Chute Lake to Penticton

Day 4 - June 12, 2008

Weather: Clear and warm

Trail description: At the southern end of Chute Lake the KVR and Chute Lake Road separate but stay close to each other as they follow the Chute Creek drainage into the Okanagan Valley. After a few kilometers the road begins a steeper path downhill while the KVR veers away following the contours of the valley wall, back and forth in gently descending switchbacks. Yet even though the KVR never exceeds a grade of 2.2% if felt like we were rocketing downhill and the giddy speed made for a bumpy ride, especially for the narrow-tired cyclo-cross bikes. About twelve kilometers from Chute Lake Resort at the turning point of the upper switchback is the Adra Tunnel, its entrances blocked off because of unsafe conditions inside. Just before the tunnel is a short, steep bypass trail that cuts off the tip of the switchback. It's rough from erosion but rideable (at least in the downhill direction). The view along the middle switchback is tantalizing, partially hidden by pine forest but with a couple of openings that give unobstructed views across Okanagan Lake. On the lower switchback as we neared the Little Tunnel (more of a hole through a large knob of rock) the pine forest thins out and the panoramic views become continuous. The KVR passes above Naramata and enters the benchlands: wineries, vineyards and a few housing developments. The trail surface seems to get smoother and sandier the farther you travel down the Naramata bench, crossing the main Penticton-Naramata Road and out along the clifftops above the lake. The un-paved trail ends at the first urban neighbourhood of Penticton, forking right and left between houses and onto city streets. The right (western) fork enters Vancouver Place, a cul-de-sac off of Vancouver Avenue. Across Vancouver Avenue the KVR begins again, this time as a paved trail. The trail runs through Penticton crossing many streets, and the resumption of the trail on the further side of a road isn't always obvious, but it's always there, sometimes just offset a short distance to the right or left. But west of Main Street we did get a bit lost and simply made our way over to Fairview Road, following it south to Hastings Avenue. The Penticton Station on Hastings Avenue is actually a newer structure, built in 1941 in a funky Alpine Tudor style, and is part of a commercial complex called Kinsmen CPR Station. There is little evidence of the trail here, or its continuation west and the area is a sad mixture of old-industrial converted to townhouses, but for us it marked the end of our 215 kilometer ride. A few years later when we cycled the Penticton to Merritt portion of the KVR, we ignored this area and simply began our ride on the west side of the river channel.

Special concerns: None.

Wildlife: None.

Distance and elevation: Distance cycled was about 44 kilometers from Chute Lake Resort to the parking lot at Penticton Station. Elevation at the station is 339 m.a.s.l., almost 900 vertical meters lower than Chute lake Resort. Elapsed road time was about 5 and a half hours.

Average speed and time on the trail: We left Chute Lake Resort at 9:00 AM and reached Penticton Station at 2:30 PM. Our average speed including a lengthy lunch break at the Hillside Winery was 8 kilometers per hour.

GPS tracking: We used a Garmin Forerunner 305 to record our distance and elevation changes.

Don't panic! The scale of the graph exaggerates the steepness of the KVR's grade

The start of our final day, and what glorious weather we (finally) have as we prepare our bikes for the descent into the Okanagan Valley

Chute Lake at its placid best

Everywhere you look is like a postcard

Yesterday's blustery weather has completely vanished

Once we leave Chute Lake the grade gets steeper. It's only 2.2% but it's enough to feel like we are racing downhill. A few forced stops to regroup allow me time to snap a picture of these lovely wildflowers

As we emerge from the Chute Creek watershed onto the Adra switchbacks, the view opens up to the west

The first in a series of rock ovens (also called beehive ovens) built by Scandinavian railroad workers who just had to have their daily ration of Rye bread

We take a lot of breaks along here, to soak in the view and finish off the last of Ann and Charlie's wine gums

This steep trail cuts off the tip of the first switchback to by-pass the unstable Adra Tunnel

The bottom of the Adra Tunnel by-pass rejoins the KVR on the middle switchback. In the 12 kilometers since leaving Chute Lake Lodge we've lost about 288 meters of elevation

Wow! This view and the warm, pine-scented air makes up for a lot of mosquito bites, puddles and mud

Summerland across the lake

The Little Tunnel lives up to its name. Elevation: 672 m.a.s.l.

The girls are all smiles as we reach the vineyards and wineries on the benchlands around Naramata

Penticton in the distance. Almost there

The white-roofed building on the left is our soon-to-be lunch stop: the Hillside Winery

The Hillside Winery is conveniently sited right below the KVR, with a sign to remind cyclists zooming downhill, to stop and sample their wares

Cheers! Lunch at the Hillside Winery

A look back north shows us the hills that we've just descended from, and more of the beautiful vineyards along Okanagan Lake

We cross Vancouver Avenue (in Penticton) and the KVR turns into a paved trail. Elevation: 375 m.a.s.l.

Arriving at Penticton Station (215 kilometers from Midway, elevation 339 m.a.s.l.) is slightly anticlimactic, as it's now a commercial complex surrounded by townhouses. For our final photo we use their parking lot with an inconveniently placed dumpster that we tried to hide behind our bikes. But no matter: we are done!

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