430 KM of Trails Await
Ride In The Central Okanagan
Date: 2009-02-27
The Central Okanagan is setting its sights on becoming the next big destination for mountain biking in North America.
The City of Kelowna, in cooperation with the Central Okanagan Regional District has adopted a mountain bike strategy that was a year in preparing. Within that document a trail inventory found “over 430km of mountain bike trails with a big cross section of riding to choose from – smooth single track, insane freeride and everything in between” according to the strategy’s lead author, Dan McDonald of Cascade Environmental Resource Group.
The great riding is in no small part due to dedicated volunteers who have worked tirelessly to build and maintain the trails. Existing trails documented through the inventory are innovative and diverse with an abundance of both flowing cross country single track and technical downhill features including wall rides, jumps and berms.
The Central Okanagan is also home to an already popular destination cycling amenity in the form of the Kettle Valley Railway. This historic rail route winds through the mountains, ravines and ridges above Okanagan Lake, with beautifully restored trestles and tunnels for the enjoyment of cyclists, pedestrians and equestrians. This historic trail links several communities of the Okanagan as well as providing direct access to the cross country riding trails of Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park and the freeride trails of Gillard.
Kelowna City is kicking off work from the strategy with the construction of Kelowna’s first mountain bike skills park. This project is generating interest and support from the local riders who want to contribute to this much anticipated addition to the Kelowna riding scene.
“The new mountain bike skills park will provide riders of all ages and abilities with hours of fun and excitement” says Barb Davidson, Park and Landscape Planner with the City of Kelowna. “We have been working closely with the mountain biking community over the past year and this type of facility was definitely a priority.”
The park will be designed by a mountain bike park expert in collaboration with local riders. The CA$243,000 project includes construction of the skills park and amenity improvements. Construction is anticipated to be completed in the fall.
Other priorities from the strategy include exploring opportunities to build additional mountain bike skills parks; build new trails at Knox Mountain Park; work with the development community to try and protect existing trails; and gain Epic Trail status from the International Mountain Bike Association for trails in the Okanagan Mountain Park and Gillard areas.
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