BC Ballast Riding the Kettle Valley Railway Story and photos by Chuck Haney BC Ballast ith chains lubed, tires topped In past cycling trips to the backroads and off with air, and water in the trails of Colorado, Utah, and Oregon, Mike packs, another two-wheeled and I seemed destined to follow a dubious Wadventure was set in motion as the morning pattern of unpredictable weather leading sunlight began to filter through thick stands to various misadventures from incessant of coniferous forest. The cool of the morn- rain, wind, or even snow mucking up our ing air slowly dissipated to the warmth of planned itinerary. Throw in car troubles, a lengthy June summer day. Ravens called tow trucks, raccoons setting off car alarms out to each other from opposing sides of in the middle of the night in a full camp- the trail, their squawking banter and the ground, and getting lost, and it seemed we gravel ballast crunched constantly below had been through it all. But for this particu- our tires. This was the soundtrack of our lar trip, the skies remained clear, the winds first day of riding. In south central British were calm, and even annoying things like Columbia, mighty locomotives were once mosquitoes stayed mostly at bay. the undeniable kings of the Kettle Valley. Our British Columbia adventure on I’m once again paired up with Adventure the KVR began near the remote town of Cyclist editor, Mike Deme, for a cycling Westbridge, which is small enough to be view of the rapids below. For the first excursion in a far-flung location. We are in almost engulfed among the heavily for- few miles, the emptiness along the route British Columbia to sample the famed Kettle ested Beaverdell Range of the Columbia was broken only by a couple of motor- Valley Railway, or as it’s referred to locally, Mountains. The region is known locally as ized trail bikes heading south. (Motorized the KVR. Our preferred section of the route Boundary Country due to its close proximity vehicles are allowed on most sections of the is called the Carmi subdivision. It stretches to the American border. We pedaled north route.) We passed by a bearded drifter who for 215 kilometers between the towns of from the Little Dipper Hideaway Resort appeared to be squatting on the land adja- Midway and Penticton and is just part of toward the small outpost of Beaverdell cent to the route in a somewhat derelict- the overall rail-trail mileage of the KVR and along the West Kettle River where we were looking trailer complete with satellite dish. other connecting spurs that cover nearly soon greeted by the sound of water speed- The place seemed to house more dogs than 600 kilometers of abandoned railway lines. ing through a narrow gorge and a scenic a Westminster Kennel show. Myra Canyon trestles. Mike rides along one of the many trestles that help make this part of the Carmi subdivision of the KVR unique. 20 adventure cyclist September-November 2009 adventurecycling.org adventure cyclist September-November 2009 adventurecycling.org 21 Nuts & Bolts: Kettle Valley Railway Best time to go: horseback riders, and motorized traffic, May through October. Myra Canyon is which is light. Don’t be tempted to ride a busy with cyclists and hikers on week- touring bike on this trail. Trust me, ride a ends, and campgrounds tend to fill up mountain bike. You’ll thank me later. quickly. Make reservations or plan on arriv- Accommodations: l Little Dipper Hideaway; www.little dipperhideaway.com, (250) 446-2213. Located near the scenic West Kettle River. Showers can be purchased, a real One of a dozen trestles that suc- plus after a day riding combed to the wildfires of 2003. in the dust. Resources: l Chute Lake Resort: www.chutelakere l Paul Lautard’s sort.com, (250) 493-3535. Cyclist Rest Stop is l British Columbia Parks: www.bcparks. less than two miles com. down the road from l Kelowna Tourism: www.tourismkel the Little Dipper. owna.com, (800) 663-4345. l Myra Canyon l Penticton Tourism: www.penticton.ca/ Trestle Restoration main.asp, (800) 663-5052. Society; www.myra trestles.com. Precautions: ing at campsites earlier in the day. The l Cycling the Kettle Valley Railway British Columbia is still wild at its heart. Okanagan Valley is high desert and can (www.kettlevalleyrailway.ca) by Dan and Grizzly bears, black bears, mountain get quite hot so plan accordingly. Sandra Langford. This must-have com- lions, wolves, and rattlesnakes call the The trail never exceeds a 2.2 percent panion to the route will point out interest- area home. Make sure to have plenty of grade. Surfaces range from smooth to ing tidbits and history and will guide you food and water because places to stock fairly washboarded with large ballast grav- past all the detours and keep you head- up can be miles away. el. The multiple-use trail is open to hikers, ing in the right direction. The crushed gravel ballast beneath our still wild country. Even though our route its 18 trestles and two tunnels situated on two-inch mountain-bike tires was com- paralleled Highway 33 and civilization was Okanagan Mountain high above Kelowna, pressed from decades of thundering steam hardly ever more than a few pedal strokes the largest city in the region. That we were locomotive trains. They had once hauled away, we kept alert for dangers lurking even able to ride this section of the KVR many tons of silver, copper, lead, coal, ahead of us. We reached Beaverdell, which was amazing because the canyon had suf- and lumber out of the Kootenays heading would have been the last opportunity along fered an immense wildfire in 2003 from a toward markets and shipping docks in the KVR to stock up on provisions had we lightning strike that completely burned Vancouver during the KVR’s heyday from been touring the trail as a point to point. or disabled about a dozen of the trestles. 1915 to the 1970s. Mountain bikes have Because we were riding out and back each At the kiosk near our starting point at the replaced lumbering locomotives on this day, we settled for a quick bite at a gen- old Ruth Station, we had astonished looks line; the last train to rumble through this eral store that featured such exotic fare as on our faces as we gazed at pictures of the secluded valley was in 1973. breakfast pizza heaped with eggs, cheese, trestles completely engulfed by flames. The As we rode toward Beaverdell, Mike and Canadian bacon. We had intended quick rebuild is a testament to the non- spotted a large wolf straddling the trail to visit the historic Beaverdell Hotel, the profit Myra Canyon Trestle Restoration ahead of us. He seemed as surprised by our oldest hotel in British Columbia, for a cold Society, which boasts approximately 150 presence as we were by his. There are just beverage but, alas, it was closed due to the volunteer members. Beginning in 1993, enough wolves, mountain lions, bears, and bad economy. their hard work had resulted in the trestles rattlesnakes here to remind us that this is Day two led us to Myra Canyon and and tunnels being safe to travel upon. Then, 20 adventure cyclist September-November 2009 adventurecycling.org adventure cyclist September-November 2009 adventurecycling.org 21 smoother surface than other sections of the trail, and we even spotted several riders on road bikes here. We stopped several times and savored the outstanding views of other trestles and the vista all the way down to Kelowna and Okanagan Lake, which shim- mered in the distance as we made our way back from the turnaround at the old Myra Station. Mike and I agreed that riding here in Myra Canyon should be near the top of any cyclist’s wish list. The third and final day of our short excursion into British Columbia came much too quickly as we drove south along Okanagan Lake toward the town of Penticton. Along the east side of the lake above Naramata Road we found the trailhead among numerous vineyards and fruit orchards. The Okanagan Valley has outstanding growing conditions for grape vineyards and fruit trees, which were laden with apples, peaches, apricots, and cher- ries. Its semi-arid climate and a large tem- Cyclist’s Rest Stop. In Rhone, KVR riders can visit Paul Lautard’s replica caboose. perate lake produces bountiful crops and fine wines. From the trailhead, the railway after the fire of 2003, everything had to be tion of the trail; evidenced by us having to climbs a steady and pleasant two-percent rebuilt. To the organization’s credit, they weave in and out of groups of other cyclists climb as the old rail bed snakes its way up completed the restoration by the summer and people out for a walk enjoying a sunny the Monashee Mountains. of 2008, and the trail is now better than Sunday afternoon with the family. The trail We paused right before entering the ever. This is by far the most popular sec- in Myra Canyon is level and has a much 48-foot–long “Little Tunnel” and took in 22 adventure cyclist September-November 2009 adventurecycling.org adventure cyclist September-November 2009 adventurecycling.org 23 Leading light of the KVR 86-year-old Paul Lautard has become a binoculars, his eyesight and hearing are in a few of his stories. For example, Paul legend and an icon of KVR lore through both in decline due to age.