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It’s been in the works for a number of years, a hiking and cycling trail that spans the length of the Okanagan Valley and across the US border.
The vision is straightforward, a single 370 km trail starting up in Sicamous, BC and travelling down the valley into Brewster, Washington.
Trail of the Okanagans plans to trace traditional trading routes of the Okanagan First Nations that will skirt along lake edges, wander through forests and hillsides, borders vineyards and fruit orchards.
With over 100 existing paths already in the area, the goal is to connect and merge them into one large spine.
At this time members are specifically focused on bridging the 125 km section between Bennett Bridge in Kelowna down to Osoyoos.
“About 75% of the section between West Kelowna and Osoyoos is currently connected, and about 25% of that is to what we call an ‘all ages and abilities standard’. We’d like to see all 125 km to that standard,” explains Janice Liebe, President of the Trail of the Okanagans.
“There are a number of gaps. Pieces in the Vaseux Lake area, pieces around Penticton, but our strategy is to sort of work from the south; from Osoyoos up to Gallagher Lake and from West Kelowna connecting to Peachland.”
Recently the Trail of the Okanagans has made major progress with help from the Gellatly Bay Trails and Parks Society.
For over 20 years the society has been working to connect the section at Pebble Beach in West Kelowna to Seclusion Bay Rd. close to Goat Peaks Park.
Private land had hindered the process, but last winter the Regional District of the Central Okanagan purchased the property and construction has begun to bridge the two areas.
While this helps connect a small gap in the trail, much more work is needed to complete the process.
“This 125km goes through three first nations, seven municipalities, two regional districts and a few pieces of private land,” said Liebe.
“Trying to hold hands across all these borders so to speak is interesting, and as an advocacy group we work with all of those people explaining the benefits of what this trail will bring to the South Okanagan.”
To put it into perspective, an economic development study on the Okanagan Rail Trail had predicted 500,000 annual users after five years but met its projection of half a million users in its first year.
Liebe explained that not only will Trail of the Okanagans get people exploring the beautiful region, but it will also double as a major draw in the tourism sector.
“Frankly, one of the reasons why we want this trail to be so long is because International Cycle tourists need trails that are about 250 km long in order to entice them to come here.”
“Most people don’t know that the Okanagan is ranked low in the diversity of tourism amenities. I mean we’ve got great sun, we’ve got great beaches and wineries but we could do better by having more things, and what better than to have a cycle path that will connect all of those things that we already have.”
Trail of the Okanagans has already applied for a federal grant that will help connect Peachland and West Kelowna by trail, and if approved they hope to begin construction by next summer.
Although a demanding task, Trail of the Okanagans is slowly making progress in bringing this monumental trail to fruition.
To learn more about the Trail of the Okanagans Society, or to become a member and advocate for this trail you can check out the website here.
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