Day 6: Beaverdell – Myra Canyon
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Total Distance Travelled: 85KM
Total Distance Travelled Entire Trip: 337KM
Total Time: 8:30
Moving Time: 5:59
Unfortunately the good weather of the past few days changed overnight, and it was just starting to drizzle when I got up at 7:30AM. Unfortunately Beaverdell being a small place meant that nothing was open that served breakfast. I had to wait until the Beaverdell General Store opened up at 9 to get a coffee.
The Swiss couple I had been riding off and on with the past few days decided to take a rest day today because they don’t ride in the rain. I had my schedule all planned out in advance though, so I couldn’t easily take a rest day and skip the rain. I have a wine tour booked all day tomorrow that I don’t want to miss, plus the fact that Beaverdell doesn’t really have much to do and doesn’t have reliable internet access meant that moving on seemed like the best option. The weather forecasts varied between Environment Canada and the Weather Network, but they generally seemed to agree that the showers would go away in the afternoon.
Luckily it wasn’t raining hard, it was more of a mist/drizzle than real rain so it wouldn’t be too bad riding in it. It was a bit on the cool side so I put on a shirt over my jersey, then put on my rain jacket. My saddle bags had their own rain covers which kept everything in them dry.
Luckily the trail between Beaverdell and Myra was generally in excellent condition, other than some small rough sections. The first stop was at Carmi, the town that the KVR subdivision I’m on was named after. Someone put up a unique display:
Stuffed Animals!
If you look at the Garmin log, you can see the route veers way off to the left on the map. To keep the grade manageable, the KVR followed Wilkinson Creek up the valley before coming around the other side and joining the main valley again.
Wilkinson Creek
Crossing the creek at the apex of the curve
After crossing the creek, the trail climbed onto the valley wall giving some great views.
Valley View
Next on the trail I discovered the remains of the Lois KVR sectionmen shed.
Lois KVR station
By this time the drizzle was nearly stopped, and the sky was getting brighter. The KVR uses a different valley than the highway in this region, and there were more good views of a different valley the trail was now following:
Valley View
As I crept closer to Myra Canyon, I came upon Summit Lake:
Summit Lake
Hydraulic Lake
There isn’t really any indiction you are approaching Myra Canyon until you are practically on the first trestle. As you go by the lakes you are mainly in a tree tunnel, you can’t see down to Kelowna or have much of a point of reference to where you are. As you approach the outskirts, the view finally opens up.
First view of Kelowna
Shortly after, the first official sign for the park appears.
Myra Canyon Park
The sky was finally clearing up as I entered the park, and it was actually sunny for the first time that day.
First Trestle
About to ride over the first trestles
A little further down the trail, I officially reached the highest point on the KVR:
4,178 feet above sea level
View of the canyon
The climb up from Beaverdell was at a 1% grade, so I barely noticed the climb up from 700M to 1200M. Overall Myra Canyon is a magnificent site, and I’m glad it was restored after most of the trestles burnt down from forest fires. It is by far the most scenic stretch of the KVR so far, and probably the most impressive railway I’ve seen.
My bed and breakfast was about 4KM off the trail on the west side of the trestles, although the road down there dropped at about a 12% grade. Because the road was a bit rough, I ended up riding my breaks down parts of the road. I touched my disc brakes to see how warm they were, and they were burning hot. I escaped without a burn, but it’s probably best not to touch them after such a steep descent. When V-Brakes get that hot, they risk melting the inner tube and popping it, which is why I’m glad I had disc brakes.
The B&B had a dinner of salmon ready almost right at the time I arrived, so the day ended well.