Biking on trestles & tunnels of the Kettle Valley Trail

Monashee Tours offers some cool excursions, such as the guided cycling tour I was about to do, but I'd like to also check out the the company’s other excursions, like the more urban West Kelowna Pinot Noir Cycling Tour and the historic Columbia and Western Rail Trail Tour.

I would soon learn that this part of the Okanagan is steeped in silver and copper mining and rail history. We were going to be gliding along old rail trestles and through tunnels surrounded by this splendid steep-sided canyon.

This trail was made possible by hard-working volunteers who are as passionate as Ed, wanting to keep this area open to the public to enjoy. During the 2003 fires in Kelowna, 12 of the trestles were damaged, but the volunteers banded together to rebuild. Talk about passion and dedication.

It was pure joy cycling over these old trestles while Ed  told us stories about the history of the area. The Kettle Valley Railway was built for the Canadian Pacific Railway between 1910 and 1914 and the steam trains of the time were a vital connection from the Coast to the Kootenays, transporting people and goods. The last trains passed through in the early ‘80s.

What’s hard to picture are the feats of engineering that went into blasting this pass through the canyon. But I could imagine a romantic image of the old days, trains snaking through this canyon, puffs of steam trailing behind.

Pretty much anyone could handle this cycling excursion. I saw young and old riding along. You can bring your own bike or rent one from Monashee Adventure Tours, and head out on your own.

Passing through the tunnels is quite a trip, going into the sudden, cool darkness, and then shooting back out into the sunshine. Making it even more memorable was Ed’s ability summon the “ghost trains.”