Myra Canyon Trestles

The Kettle Valley Railway needed to get around Myra Canyon above Kelowna, and McCulloch's answer was to contour the wall on eighteen trestles and through two tunnels over about twelve kilometres, at a grade gentle enough for trains, which makes it flat and easy for cyclists now. In August 2003 the Okanagan Mountain Park fire burned through and destroyed twelve of the eighteen trestles; a rebuild funded federally and provincially restored them by 2008, using steel with timber cladding to match. Burned snags still stand along the route. The grade looks out over Kelowna and Okanagan Lake.

What you actually see

• The eighteen trestles - a contoured rail grade on timber and steel spans.
• The two tunnels - rock bores on the same alignment.
• The 2003 fire scars - standing snags and rebuilt structures side by side.
• The Okanagan view - the lake and city far below the canyon rim.

When to go

June to October; snow closes the access road and the grade in winter, when it becomes a snowshoe route. Autumn colour in the canyon is good. Bike hire operates from the trailheads.

Honest expectations

The access road is steep gravel, rough in places and hard on low cars. There is no water or food at the trailheads. The grade is exposed with long drops beside the deck.

Nearby

Kelowna lies west; the Okanagan wineries are along the lake.