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MYRA CANYON AND THE KVR
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[285 Kb]
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The Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) was completed in
1916 by the Canadian Pacific Railway in order to
capture the mineral
and agricultural wealth of southern British Columbia.
Andrew McCulloch engineered this route from its eastern
terminus at Midway, BC, to its western terminus at Hope, BC.
Fierce competition for access to the area came from
south of the border by the Canadian James J. Hill and his
Great Northern Railway, whose
access was made simpler owing to the many north-south
running valleys in southern British Columbia.
The KVR finally came out on top in
the battle after the passing of James Hill in 1916.
The KVR line proved however to be a very costly rail line
to maintain. The Coquihalla Subdivision at the KVR's western
end was especially difficult do to the heavy snowfall and
consequent avalanches in this region. The Coquihalla
Subdivision was abandoned in 1961, and other subdivisions
followed suit in subsequent years.
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The last portion of the KVR line was finally abandoned
in 1989. Most of the line, however, has since been reincarnated
as part of the Trans Canada Trail system. Some of the
most spectacular sections of the old KVR line run through
Myra Canyon, in the Okanagan Mountain area about ten kilometers
southeast of and nearly 1000 meters above the city of Kelowna .
Over a stretch of just nine kilometers the KVR line passes over
18 trestles, most of the original wood contruction,
and through two tunnels. There are also fine views down to
Kelowna and the Okanagan Valley below.
In August 1997 we accessed the KVR trail via the Little
White forest service road and cycled as far as Hydraulic Lake
and back, 50 kilometers return.
Sadly, most of the wooden trestles were destroyed during
the devestating fires of August and September 2003.
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[207 Kb]
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[198 Kb]
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Other stuff:
Panoramic pictures
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