Wild Things: Natural Wildlife Biking Tour on the KVR

(4 reviews)

Naramata audio tour: Wild Things: Natural Wildlife Biking Tour on the KVR

This is a 5.5mi cycling tour

It takes an average of 45 mins to complete.

Naramata

Canada

Free

Access all 13 locations offline with the VoiceMap app

Reviews

About the Tour

You aren't alone in the woods... This easy linear tour follows the Kettle Valley Railway, through the Little Tunnel, up to Chute Lake Road. On the way, we share stories of the most fascinating wild animals found in this area: harmless Gartner Snakes, brilliant Kokanee Salmon, spectacular birds of prey, nimble Mountain Goats, colour-changing Snowshoe Hares, shy Mountain Lions, majestic Elk, and the crafty Coyote. If you are lucky, you will see some of the Naramata Bench's furred, feathered, and scaled residents on the way. Suitable for E-bikes and bicycles.

This tour begins in the Smethurst Road / KVR intersection parking lot, above the village of Naramata, and ends in the KVR parking lot on Chute Lake Road, (known locally as Glenfir.) Along the way, you‘ll have a chance to:

Bike along the world-famous Kettle Valley Rail (KVR) Trail
Explore the KVR's amazing Little Tunnel
Understand more about the fascinating creatures living in the area
Listen to local birds and practice identifying them
Get some exercise and your daily dose of vitamin N (Nature)

This biking tour takes place on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the syilx (Okanagan) people, who have resided here since time immemorial. We recognize, honour, and respect the syilx lands, and appreciate the opportunity to learn about, and be in this special place. This tour references one of the red educational panels installed in Naramata, by the Penticton Indian Band and the Regional District of the Okanagan Similkameen.

This tour was narrated by Marion Barchel, written by Arnica Rowan, and produced by Terroir Consulting for Discover Naramata. Thanks to Destination BC, Wine Growers BC, the Naramata Bench Wineries Association, the Naramata Heritage Museum, the Okanagan Archive Trust Society, and photographers Jon Adrian and Caillum Smith for the beautiful photographs. Thanks to Peach City Community Radio for providing a great recording studio. Thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for the use of wildlife sounds and pictures, including contributors Kathleen MacAulay, Linus Blomqvist, Mason Maron, Carter Gasiorowski, Nick Tepper, Marc Fasol, Josep del Hoyo, Bryan Calk, Ian Routley, Paul Marvin, Evan Lipton, Gerrit Vyn, Bob McGuire, Geoffrey A. Keller, and Matt Davis.

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport.

Tour Producer

Discover Naramata

27 tours

Naramata... a stunning agricultural landscape, world-class food and wine of the Naramata Bench, a charming village at the end of winding country road. This CittaSlow-certified community is Western Canada's most beloved, slow-paced, vacation destination. Featured in the New York Times, Monte Cristo, National Geographic, Dwell, and more, this breath-taking slice of the Okanagan Valley is yours to explore.

Discover Naramata is a non-profit, member-run Destination Marketing Organization for the community of Naramata, BC, Canada. We support the marketing and building of a destination recognized by those looking for an authentic, quality, slow travel experience and supports the community and people who make this unique destination special. Our society is governed by an industry-appointed Board of Directors and represents more than 80 businesses that comprise the local tourism economy.

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport for this audio tour project.

The views, opinions, conclusions and/or recommendations expressed in these materials are those of the author(s). These materials do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Government of British Columbia. The Government of British Columbia does not endorse, nor has it confirmed the validity of the information contained in, these materials.

Preview Location

Location 4

Salmon

Now we are crossing over one of the little seasonal streams that feeds the massive Okanagan Lake to your left. Along the long lake, freshwater creeks provide spawning habitat for Kokanee salmon. These little creeks are crucial, because Kokanee are born, and die in the gentle w... Now we are crossing over one of the little seasonal streams that feeds the massive Okanagan Lake to your left. Along the long lake, freshwater creeks provide spawning habitat for Kokanee salmon. These little creeks are crucial, because Kokanee are born, and die in the gentle waters of small creeks.

The fish begin as eggs, tucked in-between the gravels of a stream. When they hatch into tiny little fish called alevins, they have a yoke sac under their chins. The Kokanee alevins feed on that yoke and grow - in a way, they eat their own egg. When the alevins have finished their egg yokes, they transition into little fish called "fry". These small fry - that's where the expression comes from - stay in the shallows of the creeks for a month. Finally, they are old enough to form schools, and together swim downstream into the deep waters of Okanagan Lake. It's pretty treacherous down there, as Kokanee fry are good food for Burbot and Rainbow Trout. But if they make it through the first year, they will live in the lake until they are 4 years old. In their fourth year, Kokanee turn bright red, and the males develop a humped back and long jaw. Together, both the males and females swim back to their nests in the creeks, laying eggs to start the next generation.

Genetically-speaking, Sockeye Salmon are the same species as Kokanee, but they are "reproductively isolated", meaning that their life cycles follow different routes. Kokanee are potamodromous: they are born, live and die in fresh water. Sockeye are anadromous: they are born and die in fresh water, but swim 2000km back and forth to the salty Pacific Ocean to live their adult lives. Although Sockeye traditionally spawned in Okanagan Lake, they were cut off when we built dams and channels on the Columbia and Okanagan river watersheds.

The syilx (Okanagan) people, other First Nations, and conservationist allies have worked together to restore fish migration routes and spawning habitat. Thanks to decades of their hard work, sockeye have now returned to spawn in the Okanagan. In 2022, the Okanagan Nation Alliance celebrated the highest recorded Sockeye Salmon return in Osoyoos Lake in over 40 years. They harvested 10,000 fish for their community, and another 30,000 for the commercial fishery. The same year, biologists moved 3,000 Sockeye into Okanagan Lake... so Sockeye met their Kokanee cousins for the first time in decades.

As you ride with Okanagan Lake on your left, you can think of the thousands of fish swimming peacefully, together, down below.

Continue along the KVR trail. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Naramata
Little Tunnel

Getting There

Route Overview

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Start location
Kettle Valley Rail Trail, Naramata, BC V0H 1N1, Canada
Total distance

9km
Final location
Kettle Valley Rail Trail, Naramata, BC V0H 1N1, Canada
Distance back to start location

8km

Directions to Starting Point

This tour begins in the Smethurst Road / KVR intersection parking lot, above the village of Naramata.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

At the Little Tunnel, dismount to explore the tunnel, and watch the birds of prey soar on the thermal currents above the lake.

Best time of day

This route is well graded, and accessible any time of year. In winter, ensure you are warmly dressed and have a fatbike for snow. In the summer months, head out in the morning before it gets too hot.

To return to the parking lot, you have three options.

Recommended for families and novice riders: Return on the same KVR Rail Trail. It's downhill all the way back!
Recommended for experienced bikers with mountain bikes: Continue further up the KVR trail from the Chute Lake Road parking lot to the Big Tunnel. There, you can connect back down to the Smethurst Road / KVR parking lot using a forest service road. Directions are included in our other Steam and Stone biking tour.  
Also an option: get picked up in the Chute Lake Road parking lot at the end of the tour, and return by car.

Precautions

The KVR trail is well graded, but does have steep drop offs and cliffs beside the trail. Mind your children, and ensure dogs are kept on a leash. Always yield to horses - they have the right-of-way. When passing another biker or pedestrian, use your bell. Keep your speed in check - this tour is paced at a maximum of 25 km/hr. Always wear a helmet - it's the law. Take water with you, as there isn't any available on the trail.

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Questions and Reviews

4.5 / 5

4 Ratings

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