoot and the surfaces are fairly well illuminated. As with the balance of this track, views over the valley from the tunnel are stunning.
Low: 358m. | High: 682m. | Length: 36k Return | Water: Some | Cell Access: Full
Trans Canada Trail (KVR) between Penticton and the Trout Creek Trestle, north of Penticton This route may or may not be open to the public in the long run. It will depend on the outcome of ongoing negotiations between the RDOS, Penticton Indian Band and the Summerland Agricultural Research Station. Nonetheless, I will describe it here for posterity. It would be a shame to lose this access route between Summerland and Penticton; I can only hope that this book plays some part in encouraging trail advocacy discussions.
There are many entry points to the KVR trail between Penticton and Summerland, perhaps a dozen or more within Penticton city limits. I have chosen one of the most convenient of the bunch, located near the intersection of Russet Dr. and Bartlett Dr. on Penticton’s West Bench. This spot affords parking for several vehicles, but be aware that some folks drive across the bridge adjacent to the parking area as if they were trying out for their first Dakar rally.
As with much of the TCT/KVR, trail surface conditions vary between loose and annoying to well packed and pleasant to navigate, depending on the amount of rain we have experienced and the traffic it has received. There is an ongoing issue with quad and dirt bike riders over-throttling while commuting on this roadway, loosening the top few centimeters of soil. A modicum of courtesy and common sense on both sides will go a long way toward eliminating this problem.
The trail makes its way north out of Penticton along the clay banks overlooking Okanagan Lake. Great views continue almost non-stop between Penticton and the Trout Creek trestle. Along the way, you will see numerous level sections on the west side of the trail, remnants of old KVR pullout line spurs.
Once on the trestle (also known as the Mark Ricciardi Walkway, commemorating a young man who lost his life there) you will marvel at the vistas below and in the distance. Cross the trestle while keeping an eye open for the Kettle Valley Steam Railway Train. It is active mid-May to mid-October between this trestle and the Prairie Valley Station sixteen kilometers up the track.
Note that the railway tracks beyond Canyon View Station / across Canyon View Rd. are strictly off limits to the public. This is because it hosts an operation train route much of the year. Besides that, the rails and ties are still in place, so a hike or bike ride on it would be anything but fun.
Low: 392m. | High: 466m. | Length: 18k Return | Water: None | Cell Access: Full
CPR right of way between Penticton and OK Falls, south of Penticton I am going to place you on the rail bed via Wright’s Beach Camp RV Park on the northwestern tip of Skaha Lake. Wright’s Beach has recently come under new ownership and the proprietors have restored access to this previously closed trail entrance. I do not suggest parking within the RV Park unless you are their registered guest. Instead, park at the city owned Skaha Lake Park, located 1.4 kilometers to the east, and walk or cycle to the trailhead from there. Review the chapter titled ‘City of Penticton Routes’ for details on additional area paths.
The old Canadian Pacific rail bed hugs the edge of the lake for much of the route, affording a great experience for travelers, keeping them far removed from the ruckus of Highway 97, paralleling it high above. Once enroute, you will experience a well-surfaced two-track road between Wright’s Beach and the small community of OK Falls, with two points of note in between.
The first four and a half kilometers of the route find you in near seclusion. Soon however, you will enter Banbury Green RV & Camping Resort. Though there are no retail businesses onsite, you may be able to source water here. The area is poorly signed (circa 2010) but head south, eyeing the road as it roughly make its way back to the CPR rail bed along the lakeshore.
Three point seven kilometers further along, you enter the lower reaches of the community of Kaleden. At present, there are no active businesses near the trail, so do not count on it for food or water unless you can locate a sympathetic local. As you pass through Kaleden, you will find that the trail seems to end at Pioneer Park. The route once hugged the lakeshore, but real estate won over historic trails and homes were built over the rail bed. Continuing south requires that you take a 400m detour along Ponderosa Ave. Pioneer Parks features excellent trail signage.
The next 4.1km of trail offer an easy lakeside cruise, passing over a handsome new trestle and into the community of Okanagan Falls. Full retail facilities are available in the community.
You might wish to explore the OK Falls Museum on Main St., and while in the neighborhood, don’t miss dropping into my personal favorite, Tickleberry’s Gourmet Specialties (ice cream!) There are by the way, no actual ‘falls’ in OK Falls - just a small dam and a bit of rough water. Local lore suggests that the term roughly originates from the native word for “noisy water”.
Low: 338m. | High: 354m. | Length: 26k Return | Water: Yes | Cell Access: Full
OK Falls to the ‘end of the line’ and ponds, south of Okanagan Falls Return to the trailhead that you exited when you arrived in OK Falls. You will note that the rail bed does not simply cross the highway and carry on as might be assumed. The original rail bed has been built and grazed upon for the next 2.6km. The route that I will describe here intersects with it at a point south of the trailhead. In the meantime, you will be using the Okanagan river channel service road.
Your route will take you across the bridge on Highway 97 to the west, as if you were exiting OK Falls via the highway. Once across the bridge, take an immediate left turn toward the south, onto Green Lake road. Travel four hundred meters south, where you see the entrance to Okanagan Falls Provincial Park. The park may be used as a trailhead for the next leg of your journey. Enter the park and keep to the left, along the edge of the river channel. Educational info-kiosks are in place along the path. An additional entrance and parking exists 375m south along Green Lake Rd.
Travel this path southward through the park, to a point where it exits the forest and finds you in a parking lot; the same one mentioned in the last paragraph. This is the ‘official’ gateway to the Okanagan river channel. Keep this parking area in mind in case you ever wish to drive to OK Falls and navigate this section of the TCT separate from the Penticton to OK Falls route. The driveway serving this parking lot is often deeply rutted and the exit somewhat ‘blind’.
Once on the service road, you may be enticed to explore one of the four narrow footbridges across the channel. Feel free to do so, but do not cross the first or second bridges, as depending on the flow of the intersecting Shuttleworth Creek, you may be forced to detour into residential areas before reconnecting with the river channel. Also, you must not stay on the east side of the channel beyond the fourth crosswalk or you will be unable to return to the west side.
The next two kilometers of the route offer smooth travel on a solid two-track surface. It soon leads into a second, Green Lake road accessible, parking area. At this point, the CPR rail bed reenters the scene, appearing on your left. It once crossed the river channel on a now non-existent bridge, and made its way west a short distance before turning south to parallel the river channel. For the past few kilometers, it has been running just out of sight to your left through the community and pastureland. You will be continuing your travel along the river channel for now, but will soon reconnect with the rail bed in order to move further south, toward a pair of small ponds near the southwestern tip of Vaseux Lake. You will arrive at this same crossroad on your return journey; approaching it while travelling north on the CPR rail bed.
At this point you will be entering the Canadian Wildlife Service’s Vaseux-Bighorn National Wildlife Area. This particular area is protected and cared for by a variety of ecological and environmental groups, including those involved in the British Columbia Migratory Bird Sanctuary program. It is a special place to say the least, and we must keep conservation and common sense front and center while passing through and enjoying what it has to offer.
The next 2.4km of trail guides you through a world of cattail marshland on your right and the Okanagan river channel on your left. Interesting fauna found in the protected area include bighorn sheep, pallid and spotted bats, great basin pocket mice and night snake (the rarest snake in Canada). You will also no doubt notice the vast array of birds in this section of the valley, including Canada geese, trumpeter swans, blue-winged teal, widgeons and wood ducks.
The river channel service road that you are on eventually dead-ends at the northernmost extent of Vaseux Lake and an alluvial floodplain. This area collects the river channel’s sediment and the water here is very shallow. If you backtrack along your access route approximately 70 meters you will notice a path leading southwest through an elevated section of the marshland.
This trail runs 200m, crossing a small creek via a very rudimentary bridge of sorts along the way. It then connects with the CPR rail bed and allows you to either return to OK Falls with a right turn, or turn left and carry on to the south. We will hang a left, following the rail bed along the western shore of Vaseux Lake.
The distance between this point and your eventual destination near the southern tip of Vaseux Lake is approximately 4.2km. The two-track surface is much the same as what you have encountered thus far, but with brief sandy sections. This inconvenience is offset by immersion in the most peaceful surroundings of the entire trip. You will notice trails and roads intersecting with the rail bed on your right as you make your way south. These areas represent access routes to Federal Reserve lands, and are off-limits to the public. Please respect these no-go zones.
Near the end of the trip, the surface of the two-track turns sandy / gravelly and a brief pushbike may be in order, depending on how much rain the valley has experienced in previous weeks and how much traffic this path has seen. The nasty bits are very brief, and if cycling, your butt will likely welcome a walk by this point anyway. When you hit the soft sections, reassure yourself in knowing that you are very close to the end of the line.
You will soon reach the intersection of the rail bed and river channel as it flows out of the southern end of Vaseux Lake - sans bridge (circa 2010). Locals have been lobbying for the installation of a replacement bridge much like the one recently constructed in OK Falls, but to date no work has been completed on the project. At this ‘end of the line’ area, you will notice an established singletrack trail leading off to the southwest. If you choose to follow it and enjoy the two small ponds that it explores (Leir’s Ponds) please consider the trail as a highly sensitive ecological zone and treat the area with the utmost respect.
For those wondering if it offers a way to connect with the east side of the river channel, it does not. Nor can you use it as a route to get past the base of MacIntyre Bluffs and into Oliver to the south. Vague singletrack to the summit of McIntyre Bluff and the Rattlesnake Lake trails exists in this area, but access is forbidden via these routes as they cross a wildlife refuge.
On the return trip, stay northbound on the rail bed, ignoring the intersecting shortcut across the meadow that you used earlier. The CPR rail bed approaches and closely shadows the base of Mt.Hawthorne for 750m. At this point, it narrows into a singletrack trail and passes through an overgrown section of the route. The singletrack soon returns to a two-track width and rejoins the river channel at a point that I previously referred to as “the second, Green Lake road accessible, parking area”.
The rail bed will head northeast, as if to cross the river channel, but you will complete your journey northwest along the Okanagan river channel’s service road.
This is a longish route, clocking in at 18.3k return, but it is well worth the time for those prepared and in decent physical condition. Bring extra water and sunscreen if attempting this route mid-summer as the Okanagan heat can be relentless. Watch out for prickly-pear cactus, as they are prevalent in the area, and amazingly sharp.
Update; for those of you who are interested in seeing Google Earth and GPS files of the TransCanada Trail as a whole, check out the TCT Homepage Be aware that the data provided on their site is only 'more or less' accurate...
Getting There Access to trailheads is described in each sub-section of this chapter.
Low: 327m | High: 354m | Length: 18.3k Return | Water: Not potable | Cell Access: Spotty