Best biking routes in the South Okanagan
The Okanagan Valley’s 10-best cycling routes
We put our heads together on our third Okanagan Top 10, a weekly feature highlighting the best of everything the valley has to offer
The Okanagan Valley is an ideal location to use your road or hybrid bicycle to explore our four-seasons playground. There is a wide variety to choose from: flat routes in the valley bottom to more challenging outings as you climb into the hills.
The following Top 10 list is meant specifically for either road or hybrid bikes, not mountain bikes, since you won’t need knobby tires or shock absorbers. Not to say you can’t use mountain bikes but the other two are designed for cruising city streets and smooth off-road routes rather than bumping up and down on rougher trails.
Some of the following are not yet completed or upgraded but are in the planning stages and in one case, under construction. The list is not meant to be all-encompassing but are routes which our staff has cycled, enjoyed and want to return to as soon as spring weather arrives.
1. Okanagan Rail Trail
Kelowna to Coldstream
It’s our pick for No. 1 for so many reasons. It represents the ultimate cooperation (and connectivity) between the City of Kelowna, District of Lake Country, Okanagan Indian Band and North Okanagan Regional District which bought the 49.5-kilometre right-ofway from CN (with help from the province) for $22 million.
A $7.86-million grassroots fundraising campaign has received more than $5 million in donations. Construction of one-half is underway with an official opening this spring. On July 29, a one-kilometre test section of hard-packed gravel in Lake Country attracted hundreds who couldn’t wait to try it out. Kelowna plans to pave the section between Dilworth Drive and UBC Okanagan at least in time for the September start of classes.
2. Myra Canyon
southeast of Kelowna: High on the south slopes of Kelowna, this former Kettle Valley Railway right-of-way is now part of the Trans Canada Trail so you can potentially bike as far as the east and west coasts. This spectacular 12-kilometre route runs along the top of a steep-walled canyon, has 16 wood trestles, two steel spans and two rock tunnels.
A recreational bike ride every summer has hundreds of participants biking all the way to Penticton but the reverse is also popular with South Okanagan residents who enjoy incredible views of Okanagan Lake, Naramata and its numerous vineyards. 3. Skaha Lake Loop: Penticton Decide on your direction: you can cycle a scenic paved road (Eastside Road on the east side of Skaha Lake) to Okanagan Falls and then do the unpaved section of the former Kettle Valley Railway (along the west side of the lake) back to Penticton. Or the KVR trail first, then the paved road. Caution: the KVR trail has some sandy sections that require extra effort. Either way, you can have lunch at Lions Gardens, a three-acre nature park on the south shore of Skaha Lake. Penticton access: the campground just south of the city on Highway 97. Kaleden access: Pioneer Park via Ponderosa Avenue.
4. Okanagan Shuswap
Century Ride circle route:
The annual 53- and 100-kilometre rides on May 28 were rerouted due to the washout of the Heywood-Armstrong Bridge in early May 2017. But there is word the new bridge will open next week. So you can again cycle from Memorial Park in Armstrong down Salmon River Road as far as you want and enjoy the scenic rolling farmland of the North Okanagan. Crews added an extra span on the bridge and reinforced the river banks so it won’t be affected by spring runoff again. For more on the Century Ride and its new routes, visit: oscr.ca.
5. Wood Lake Loop:
With Highway 97 now up in the Lake Country hills, the renamed Pelmewash Parkway is a leisurely ride with multiple places to pause on the lakeshore. At the north end, turn right onto Oyama Road and take a break on the beautiful beach. Continue up rolling Oyama Road along the east side of the lake to Woodsdale Road where you can take another break at Beasley Park before concluding your loop via a short section of Highway 97 to Pelmewash Parkway where you left your vehicle. Lake Country has plans to upgrade Pelmewash Parkway to make it even more bike-friendly.
6. International Hike and Bike Trail,
South Okanagan:
This flat, easily-accessible, car-free, family-friendly route follows the Okanagan River Channel from Oliver’s McAlpine Bridge (Highway 97) in the north to Osoyoos Lake in the south. Total distance: 18.4 kilometres; 10 kilometres are paved; the eight kilometres south of Oliver (toward Osoyoos) are gravel. At several oxbows and ponds, you can observe ducks, herons, eagles, painted turtles and lily pads with bright pink flowers. There are great spots for picnics, secluded swims and watching salmon spawn in the fall.
7. City of Kelowna
triangular loop route:
The ‘new, improved’ city website no longer has the map (it may return) but starting downtown, take Clement Avenue (including Rails with Trails phase one, then phase two), Dilworth Drive to Mission Creek Greenway, Gordon Drive, Lakeshore Road, Abbott Street recreation corridor, City Park promenade and waterfront multiuse pathway (Kelowna Yacht Club and The Grand Hotel) back to Cawston Avenue. Great family ride, flat and easily accessible but the Greenway from Mission Creek Regional Park to Lakeshore Road is sometimes a little bumpy. Check the city’s Active by Nature Route map for more: http://maps.kelowna.ca/public/activebynaturemapviewer/
8. Trail 2000, West Kelowna:
The Gellatly Bay Trails and Parks Society goal is a waterfront pathway from Peachland to Bennett Bridge. The completed phase (and most popular trail owned by the district) runs from The Cove resort north along Gellatly Bay (the Gellatly Bay Recreation Corridor). Various other sections are in the planning phase and require further funding and construction.
Map posted at: http://www.westsidetrails.ca/park_trail_project_detail.php?id= 26. The society’s 20th annual Trek for Trails fundraiser is held every May with three routes of varying difficulty available for families and experienced hikers.
9. Fur Brigade Trail and Linear Park,
Summerland to Peachland: Hudson Bay Company fur traders used this trail for pack trains with up to 300 horses in 1812-1846. It was part of the Cariboo Gold Rush Trail and later the original automobile route to Peachland. The Summerland trailhead is at Priest Camp Historic Park on Garnett Valley Road (the original Brigade Trail), then 4.1 kilometres to one of the most sensational viewpoints of Okanagan Lake. You can continue to the south end of Peachland on a rough trail emerging at Log Chute Road just south of Hardy Falls Regional Park. The Trail of the Okanagans Society has held several Tea at the Top events at the Fur Brigade Lookout with participants coming from both ends.
10. Mabel Lake Road to Mabel Lake
Provincial Park, North Okanagan:
Off-season recommended due to busy tourist traffic in July and August. Take Highway 6 east from Vernon to Lumby, then cycle north on paved Mabel Lake Road following the Shuswap River for 36 kilometres through a picturesque landscape of farmland and ranches. There is one kilometre of gravel road to Mabel Lake and a provincial campground. Total distance from Vernon 60 kilometres. Or you can go to Enderby and follow the Shuswap River as it winds its way to Ashton Creek along the other end of Mabel Lake Road.
Next week: The 10 worst political decisions made by municipal government over the past three years.