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Mountain Biking
in the Okanagan
The Okanagan
Valley area is great for mountain biking. Here's a summary of some of
the more notable trails and roads here, starting at Vernon in the north
and ending at Keremeos near the Canada-US border.
A trip to Vernon is not complete
without a spin down Spanky's, possibly the most popular ride in
Vernon. The trailhead is right across from the Sovereign Lake cross-country
ski area in Silver Star Provincial Recreation Area, which can be reached
via the Silver Star Road east of Hwy 97. Spanky's features a 2,625-foot
(800-m) vertical descent, spread over 8 miles (13 km) of trail.
If you're feeling ambitious, take your bike up the chairlift at Silver
Star Mountain Resort and spend time bombing around the peak of Silver
Star Mountain first before starting your descent. Silver Star is one
of the more 'mountain-bike-friendly' provincial parks. The National Altitude
Training Centre and Silver Star Mountain Resort have hosted the 1994 Grundig/UCI
World Cup Finals, the sixth event of the Canada Cup series in 1996, and
the 1997 Canadian Mountain Bike Festival. Several trails are designated
as bike-only. Silver Star offers bike rentals, guided tours, mountain-bike
camps, and national and world mountain bike competitions. Bring extra
clothes along. At 6,000 feet (1830 m), it can be chilly here, even on
a warm day. The Silver Star Mountain Bike Club hosts bike clinics and
stages mountain-bike races on Wednesday evenings in July and August. Daily
mountain-bike tours for all ages and abilities are offered by the club,
which is based at the National Altitude Training Centre.
If Spanky's doesn't seem ambitious enough, try the Trinity Ricardo
Trail System, which runs north from Silver Star Mountain Resort to
Ashton Creek, a small town east of Hwy 97 at Enderby. This trail is a
whopping 24 miles (40 km), almost all of it downhill. The Trinity Ricardo
Trail System is popular among the snowmobiling crowd, but is practically
unknown to mountain bikers. Detailed descriptions of some rides appear
in Mountain Biking British
Columbia by Darrin Polischuk.
Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park south of Vernon is another bike-friendly
area. A large portion of the park contains multiuse hiking, horseback
riding, and mountain biking trails. A word of advice: Kalamalka Lake was
an artillery range during World War II, so give any suspicious, bombshell-shaped
objects a wide berth and report these objects to a park official. Maps
of the trails are available at the lake itself.
Around Kelowna, the Glenmore Trails in Knox Mountain Regional Park
also offer interesting bike paths with great views over Lake Okanagan.
One caution: This is an area in which you can easily get lost, so be forewarned.
A paved road leads to the top of Knox Mountain (elevation 1,970 feet/600
m) from the park entrance off Clifton Road. Once on top, a variety of
unmarked trails lead off in several directions. Like most mountain-bike
areas, it is a mix of logging roads (mostly up) and singletracks (mostly
down). To get to the park, take Clifton Road in Kelowna's Glenmore neighbourhood
to Grainger Road, then turn right and head to the dead end. Ride north
and pick one of the trails that will appear in front of you.
Just south of Kelowna is Myra Canyon, a lovingly restored section
of the Kettle Valley Railway
Trail. It weighs in at 12 miles (24 km) round trip, but there are
no steep climbs or hairball singletracks - just some fun, casual riding.
What makes the Myra Canyon section special are the 18 trestles and two
tunnels you'll pass over and through. Exercise caution when riding across
the trestles, some trestles are in a state of disrepair. The Myra Canyon
section is part of the historic 133-mile (215-km) route (also known as
the Carmi Subdivision) between Midway and Penticton. This is part of a
much longer biking trip. For more information, consult Cycling the
Kettle Valley Railway by Dan and Sandra Langford.
Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park, on the east side of Okanagan Lake,
is good for mountain biking. Remember that there is no access to the park
by road; it's boat, bicycle, or hike-in only. One of the most popular
rides is a two-day excursion around the border of the park (just bring
the spare tube and pump; it's a long hike back). Almost all the trails
are open to mountain bikers. Popular trails include Commando Bay Trail
(lengthy, moderate) and Boulder Trail (short, technical).
The
Casa Loma Trails (easy; 3 miles/4.5 km) provide
an easy ride along the shores of Okanagan Lake. Get
there by heading south on Hwy 97 from Kelowna, taking
a left on Boucherie Road, then taking a left again on
Sunnyside. The trail starts at the end of Sunnyside.
High above Penticton,
along the Ellis Creek Canyon, is the Ellis Ridge Trail. From Carmi
Avenue in town, turn right at the cross-country area and take the trail
from the parking lot 2 miles (3 km) past the cattle gate. If you are driving,
park at the cattle gate. This isn't a difficult ride, but don't push your
limits. The trail skirts the canyon in places, and you don't want to miss
a turn.
Just to the north of Ellis Creek is Campbell Mountain,
a maze of interconnected single- and doubletrack: not
technically difficult, but not for the faint of heart,
either. To reach it, take Reservoir Road off Upper Bench
Road in Penticton. Take the right fork in Reservoir
Road to the parking lot at the foot of Campbell Mountain.
Ski areas that used to sit fallow during the summer
have of late been appropriated by mountain bikers.
Apex
Mountain Resort operates a chairlift, but it is only open
to mountain bikers on a guided tour. Soloists with iron lungs
can always pedal up Grandfather's Trail, which leads
right to the top of Beaconsfield Mountain from the resort's
main parking area. Maps are available from the resort.
Riddle Road is located about 3 miles (5 km) from
Penticton on Naramata Rd. If you take Riddle Rd to its
end, you'll find another mountain-bike haven that gives
credence to the oft-repeated Okanagan phrase: 'Vancouver's
got nothing to ride on compared to here.' Great
views, great singletrack, great downhill.
The International
Bicycling and Hiking Society has developed a lovely little river ride
between Oliver and Osoyoos
(12 miles/20 km). This is an easygoing ride, perfect for a summer day.
The Oliver Trail meanders along the west side of the Okanagan River
from the head of Osoyoos Lake to McAlpine bridge north of Oliver. The
path offers superb views of rural farms, wildlife and the only desert
ecological reserve in Canada. It is a superb family outings with picnic
sites en route. To find it, just head east on any of the turnoffs from
Hwy 97 between McAlpine Bridge (the northern terminus of the trail) and
Road 22.
The Osoyoos Trails
are a great series of old jeep roads and singletrack on the slopes west
of Osoyoos. From town, head west towards the golf course and turn left
on Fairwind. Park at the first cattle gate. The trail dances around the
perimeter of the golf course. Most of the routes are quick and moderately
easy, but frustratingly short for those looking for the eternal descent.
Mountain
Biking in the Similkameen/Crowsnest Highway
Half a dozen
trails in Manning Provincial
Park, as well as designated vehicle roadways, are open to mountain
bikers. The shortest is the Lone Duck Trail (easy; less than 1
mile/1.6 km one way), between the Lightning Lake campground and 20 Minute
Lake. There are also three 2-mile-long (one way) trails beside Lightning
Lake for intermediate to advanced riders. For the more advanced rider,
there is the 9.3-mile (15-km) return ride on the Windy Joe Trail
from the Beaver Pond over the top of Windy Joe Mountain. For a full list
of mountain-bike trails, cyclists should obtain a park brochure and map
from the visitors centre.
How about a ride down the Coquihalla Highway from the tollbooths
to Hope? It's a 40-mph (65-kph) blast! If that's a little too rambunctious,
you'll find standard-issue, single-track, mountain-bike trails at Stake
Lake in the Stake-McConnell Lakes Provincial Recreation Area near Lac
Le Jeune.
The many cross-country
ski trails in the Kane Valley cover varied terrain and double as
mountain-bike trails in summer. A map of the trail system is available
from the Merritt Forest District office at the intersection of Hwy 5A
and Airport Rd, or at many local hotels in Merritt.
A branch line of the Kettle Valley Railway leads between Hope
and Merritt, passing
the Coquihalla Tunnels and Brookmere, a distance of about 87 miles (140
km). Due to washouts and the construction of the Coquihalla Hwy, not all
of the line is suitable for biking. One of the best places to begin is
Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Recreation Area. Much of the railbed north
to Brookmere is intact.
Mountain
Biking in Boundary Country
The Kettle
Valley Railway, a Canadian Pacific Railway spur line, opened in 1915-16,
completing the link between southern Alberta and the Pacific coast. Prior
to that time, the southern Okanagan Valley did not have direct rail access
to the West Coast but depended heavily on US railways and river boats
for transporting goods and people.
The Kettle Valley
Railway discontinued service between Beaverdell and Penticton in 1973,
and the track was removed between Midway and Penticton in 1979-80. Much
of the 370 miles (600 km) of abandoned right-of-way now serves as the
Kettle Valley Mountain Bike Trail, accessible from many places
along Hwy 3, including the Kettle River Provincial Recreation Area. For
a detailed look at the route, consult Cycling the Kettle Valley Railway
by Dan and Sandra Langford. Other than the rail-trail routes, the terrain
around Grand Forks caters to
hardy cyclists only.
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