Trail enthusiasts proud of their accomplishments
During the past six years, trail groups in the Okanagan have taken great strides toward a world-class trail from the Canada-U.S. border to Sicamous.
“In short, it was a lot of work by a lot people, organizations, communities and governments,” says Brad Clements, an Okanagan College economics professor who was one of the founding members of the Okanagan Rail Trail Initiative (ORTI).
“It was a non-profit society made up of individuals who believed in the need to keep the corridor intact. None of the work of ORTI would have amounted to anything if the community did not get behind the project. In the end, everyone stepped forward when the time absolutely required it to happen.”
The idea of the trail from Sicamous to Osoyoos was put forward actively and publicly in 2013 by a group of Okanagan residents when CN announced the abandonment of the section of railway between Kelowna and Coldstream in an effort to convince government to acquire the land in the event it would not be utilized as a rail corridor. However, at that time, there was no appetite from any level of government to secure the corridor in its entirety.
Nearly 100 presentations on the benefits were made to various levels of government, outdoor groups, business groups and any other group of people who would listen. It included a map showing the Osoyoos-to-Sicamous regional trail as the “long-term vision.”
A website inviting people to explain why they wanted the corridor to remain intact and used as a trail attracted nearly 10,000 emails. An economic impact study was commissioned and paid for by a group of residents.
It took all parties – Okanagan Indian Band, City of Kelowna, District of Lake Country, Coldstream, Regional District of North Okanagan, provincial government and CN Rail – to finalize the purchase.
However, when finalized, local governments felt it would be at least 10 years before a trail could be constructed due to the lack of funds remaining after the acquisition. However, a 2016 grassroots fund-raising campaign was embraced by the communities and individuals with more than 5,000 donations raising $7.8 milion in just two years.
“It took the same kind of dedicated people to inspire the Armstrong-to-Sicamous rail trail and create the world we wish to see in our future,” said Clements.
The Okanagan Rail Trail section of trail is now 50 kilometres as there have been additions at each end. And improvements continue, noted Laurie Postill, chair of Friends of the Okanagan Rail Trail.
“After trail construction was completed, a generous donation from the Edna, Stella and Harry Weatherill Foundation enabled three interpretive sites to be built at Carney Pond, Ribbleworth Falls and Kalamalka Lake.”
After the official opening in September 2018, some members of the fundraising group established Friends of Okanagan Rail Trail, “a volunteer charitable society dedicated to working with the owner jurisdictions represented by the Okanagan Rail Trail Committee (ORTC) to make the Okanagan Rail Trail the best that it can be,” she said.
FORT members also volunteer as Trail Ambassadors and Trail Stewards to welcome users and help to protect the environment. Since 2020, the project management team has worked with the Okanagan Indian Band and the Regional District of the North Okanagan and Museum and Archives of Vernon to develop the first ORT Gateway at Kilometre 0, and to create a blueprint for wayfinding signage and kiosks to be built in the future along the rest of the corridor.
The Kilometre 0 signature gateway has a plaza with shade sails and large seating rocks. The kiosk has both full trail and segment maps, a welcoming messaging and a visual timeline of trail development, she said.
Coldstream Station on Kalamalka Lake Road offers a new parking area with easy access to the trail.
A two-year collaboration of FORT, Okanagan Indian Band and the Museum and Archives of Vernon developed interpretation of indigenous themes at the Kilometre 0 site, now in the final stages in the hope of signs posted this summer.
“Future plans include an Okanagan Indian Band Cultural Centre at Woodsdale Road in Lake Country. Future Gateways will be created at Kilometre 26 and at the south end of the trail at Kilometre 52. Smaller wayfinding kiosks will be created at other entrance ways to the trail,” said Postill.
“FORT is inspired to be a part of the bigger picture of a continuous trail from Sicamous to the border and beyond. It’s about a legacy for all of us and realizing the importance of connecting the past, the present and the future together through nature, activity and learning. These initiatives to help restore the trails are being moved forward by notfor-profits all up and down the valley and support is always appreciated in terms of volunteers and donations. ‘We are all connected’ is one of the indigenous themes at Kilometre 0 and these trails will help build and restore those connections.”
The Shuswap North Okanagan Rail Trail is also moving ahead, thanks to just over $15 million raised to date, enough to construct the rail trail from kilometre 0.0 (Sicamous) to kilometre 42.6 (Stepney X Road), plus kilometre 49.0 (Lansdowne Road) to kilometre 50.4 (Armstrong).
“Detailed engineering design drawings, archaeological impact assessments, environmental notifications, road crossing warrants, permit applications, and preliminary construction tenders are now underway,” said Phil McIntyre-Paul, senior consultant with the Shuswap Trail Alliance.
“What happens next? Tendering continues (pending permit approvals and funding). Contracts awarded; construction begins.
Capital fundraising continues to ‘Finish the Trail’ between kilometre 42.6 and 49 (includes a pedestrian overpass of Highway 97A). Public use of the trail begins! (Watch for announcements over the next two years.) Shared stewardship, revegetation, monitoring and maintenance continues.”
For more information on that project, check the website: shuswapnorthokanaganrailtrail.ca