Biking bliss in Kelowna

Bike to work week is just around the corner (May 26 through June1), so I thought it would be a good time to talk about cycling in this beautiful city. Kelowna is seriously bike-friendly. There are over 240 km of bike lanes all around Kelowna, and the trails and surrounding mountains are full of adventure. Here are just a few ideas.

Photo: Contributed - (Photo: Courtesy of Tourism Kelowna)

Have fun riding your bike in Kelowna!

Easy Rider: Pedal the Mission Creek Greenway, which is a 17.5 km long trail along Mission Creek from Lakeshore Drive out to Gallagher’s Canyon. There are many entry points along the Greenway where you can begin your pedal, including Lakeshore Drive, Gordon Drive, Benvoulin, Springfield, Hollywood Road South, and others.

I recently rode on the Greenway and met three fit and fun-loving ladies from Vancouver who asked me to take their picture. They were riding along, bantering back and forth, and told me that they never miss an opportunity to ride this path when they are in Kelowna. Imagine that! Let’s say you’re a guest at one of our hotels like the Manteo Resort, the Hotel Eldorado, or even the Delta Grand downtown. You want some exercise? All you’ve got to do is rent a bike and you can ride from your hotel onto the Mission Creek Greenway, and ride for 35 km. on this beautiful, safe, level, and tranquil path.

As a side note, there are many places that your out-of-town guests can rent bikes. You can even rent e-bikes, which are electric bikes to give that extra little boost and help cyclists up those hills. Cycle to winery bike rides along our Kelowna Wine Trails? No problem!

Myra Canyon: If you have guests in town of any riding ability and want to leave an impression, head up to the Myra Canyon. This is a spectacular 22 km bike trail that incorporates 18 trestle bridges and 2 tunnels. It’s part of the Kettle Valley Railway, now part of the Trans Canada Trail. It’s a ride that will definitely impress in terms of the sheer beauty, vistas, and railroad history.

Mountain biking: There’s a really strong and active mountain biking community in Kelowna with tons of trail options and levels.

Lots of the bike shops have their own evening group rides that anyone can participate in. On example is Cyclepath in Kelowna. Cyclepath has Tuesday evening rides and one of their favourite areas is the Myra-Belleview Park with its extensive network of trails that can accommodate every type of rider. Beautiful setting, camaraderie, challenge, exercise – all the ingredients for a really great ride.

The skinny is this: you just show up at the parking lot of Cyclepath on Tuesday evenings at 6:30, figure out what level of ride you want to go on, and you’ve got a group that you can ride with. The best part is that everyone is welcome, and participation is free.  The other great aspect of this is that as an athletic visitor who wants to ride the trails locals know, this is a perfect way to do it.

Biking is a great way to see a place. You get to catch details about a city, find places of great beauty, and increase your quality of life.  Time to get out there!

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.