By James Ross | Published August 11th, 2026
Photos by James Ross unless otherwise noted

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Biking the Okanagan Rail Trail (Courtesy Tourism Vernon.)

There are two types of people who decide to ride the historic Kettle Valley Rail Trail through British Columbia’s Thompson Okanagan Valley.

The first is a serious cyclist. This person owns expensive equipment, uses more than two of the gears, carries nutritional supplements with names that sound like experimental rocket fuel, and can casually announce, “It’s only an 80-kilometre day,” while smiling. Some of them even look good in Lycra.

The second is me.

I had a rental bike, a helmet that never sat quite level on my head, baggy bike shorts, and a tendency to consider a hill “challenging” when it required me to stop complaining for more than thirty seconds and pedal. The fact that several award-winning wineries and craft breweries happened to be located conveniently near our route was purely a coincidence.

Biking over the tressle bridge Myra Canyon.

The serious cyclist might pedal the trail in its entirety, some 500 kilometres, from Hope BC to the U.S. border east of Osoyoos. My plan was more modest. I would cycle the sections of the KVR from Vernon’s aqua lakes and forested hills to Kelowna’s orchards and vineyards, and finally into the sun-soaked beauty of Penticton and the Naramata Bench. I would enjoy the scenery, learn about the history, and stop occasionally at trailside refreshment establishments to maintain proper hydration.

Vernon is also proudly known as the Trails Capital of BC, and with more than 500 kilometres of trails, it has enough routes to satisfy nearly every outdoor enthusiast. There are trails for mountain bikers seeking adventure, hikers looking for solitude, and people like me who occasionally stop mid-ride to stare dramatically into the distance and pretend they are reflecting on nature when they are actually wondering where they packed the snacks.

Kalamalka Lake

My biking began with the Okanagan Rail Trail near Kalamalka Lake, using the Predator Ridge experience, which provided transportation, bike rentals, and trail information. The trail itself follows an old CN rail bed and is wonderfully smooth, which is exactly what you want when your cycling skills resemble those of a confused shopping cart.

The views were magnificent. Kalamalka Lake stretched beside us in shades of blue and green, earning its reputation as the “lake of many colours.” Every few minutes, the scenery changed so dramatically that I found myself stopping for photographs. Eventually my fellow riders informed me that if I continued stopping every time the landscape was beautiful, we would finish the trip sometime around the year 2047.

Ancestral Heartbeat

Vernon is located in the traditional territory of the Syilx People of the Okanagan Nation, and it is immediately obvious that this is a place shaped by a deep relationship with the land. Inspired by Indigenous philosophy, the region's Seven Generations Pledge encourages decisions that consider those who will inherit the land. After spending time here, it became easy to understand why. This isn't simply scenery to admire - it is a landscape entrusted to every visitor.

I hopped off my bike at Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park for a delightful Indigenous tourism experience with Ancestral Heartbeat Tours. Our host, Laura, led our small group along the lakeshore, sharing stories of Syilx and Secwépemc history and culture, along with traditional knowledge about native plants and medicines. Drumming and singing overlooking the lake added another dimension to the experience.

Laura of Ancestral Heartbeat Tours drumming lakeside.

From Vernon, we continued toward Kelowna, a city where outdoor adventure and culinary creativity have forged a long-term partnership. Kelowna's culinary reputation was internationally recognized in 2025 when it became Canada's first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. Kelowna takes its food seriously. Local ingredients, award-winning wineries, and innovative chefs have created a culinary scene that's become as much a draw as the surrounding lakes and trails.

Myra Canyon

The historic route carries riders across 18 wooden trestles and through two tunnels, over 24 kilometres of breathtaking terrain. Built between 1910 and 1916 by the Canadian Pacific Railway, the original Kettle Valley Railway was created to connect British Columbia’s interior resources with the coast. Today, the railway has been transformed into one of British Columbia’s greatest recreational trails. The last train travelled the route in 1989.

One of the trail's biggest advantages is that, despite the distance, the railway grades remain remarkably gentle. Designed for trains rather than mountain bikes, the route climbs gradually, making spectacular scenery accessible to riders of varying abilities. Standing on a historic trestle surrounded by canyon walls makes you feel like an intrepid explorer - until you remember you are wearing the padded cycling shorts.

Chute Lake Snaking Southward to Penticton

The Kettle Valley Rail (KVR) Trail is one of the British Columbia’s most iconic adventures. Here we bike through the Adra Tunnel.

From Chute Lake, the trail winds 16 kilometres to Adra Tunnel before becoming noticeably rougher on the approach to Glen Fir. Beyond Glen Fir, the surface improves again toward Little Tunnel. Trail conditions alternate between smooth hard-pack, loose gravel and sandy patches seemingly designed to steer riders into the nearest shrub.

Veering off the trail might have been a bad idea, especially in light of the rattlesnake. I heard the unmistakable rattle before I saw the snake. For one hopeful second, I wondered if someone had somehow misplaced a baby tram in the bushes. Unfortunately, it was exactly what I feared. After the rattling encounter, I pedalled straight to a winery to “recover,” a remedy doctors probably don’t fully endorse.

The ride from Chute Lake to Penticton captures everything that makes the KVR special. The Little Tunnel section is one of the trail’s highlights, offering incredible views across the valley. From there, the final 17 kilometres into Penticton delivered one of the finest stretches of cycling on the entire route: excellent trail conditions, gentle grades, panoramic scenery, and several tempting opportunities to stop. There are historic tunnels, mountain views, forests, valleys, and eventually the breathtaking arrival into the Naramata Bench.

The Naramata Inn

Naramata appears almost unfairly charming. The village sits at the end of a winding country road surrounded by vineyards, beaches, and some of the finest food and wine experiences in the region. After hours of cycling, the sight of vineyard patios felt less like tourism and more like a carefully planned rescue operation. We sampled local wines, enjoyed farm-to-table cuisine, and celebrated completing the ride.

The Naramata Inn, with more than a century of history, provided the perfect setting to appreciate the journey. Once a hotel, private residence, and even a school, it has been lovingly restored into a boutique destination that reflects the character of the community. Dinner at its Lapin Perdu Bistro was the perfect way to end the day.

The greatest surprise on the ride was realizing that a bicycle can take you places a car cannot. It slows you down enough to notice the details: the smell of pine trees, the colour changes in the lake, the quiet conversations of other bikers, and the small moments that disappear when you rush. Of course, a bicycle also takes you places your legs strongly object to visiting. But that is part of the adventure.

I Do Yoga

After several days of convincing my legs that climbing steep hills was reasonable, I decided my recovery plan required something gentler than another adventure. This led me to my first-ever yoga class at Penticton’s Balcomo Wellness Centre, a decision that sounded peaceful right up until I discovered that yoga is essentially a group activity where everyone calmly folds themselves into shapes that appear to require advanced engineering.

My balance was questionable, my flexibility largely theoretical, and my breathing technique occasionally sounded like I was trying to inflate a stubborn pool toy. When the instructor approached carrying a leather strap, childhood memories briefly resurfaced. Thankfully, she intended only to help improve my stretch, not my behaviour, though the result was every bit as painful as I remembered.

The cyclists pose on the Kettle Valley Rail Trail.

The Kettle Valley Rail Trail is more than an abandoned railway transformed into a pathway. It is a connection between past and present, between communities and landscapes, between adventure and relaxation. I may not have become a serious cyclist on this journey, but I discovered something better. The trail reminded me that adventure doesn't always mean rushing toward the next destination. Sometimes it means taking the long way, learning the story of a place, sharing a laugh, and appreciating the rewards waiting at the end of the ride.

And yes, sometimes those rewards come in a wine glass. Strictly for research purposes, of course.

To start planning your own adventure, click here.

Powered by Scenery and the Occasional Winery, on the Kettle Valley Rail Trail, British Columbia