The Trails

Trails for everyone

The trails in South Central BC provide healthy recreational access to all the beauty of our region, whether it be walking, cycling, skiing or on a motorized off-road vehicle.

BC Rail Trails are a major trail system in British Columbia which is part of the Trans Canada Trail system and are broken up into 3 main sections in our South Central BC region. The Kettle Valley Rail Trail from Hope to Midway, the Columbia and Western Rail Trail from Midway to Castlegar and the Slocan Valley Rail Trail, from South Slocan, near the juction of Highway 3A and 6 to Slocan.

The Rail Trails comprise only part of the large number of trails in BC. From Communty Trails that create green throughfares for cycling and walking in our cities and towns to the adventurous mountain biking or motorized friendly trails that get you out to the edge of wilderness and beyond where the history of the trails were being written.

Tunnels & Trestles
A truly “Remarkable Experience” for your vacation, is South Central British Columbia’s famous rail trails. Any talk of them though, doesn‘t happen without the mention of the incredible engineering feats of the tunnels and trestles that needed to be constructed in order for those rails to make their way to the southern interior of BC. From the 5 tunnels and trestles in Hopes’ Coquihalla Canyon, that needed to be cut in a straight line through the canyon to the 18 trestles and 2 tunnels of Myra Canyon, to Christina Lake Cascade trestle and the Bulldog Tunnel near Castlegar, the longest on the rail trail at over 900m in length. All of them offer amazing authentice experiences and you travel back in time.

Quintette Tunnels
When constructing the railway through the roughest portion of the Coquihalla Canyon, chief engineer Andrew McCulloch determined that a routing proposed by his subordinates through this section was unnecessarily long or complex. McCulloch recalculated the requirements, and decided that a straight section of track through this area was required, and in order to achieve this, five closely aligned tunnels would be required. He also determined that two bridges would need to be built between three of the tunnels. These tunnels were eventually known as the Quintette tunnels. These tunnels are a popular tourist attraction, and are located along the existing Coquihalla Highwa,however they are not visible from the highway. These tunnels are also known as the Othello Tunnels because they are near the Othello Railway station, named for the Shakespeare character, as is the case with other stations on this stretch of the railway.

Myra Canyon
One of the most well known sections of the KVRT is Myra Canyon located south of Kelowna on Okanagan Highlands. The section of line originally was between Midway and Penticton. When it was built between Myra station and June Springs station, it required 18 wooden trestles and two tunnels in order to traverse the deep canyon.

For years after the abandonment of this section of rail line, it became a hiker and cyclist haven. Years of disrepair on the trestles began to take its toll on the line and in some cases hikers and cyclists wanting to cross the trestles would be required to walk on sections of steel no wider than a foot across in sections where the ties were removed. After a fatal accident involving a cyclist on one of the trestles, many people petitioned to have the bridges and trestles made safer. These upgrades included repairs after numerous years of disrepair, and the installation of handrails and planks so that people did not have to jump between each railway tie. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2002.
The 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park Fire rapidly grew in strength and size and made its way across Okanagan Mountain, engulfing many portions of the KVR between Penticton and McCulloch Lake. The fire unfortunately claimed 12 of the 18 trestle. In addition, the bridge decks of two of the metal bridges were also destroyed in the fire.

B.C provincial government restoration of the trail was completed, with an official re-opening ceremony held June 22, 2008 with additional safety improvements including clearing and rock face stabilization.

Cascade Gorge and Trestle
The gorge is also the site of the region’s first AC power generating station. The old Cascade Dam dam at the head of the gorge diverted the Kettle River through a 125m tunnel bored through solid rock into a man-made rock cut where the water entered a pair of 2m diameter wooden stave pipes 500m in length before reaching the power station at the foot of the gorge. The remains of this monumental undertaking can still be found with the concrete bulkhead now forming a foot bridge to the viewing areas.

Bulldog Tunnel
Since the tunnel is curved at the western end, it’s so dark inside there is virtually no “light at the end of the tunnel” going west through it! Before the existence of the tunnel, trains went over six switchbacks up and six switchbacks down, all at a grade of six per cent. It was extremely difficult for the trains to negotiate this grade. These switchbacks offer an exciting trip up and over the top.
Wherever you happen to pick for travel, along South Central British Columbia’s rail trails
a truly “Remarkable Experience” awaits.

Below is about the BC Rail Trails from
John Hawkings
Manager, Trails, Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations

From humble beginnings, BC’s now extensive rail trail network has the potential to be one of the world’s best, winding its way through some of the most spectacular scenery in the province. Over high mountain passes, through historic rock tunnels, along idyllic rivers and lakes, and across impressive trestles spanning deep canyons, these remarkable trails offer something for everyone.

The dream of building a provincial rail trail system has its roots in the early 1990’s, when the BC government began acquiring abandoned railway lines for public recreation and transportation routes with the encouragement of the Trans Canada Trail Foundation. BC eagerly partnered with the Trans Canada Trail Foundation to begin developing a connecting network of rail trails across the southern part of the province.
By the mid 1990s, the Province had purchased most of the abandoned Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) from CP Rail, and after a series of public consultations and open houses, portions of the KVR were dedicated as part of the BC Trans Canada Trail. In 1998, the Trans Canada Trail Foundation purchased the Slocan Valley Rail Trail and the Columbia and Western Rail Trail from CP Rail and later transferred ownership to the Province to continue developing the BC portion of the trail. The government has now acquired more than 2,000 km of former rail corridors, almost half of which have been developed as recreation trails.

B.C.’s rail trails are owned and managed by a variety of provincial entities. The Kettle Valley, Slocan Valley, and Columbia and Western Rail Trails have been legally established as recreation trails and are currently managed by Recreation Sites and Trails BC, a branch within the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource

Operations. The Great Northern and Cowichan Valley Rail Trails are owned by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. BC Parks looks after the KVR within the spectacular Myra Canyon Provincial Park. Many rail trails are managed through partnerships with regional districts, municipalities, other provincial agencies and volunteer groups, and, in some cases, are owned outright by regional or municipal governments.
Rail trails represent an extraordinary recreation opportunity for BC and have the potential to contribute significantly to the local economies of rural communities along the trail network. Worldwide, there are tens of thousands of developed rail trails. In the US, there are more than 32,000 km of rail trails, many of which support thriving small businesses such as bike rentals, shuttle services, accommodations, and other service providers.

The vision for the Province’s rail trails is to create a world-class network of trails intended primarily for non-motorized summer use, such as walking/hiking, cycling and horseback riding. Winter use of rail trails includes cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling where supported by local communities.

For over a decade now, BC’s rail trails have been unable to realize their potential in spite of heavy investments in trail
surfaces, bridges, trestles and other infrastructure. Lack of an overall governance model has resulted in escalating conflicts between non-motorized and motorized users, which in turn has created an effective barrier to the further development and sustainability of the rail trail network.

Many of the attributes inherent in rail trails – length, varied scenery, historic value, and proximity to communities, combined with the consistent low grade and wide track – are highly desirable attributes for recreation, particularly cycling. Touring cyclists often travel long distances carrying the additional weight of overnight gear, which requires a smooth compacted trail surface for a safe and enjoyable ride. Prolonged use of rail trails by motorized vehicles can impact the trail tread and create a loose, uneven surface that cyclists will quickly abandon. As a result, repeated motorized use discourages investment in a high quality tread surface as ongoing maintenance and repair costs would simply be too high.
At the same time, use of off-highway vehicles for recreation is increasing at a rapid rate in BC, and off-road vehicle users are seeking high quality, long distance riding opportunities. By their nature, rail trails connect communities and are located along main valley bottoms, making them ideal travel corridors for off-road vehicle users seeking access to additional riding opportunities. For this reason, BC’s rail trails are heavily sought after by motorized recreationists.

In an attempt to address this current impasse, the Province recently established the Conflict Resolution Steering Committee to develop a consensus-based, community-led process for addressing non-motorized/motorized use conflicts on rail trails. Membership consists of representatives from Recreation Sites and Trails BC, the Quad Riders ATV Association of BC, the BC Off-road Motorcycle Association, and Trails BC.

The steering committee initiated a pilot project in the Naramata and Chute Lake Area of the southeastern Okanagan. A working group of local motorized and non-motorized users and provincial representatives was convened to identify opportunities for resolving conflicts while continuing to meet the needs of various user groups.
The Naramata resolution plan was presented at a community open house in September 2012. The plan identifies certain sections of the Kettle Valley Rail Trail between Naramata and Chute Lake as non-motorized and other sections as shared use with clearly defined user etiquette. It also incorporates new motorized recreation trail routes to provide access to certain highly desirable destinations in situations where shared use will not work.

If the process proves successful in resolving user conflicts in the pilot area, it will be expanded to other areas along the rail trail network. In a province as large and diverse as British Columbia, there are plenty of opportunities to accommodate the needs of everyone. From an economic and social standpoint, it is just as
important to develop a non-motorized rail trail system to meet the needs and values of self propelled users as it is to develop opportunities for

the rapidly expanding community of motorized recreationists. In many cases, however, this will involve developing separate trail systems designed for specific users. The key is communication and understanding from both sides, not to mention plenty of cooperation.

2016 update from Tennessee Trent

The British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, owns nearly 600km of former rail corridors and manages them as recreation trails for public use. The BC rail trail network is made up of portions of the Kettle Valley Rail Trail, the Columbia & Western Rail Trail and the Slocan Valley Rail Trail. The rail trails are unique in many ways but their passage from city centre to rural areas to remote wilderness areas and back into communities provides trail users with unique to BC experiences and a great opportunity to the province, regions and communities through which they pass.

The engineered infrastructure associated with the rail trails is significant and requires constant inspection, maintenance and capital upgrade. Every year the Recreation Sites and Trails branch of the Ministry works with local government and trail stewardship groups to undertake both minor and major trail maintenance and upgrades. Recent examples of these upgrades include the re-decking of the Nursery Trestle near Grand Forks, the remediation of a stream and 93 meter long stone arch culvert near Castlegar, the removal of a 10,000 cubic meter rock slide in the Tulameen River canyon near Princeton and the installation of retaining wall structures along the Slocan River near Winlaw.

Rail trails represent an extraordinary recreation opportunity for BC and have the potential to contribute significantly to the local economies of rural communities along the trail network. World-wide, there are tens of thousands of developed rail trails. In the US, there are more than 32,000 km of rail trails, many of which support thriving small businesses such as bike rentals, shuttle services, accommodations, and other service providers.
The vision for the Province’s rail trails is to create a world-class network of trails intended primarily for non-motorized summer use, such as walking/hiking, cycling and horseback riding.  Winter use of rail trails includes cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling where supported by local communities.