nature, Photography

KVR Trail from Penticton to Kelowna

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The KVR (Kettle Valley Railway) Trail is a former passenger and freight rail line that was active throughout much of the British Columbia interior from 1915 up until 1989.

View towards Penticton from the KVR Trail.

After the old rail line was closed, the bed was turned into a hiking/biking/walking trail. It’s possible to take this trail from Penticton to Kelowna, a distance of 80 km (50 miles).

View northward towards Kelowna from the KVR Trail.

We have walked various parts of it, but since we don’t camp any more (I don’t think I would be able to walk the next day – sleeping on the ground is no longer in my wheelhouse!), we have never completed the entire stretch on foot. In order to see all of this piece of the trail, we decided to use our truck. (Off-road vehicles are permitted on this portion.)

A view of the William R Bennett bridge across Okanagan Lake with Kelowna to the right.

The views on this beautiful day were marvellous and we were glad we were able to see this entire section; it was rather wonderful.

Happy Wednesday.

24 thoughts on “KVR Trail from Penticton to Kelowna”

  1. I like it when they put these old rail lines to good use. Such splendid views of the lake. I am with you on camping, Lynette. As Pat always says, I don’t do ground anymore. Happy Wednesday. Allan

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    1. Thanks, Allan. I agree completely with Pat. My days of tents, sleeping bags and ground sheets are over. Ditto sleeping in the back of my truck or suv.

      Yes, repurposing an old rail line is a good thing, and this one is very popular, although we saw that some maintenance needs to happen, especially with the busy summer coming up. There was a 10 km stretch that was in dire shape with huge rocks, lots of standing water everywhere and massive potholes. We saw a group of cyclists coming from Kelowna and let them know about it as they would not have been able to cycle through it.

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    1. We definitely have been considering that, but with this trail we were glad we used the truck. There was about 10 km of extremely rough trail that would have been impossible for cyclists – people would have to walk their bikes for sure. We saw a group of cyclists coming from Kelowna en route to Penticton and let them know about it.

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    1. Yes, that’s the trail. There was a huge fire in 2003 that burned a number of trestle bridges on the KVR trail (they had all been declared historic sites) but they were rebuilt to historical specifications by about 2005 or so, I think. The ones that escaped the fire were closer to Penticton.

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    1. The views are really staggering, and hiking or biking it is really the best way to see it. The climb from either Kelowna or Penticton up into the Monashee Mountains isn’t for the faint of heart, though, and lots of people break it up into sections. It’s so great that this old rail line has been so effectively repurposed. Cheers.

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  9. It is simply gorgeous. There is an aspect that reminds me a little bit of Crater Lake, in Oregon USA what with the beautiful blue sky and water and the green of the trees. What a glorious visual buffet we get to feast from! ❤

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    1. The views from this trail are stunning, Vanessa. Oregon is a beautiful state so it’s not surprising that there would be similarities. 😊 Agreed – a glorious visual buffet! Your description is very apt.

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