Myra Canyon Bike Trail- Biking the Myra Canyon Trestles in Kelowna
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One of the most scenic and enjoyable bike trails near Kelowna is Myra Canyon Trail in Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park. Known for its historic trestle bridges, rock tunnels, and viewpoints looking out over Myra Canyon, the trail is an easy bike ride packed with beautiful sights.
Since I love old bridges, canyons, and bike riding, I suggested that my friends and I check out the Myra Canyon trestles trail during a girl’s trip to the Okanagan. Before I share my description of the Myra Canyon bike ride, here is some information about this unique trail.
About the Myra Canyon Trestles Trail
The Myra Canyon Trail is a multi-use recreational trail that once was part of the historic Kettle Valley Railway. The railway opened in 1915 but was gradually abandoned starting in 1961. Much of the original route has been converted into a path for cyclists and hikers, known as the Kettle Valley Rail Trail, and Myra Canyon is one of the most popular sections because of its high concentration of trestle bridges.
There are 18 trestles along the trail and two tunnels going through the canyon’s rocky edge. The flat trail also offers nice views of Kelowna and Okanagan Lake in the distance, plus the canyon’s surrounding hills and forests. There are even some signs along the route sharing information about the trail’s history and attractions.
The Myra Canyon trestles trail is 11 km long between Myra Station and Ruth Station (there is a parking lot at both ends). Since the route is point-to-point, to ride the full trail and get back to your starting point will be 22 km. It took me 2 hr 10 mins to complete my ride with plenty of short stops to take pictures. At a moderate pace, I’d plan for the ride to take 2- 2.5 hours or 3 hours if you want to take a lot of breaks.
Biking Myra Canyon Trail- My Experience
My bike ride started at the Myra Station parking lot, the main entrance to Myra Canyon Trail. I rented a bike from the shop on-site and then rode to the trailhead at the south end of the parking lot.
At the trailhead, there’s a map of Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park and Myra Canyon so I took some time to look at the trail’s route, making note of the trestle bridges and tunnels.
Myra Canyon Trail starts at the yellow gate, marked by a post saying kilometre 0. The first part of the ride wasn’t that interesting because the trail was framed by forest, but it wasn’t long until the view opened up a little and glimpses of Kelowna and Okanagan Lake could be seen through gaps between the trees.
Further ahead the trail emerged from the forest offering better views of the scenery. I could even see some trestle bridges across the rocky, forested canyon.
Continuing my ride along the east side of the canyon, the trail passed between two walls of rock before arriving at the first wooden bridge (Trestle 18). Of course, I had to stop and take some pictures of the canyon and Kelowna in the distance.
Further up the Myra Canyon bike trail, there were a series of trestle bridges along the rocky edge of the canyon. After Trestle 12 is the highest point on the Kettle Valley Rail Trail at 1274 m.
Next, I came to the first of two tunnels on Myra Canyon Trail. The 114 m rock-walled tunnel was fun to ride through, even though it was a bit dark. I had to take my sunglasses off but a bike light wasn’t needed.
After the tunnel, there was a long curved bridge that I quite liked because there was a good view of the wooden trestles.
After the bridge, the trail went in between two walls of rock before arriving at the second tunnel. This tunnel was shorter, at 84 m long, and part of it was made out of concrete so it didn’t have the “natural” look that I liked about the previous one.
Beyond the second tunnel, there was a wooden bridge curving around the canyon’s rock wall.
The next point of interest on the Myra Canyon bike trail was a steel trestle bridge spanning KLO Creek. This bridge replaced the original wooden trestle in 1930/31.
After crossing the creek, the trail curved and started heading toward the opposite/west side of the canyon. On the way there were great views of the canyon, forest, and trestle bridges.
My favourite bridge on the Myra Canyon bike ride was Trestle 6 because it had a long curve linking the south and west sides of the canyon. It was quite photogenic with the rocky hill in the background.
As I continued my ride along the west side of the canyon there were more bridges with a wall of rock on one side and beautiful landscape views on the other. I enjoyed looking across at the opposite side of the canyon where I had just ridden.
The last section of the ride was in the forest so there weren’t any notable views, but there were a couple of historic sites marked with signs. The first was a rock oven used by the Kettle Valley Railway construction workers for baking and roasting. The oven was hard to see from the trail, but there was a staircase built out of rocks leading down to it.
The second historic site was at the end of the bike trail. Here there are some basic remains of the section house at the old Ruth Station.
The Myra Canyon Trail terminates at Ruth Station and there are some outhouses if you need to use the facilities.
After a short break, I hopped back on my bike for the return trip to Myra Station. The ride back to my starting point was just as enjoyable because I got to see the scenery from a different perspective.
Final Thoughts About the Myra Canyon Bike Trail
Biking Myra Canyon Trail is a wonderful outdoor activity for families, friends, and individuals of all ages. The flat trail makes for an easy, relaxing ride and the trestle bridges are a unique, historic touch. The scenery was gorgeous too and I couldn’t help but stop every few minutes to take a picture of the landscape and bridges!
There are many fun things to do in the Okanagan, but I think that biking the Myra Canyon trestles trail is one of the area’s best outdoor activities. I would definitely ride the Myra Canyon bike trail again on a future trip to Kelowna.
Tips for Biking Myra Canyon Trestles Trail
Location and Getting There: Myra Canyon is located 24 km from downtown Kelowna and the drive to Myra Station takes about 40 minutes. You can get to Myra Station from Kelowna via McCulloch Road and then the gravelled Myra Forest Service Road which zigzags up to the canyon.
Staging Areas: The main starting point for the Myra Canyon bike ride is Myra Station on the east side of the canyon but you can also start from Ruth Station on the west side. Both staging areas have a parking lot and outhouses.
Myra Canyon Bike Rentals: You can conveniently rent bikes on-site at Myra Station. There are standard bikes, e-bikes, and kid bikes available for half-day rentals. It’s recommended to reserve your bike online at least the day before your ride because same-day rentals are first-come first-served.
Information was correct at the time of publishing, but can change without notice. Please confirm directly with service providers.
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