The Trans Canada Trail in the Summerland area lies almost entirely on the Kettle Valley Railway lies almost entirely on the Kettle Valley Railway; there is a short stretch along public roads between the Fenwick trailhead (west) and the Trout Creek Trestle (west) but signs are provided. The trail conditions are often better in the Summerland vicinity than other areas of the KVR due to less concentrated motorized traffic that can be found elsewhere – for example in the Princeton area.

Important: You will almost certainly encounter motorized vehicles along the route, particularly ATVs and dirt bikes, which could be traveling at high speeds. Over the years, unregulated motorized use has degraded the trail surface along the Kettle Valley Railway, making many areas quite challenging for hikers and cyclists. The trail can be particularly bad in the Demuth-Kirton area (14-20 km west of Faulder) as trail maintenance has not yet taken place and motorized use has taken its toll; users should come prepared for sandy conditions. Please see our equipment recommendations on the Okanagan main page or even more detail on our “Equipment Tips” page of our Travel Tips.

When approaching Summerland from the west, the KVR is still an active railway – watching the steam locomotive chug along the tracks is a popular attraction in the region – so the trail leaves the railway, following an excellent gravel path. This combination is called “Rail with Trail” or RWT for short.

The trail ends within Summerland but the route is quite easy to follow, traveling through vineyards and orchards. Be sure to drop in to the local farms for some delicious, fresh fruit – a specialty of the Okanagan!

The trail from Trout Creek south to Penticton has been rerouted to utilize public roadways instead of the KVR. The KVR land is transferred to the Penticton Indian Band and is not open to the public.