Okanagan Rail Trail

Best to park at one of the many local parks in Kelowna and count down the kilometers as you hike north. You'll need to cross many roads and streets so watch the little ones. At 14.5 km, you'll come to Old Vernon Rd. The trail is not yet maintained from Old Vernon Rd north to McCarthy Rd. You may want to press on if you are a hearty, avid hiker but most choose to drive Hwy 97 to Beaver Lake Rd to resume the adventure from McCarty Rd. If you do skip this rougher section you'll miss out on the Ellison Lake shoreline and all the related birding. Either way, keep hiking north to enjoy the east shoreline of Wood Lake. Cross over to the west side of the valley at Oyama for continued adventure on the west shoreline of Kalamalka Lake. End your trip in Middleton Mountain. Try out the Crystal Waters Trail above the Okanagan Rail Trail for a forest adventure with great views! A bit of CN railroad history: The CN Rail line was constructed in 1925. Kelowna Pacific Railway served the local communities of Campbell Creek, Kamloops, Vernon, Coldstream, Lake Country, Okanagan Indian Band and Kelowna bringing produce and lumber from the Okanagan Valley to markets across the country. Rising costs and low revenues brought the Kelowna Pacific Railway to a costing stop in July 2013. Later that fall CN Rail began the process of discontinuing the rail line running from Lumby Junction in Coldstream to Kelowna.