Casa Loma Lakeshore Resort

South east of Kelowna.

by dabidc

The Kettle Valley Steam Railway was constructed in three stages in the early 20 th century.

The section from Midway in the Kettle Valley (south east of Kelowna by maybe 100kms) to Penticton was completed in 1914.

The section between Penticton and Princeton was completed in 1915. The final link from Princeton to Hope was finished in 1916.

The complete line was not a direct route by any means, it was single track and meandered along the sides of the hills and mountains, crossing rivers and creeks on wooden trestle bridges.

The line served as a freight line for minerals and enabled the movement of heavy materials in the days before the highway 3 was a viable alternate along the southern part of the Province of British Columbia.

In 1940 the Canadian Pacific Railway took over the operation of the line. A branch line was added from Penticton to Osoyoos in 1944.

The Penticton to Midway link ceased operation in 1972.The rail lines were removed in the late 1970's. Since then the right of way has become a pathway for hikers/cyclists.

Parts of it are included in the Trans Canada Trail.

Access to the trail near Kelowna is from the south east part of the city using KLO road and Mc Cullogh Rd, however the last stretch of road to the Myra Canyon area is by 8.5 kms of gravel road and to the Ruth section is also by gravel road but only 4.5 kms long.

The above information on the Kettle Valley Steam Railway and the map are thanks to the Kettle Valley Model Railway Club, who have an excellent model rail layout in the hold of the S.S. Sicamous, a ship berthed on the beach at Penticton. See my Penticton page, under construction soon.

The big forest fire of 2003 did much damage to the trees and the trestle bridges, thus at least temporarily, stopping some of the hikes. I am sure every effort is being made to reconstruct the path to its former glory.

My wife and I plan to visit Kelowna this May and the following is an update on the state of the pathway system. .

Paradise Found

by bwgreg

"I love living here"

Kelowna is situated in the heart of the Okanagan Valley on Okanagan Lake. Okanagan Lake is about 90 kilometers long and averages 2 K wide. Wine grapes and a wide variety of pome and soft fruits grow here. Kelowna has about 110,000 pop. and sits on an fulivial plane. Wineries and golf courses abound. There are lots of hikes in the surrounding mountains and mountain bike trails, and freeride trails, cross country and alpine slopes as well for the skiers. Provincial Parks in the area for camping include Bear Creek and Fintry and Okanagan Lake Parks. It is rather laid back. Summer temperatures can reach 35 degrees celcius. Kelowna boasts some of the best beaches in the valley. The slogan of the local tourist office use to be "Four Season Playground" but the current slogan is "Ripe with Surprises". You tell me which you like best. I prefer the former after sampling too many French cheeses previously while living there.