Donate Now Our Trail

When local governments, with financial support from the Province of British Columbia, stepped forward to purchase the discontinued CN rail corridor, they provided an unparalleled opportunity to create a legacy for our communities. Beginning in 2016, a two year community fundraising campaign and several grants raised the $7.8 million to develop the trail.

A Pathway of Connections

Connecting Communities

Building this trail is providing much more than a pathway. It is creating connections that will benefit our communities today, and into our future.

Connecting with Culture and Recreation

Within 500 of metres of the trail there are 22 parks and 21 recreational and cultural points of interest allowing local and visiting walkers and bikers to experience our great amenities.

Connecting Families

The near level trail surface supports use and enjoyment by all ages and abilities, and intergenerational activities. Children, parents and grandparents can all enjoy the safety of walking and biking together away from congested roads and traffic.

Connecting with Nature

Every trip along the rail trail offers an opportunity to learn about and enjoy the rich natural ecosystems of the lakes and creeks along the trail. Over 24 km of the trail follows lakeshore, creeks and unique natural environments.

Connecting with Health and Wellness

The Rail Trail provides an attractive, easy way to get out to walk, bike or run allowing residents to incorporate exercise into their daily routines, and supporting a healthy, active lifestyle. It provides an alternative multimodal transport system enabling us to reduce automobile dependency and vehicle emissions.

Connecting with our Economy

The Rail Trail is becoming a signature amenity that will help define this tourism destination. This iconic trail will attract additional active international travellers, especially in shoulder seasons. Economists project that an additional 107,400 visitors will be attracted to the Okanagan each year specifically to use the trail. This represents an additional $6.7 to $8.7 million to the local economy, and about 66 new jobs in related businesses. (1)

Connecting with the Syilx Cultural Heritage

The Rail Trail offers the opportunity to learn about the Syilx (Okanagan) people and their traditional territory.

Connecting with our Future

Future generations will be grateful that we acted today to protect this corridor and provide a trail that connected us in so many ways.

Trail Facts

Click here to VIEW the interactive GIS Map of the Okanagan Rail Trail

  • $22 million – purchase price of discontinued rail corridor.
  • $50 million – asking price.
  • $7.8 million - cost to construct the first phase of the trail.
  • 48.5 km – length of trail when completed (17.8 km in Kelowna, 2.3 km in Okanagan Indian Band, 16.3 km in Lake Country, 12.1 km in Regional District of North Okanagan).
  • 24 kms - total distance of lakefront, creeks and truly unique natural habitats along the trail.
  • 1.3 % - maximum grade of the trail.
  • 212,000 – combined estimated population of communities along the trail.
  • 588,000 – estimated # of annual uses by year 5.
  • 43 – number of cultural and recreational points of interest within 500 metres of the trail.
  • 1 – number of international airports along the trail.

1. Information taken from 'Okanagan Rail Trail Impact Assessment Report', this report is available at https://okanaganrailtrail.ca/g...