Author Topic: Kettle Valley Railway  (Read 10469 times)

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Offline DougCovey

Kettle Valley Railway
« on: March 05, 2010, 09:25:44 am »
We are planning a short tour this summer starting in Kettle Valley, British Columbia riding a section of the KVR starting in Kettle Valley up to Beaverdell and jumping off at Penticton.  We will return by Highway 97 to Osoyoos then Highway 3 back to Kettle Valley.  My question....what is the section of the KVR like between Kettle Valley and Penticton?  We plan to take touring bikes loaded and would like to know what type of surface we will encounter (single track, crushed large gravel, crushed smooth gravel, packed dirt, paved?).  We have experience riding loaded touring bikes on such routes as the Hiawatha Trail and large stretches of rough dirt roads.  Any help would be appreciated.
 

indyfabz

  • Guest
Re: Kettle Valley Railway
« Reply #1 on: March 05, 2010, 10:14:10 am »
If I am not mistaken, an sotry written by a duo who cycled come of it appeared in "Adventure Cyclist" magazine within the last year.  Maybe you can contact AC and get a copy.

And have you seen this:

http://kettlevalleyrailway.ca/

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any word on surface conditions.  But there is a link to a published book about the trail system.  Being a former railroad right of way, I doubt you will encounter singletrack.  Typically, a railroad ROW would be at least 15 ft. wide.  Usually wider.

From one commerical outfit that runs tours on the trail:

"Cycling on some paved roads and the unpaved Kettle Valley Railway trails, whose surface varies from smooth hardpack to loose gravel."

I would suspect that, like many trails, codntions will depend on weather.

Offline bikerbob

Re: Kettle Valley Railway
« Reply #2 on: March 05, 2010, 11:01:39 am »
There is a new website, that tells a little bit about the trail especially the surface.  Try "www.bicycletouringoncarfreepaths.org"
I rode it from McCulloch Station down to Chute Lake and the website posting is right on
Enjoy the ride

Offline JHamelman

Re: Kettle Valley Railway
« Reply #3 on: March 05, 2010, 11:23:48 am »
Quote
If I am not mistaken, an sotry written by a duo who cycled come of it appeared in "Adventure Cyclist" magazine within the last year.

This is true. There is an article by Chuck Haney in the September/November 2009 Adventure Cyclist. Unfortunately, it is not showing up in our article archive at the moment. I'm tracking it down.

.Jennifer.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Jennifer Hamelman

Adventure Cycling Association
Inspiring and empowering people to travel by bicycle.
800/755-2453, 406/721-1776 x205
www.adventurecycling.org

Follow Routes & Mapping on Twitter: @acaroutes

Offline JHamelman

Re: Kettle Valley Railway
« Reply #4 on: March 05, 2010, 11:37:48 am »
Quote
If I am not mistaken, an sotry written by a duo who cycled come of it appeared in "Adventure Cyclist" magazine within the last year.

This is true. There is an article by Chuck Haney in the September/November 2009 Adventure Cyclist. Unfortunately, it is not showing up in our article archive at the moment. I'm tracking it down.

Found it. Features from the September/November issue are available on the main Adventure Cyclist page. It is the second article listed, BC Ballast.

http://www.adventurecycling.org/features/index.cfm

I hope it helps.

.Jennifer.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Jennifer Hamelman

Adventure Cycling Association
Inspiring and empowering people to travel by bicycle.
800/755-2453, 406/721-1776 x205
www.adventurecycling.org

Follow Routes & Mapping on Twitter: @acaroutes

Offline geegee

Re: Kettle Valley Railway
« Reply #5 on: March 06, 2010, 11:14:39 pm »
Last year, I rode the entire length of the KVR (and the C&W) from Castlegar to past Brookmere. The conditions of the trail vary from great to terrible. The best part is the short section in Myra canyon which is hard packed, and the rest has a lot of loose gravel and some soft sandy stretches. I strongly suggest that you get the widest, fattest tires that your bike can take. I did this trip in a loaded Trek 520 as a tail end of a longer trip that began in Edmonton and ended in Vancouver. I switched to cross tires for this section and I got a lot of pinch flats -- practically one a day. If I were to do this trip again I would take a 29er front suspension mountain bike. I was spinning my wheels and skidding a lot in the sandy parts, and there are plenty of rocks ("baby heads" in MTB-speak) that made other parts quite jarring.

I stayed at the Tamarack Lodge in Beaverdell which caters well to cyclists. The facilities are a little shabby but their meal portions are generous and they'll even pack you a lunch for the next day. I did the gruelling stretch from Beaverdell to Chute Lake in day, but there is another lodge in between if you choose to go slower, giving you time to really linger at the spectacular Myra Canyon. The restaurant in the Chute Lake camp closes early, so if you want a hot meal at the end you need to time it well.

On the descent into Penticton, I opted for a bit of paved road because I wanted to stop at a winery for lunch, which was a nice treat.

Offline jeff51

Re: Kettle Valley Railway
« Reply #6 on: March 08, 2010, 09:00:02 pm »
Hi Geeg, i hope we can talk, because other touring cyclists and i have been working on a non-commercial website, http://bicycletouringoncarfreepaths.org/

and while we cover the kvt, we really need a lot more detail information and pictures to make the page more useful. 

we haven't ridden it ourselves or met anyone else who has either.  so i'm hoping we can connect.  i sent you a pm -- my email is
bicycletouringoncarfreepaths@gmail.com

thanks a lot, jeff baron