The Kettle Valley Rail Trail is a long-distance bike path that follows the now abandoned Kettle Valley Railway from Castlegar to Hope, British Columbia. In July 2019, Tiffany and I cycled a 200 kilometer section from Rock Creek to Kaleden.

We have a habit of going overboard when we try things for the first time. So, for our first bikepacking trip, we crushed this 6 day 5 night trip. It was a blast.

Day 1: 7 kilometers from Rock Creek to Kettle River Recreation Area

The campground was full, but outside of the campground is public land, which in most cases means you can camp there for free. We continued another couple hundred meters found a gorgeous and private campsite by the river. It was surrounded by the remnants of forest fires from years past, and fields of hopeful fireweed.

This was our first time random camping like this, and it took a couple hours to shake the feeling that we were doing something wrong. A colorful sunset overtook those feelings pretty quickly. We had a great sleep and woke up ready for a big ride.

Day 2: 58 kilometers from Kettle River Recreation Area to Dale Creek Road

This was our longest day of cycling on the trip. It began with a 44 kilometer push to Beaverdell. Beaverdell is a town in British Columbia that looks like it’s on a 5 year plan to achieving ghost town status.

We were grateful to find a pizza place, just before it started to rain. There is a campground in Beaverdell, but we pushed on past Carmi to another random campsite on public land, where the trail crosses Dale Creek Road. It was a perfect spot, and cemented our ease with the idea of random camping.

Day 3: 41.5 kilometers from Dale Creek Road to Hydraulic Lake

This was our most remote day on the trail. We only saw a few people all day, as well as a strikingly majestical skunk. Arlington Lakes made a good lunch stop, and the rain started as soon as we got back on our bikes. The sun kindly came out to warm us up as we approached Hydraulic Lake.

At this point, we were loving the random camping. Tiffany had developed a knack for finding perfect sites. Eagles soared above Hydraulic Lake when we arrived. The call of the common loons inspired a few off-key renditions of Wheat Kings by The Tragically Hip. We slept hard.

Day 4: 49.7 kilometers from Hydraulic Lake to Chute Lake

After a remote start, we reached the Myra Canyon trailhead. This section is a popular day trip from Kelowna, and we were delighted to find a snack shack in the parking lot. After fueling up, we hit the trestles. Eighteen trestles and 2 tunnels draw crowds of daytrippers, but most of them stick within a few kilometers of the big parking lots.

After passing the trestles, the route takes a gentle coast to Chute Lake. Along the way, the scenery really starts to open up. There are nice random campsites in the area, but we chose to stay at the campground to shower and charge our batteries.

Day 5: 40.7 kilometers from Chute Lake to Kaleden

The descent from Chute Lake is sandy. Like, watch your speed or you might go flying kind of sandy (I may or may not have taken flight). This was the only point on the Kettle Valley Rail Trail where I thought my Norco Threshold cyclocross bike might not have been quite up to the task.

After the sand, the route goes through a nifty tunnel and alongside the mammoth Adra Tunnel before cruising down towards Naramata and its glorious array of wineries. After 5 days of eating the same food, we boldly pulled over at Hillside Winery to have our stinky dirty bodies seated for a tasting menu. It was heaven.

From there, we survived a wild lightning storm in Penticton, cruised along the west shore of Skaha Lake, and climbed up to Camp-Along Resort. It was pouring, and I think the campground manager was surprised to see us pull up on our bikes. We got a site with a killer view, and the rain stopped early enough for us to dry out our clothes before tucking in for the night.

Day 6: 13 kilometers from Kaleden to Twin Lakes

On our last day, we strayed from the Kettle Valley Rail Trail to meet our friends at an AirBnB for a few days of leisurely wine touring. This was a relatively short ride, but after 5 days on the trail, riding on the highway was brutal. The sun was hot and the elevation was punishing after spending so much time on the gentle inclines of a rail trail. And then, we reached the top and it was over.

No matter how long we are out, I always seem to want it to last a few more days. I suppose that lingering curiosity is what motivates the next adventure. Since this trip, Tiffany and I have been talking about longer bikepacking trips. It’s the perfect speed to travel. Slow enough to feel immersed in the environment, but fast enough to cover ground and experience a wide variety of terrain in a short period of time. I can’t wait for the next one.

To see a video about this trip, visit my YouTube channel.

To find more adventures in British Columbia, Canada, click here.