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British Columbia's Overland Safari Specialists The Kettle Valley Railway and
GeoQwest would like to thank Weyerhaeuser in Okanagan Falls for access to their harvest area, the use of their radio frequency and technical support. GeoQwest is especially grateful to Bob Christie, Professional Forester (Email Bob) for his guidance and for sharing his superb knowledge of the local forests and forestry practices in building this tour.
In August 2003, the Okanagan Mountain Park fire swept through the area covered by part of this tour. The fire continued north and eastward to the outer neighbourhoods of the city of Kelowna. Tragically, over 250 homes were destroyed in some of the most fashionable areas of the city. Wildfires entering a city is of course truly a disaster. But the Okanagan Mountain Park fire has given GeoQwest an excellent opportunity to show our clients the effects of wildfire as a natural and essential part of our Okanagan ecology. From our experience in touring this area before the burn, GeoQwest now provides a unique perspective on this improved bioscape.
 GeoQwest showcases the harvest and reforestation efforts of Gorman's Bros. Lumber Ltd. Gorman's lost a significant amount of timber from their timber leases as a result of this fire. We look forward to showing our clients thier efforts in the area as a leader in Canadian forestry practices. GeoQwest would also like to thank them in their efforts to make the area safe for the return of visitors to the KVR. GeoQwest would also like to thank Tourism Kelowna for their support of the concept of Forestry Regenration tours. Based on the success of these edutours in Yellowstone National Park, GeoQwest, as currently the only carrier in BC licenced by the Motor Carrier Commission to run this route, is looking forward to showing our clients the benefit of wildfire in the natural environment.
Our trip begins at the south end of Kelowna where we access the KVR by the Gillard Forest Service Road. We gain nearly 3000 feet in less than 10 kilometres. As we climb, variations in the forest cover can be seen due to factors of elevation, soil and sun orientation. Rare for this area, antelope bush can be found. Interior Douglas Fir gives way to drought tolerant Ponderosa Pine on dry ridges. Poplars appear in damp zones, Lodgepole Pine and Western Larch (Tamarack) appear followed by sub alpine species such as Engelman Spruce and Balsam. Alder stands in areas of more recent logging are fast growing and immediately regenerate in cut blocks, robbing light from the slower growing evergreen species. This area is open cattle rangeland. This industry represented about $900 million annually to the provincial economy and creates an estimated 12 thousand jobs including direct hard work for some 2500 ranchers. Most of the Crown land used for grazing cattle is non-productive land agriculturally. Cattle transform wild grasses into protein rich food for humans. (BC Cattlemen's Association Website)
We reach the KVR and idle along this this section of the railway open to vehicle traffic. GeoQwest respects non-motorized users of this route by stopping to let them pass and to travel slowly to reduce dust. Our route travels through the heart of the August 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park fire. Started by lightning on August 17, the fire was charged by decades of accumulated forest fuels. 2003 was the driest on record and combined with strong winds, the fire reached the outskirts of Kelowna on August 22. Over 250 homes were consumed despite the heroic efforts of armies of firefighters. The loss of homes is indeed a tragedy. But the benefit to a natural ecology can and will be seen for years as the region regenerates it's woodlands and wildlife habitat. In the first few moths, the landscape will appear a wastland. But hints of growth appear shortly after the first rains. Nutrients liberated by the fire enrich the soil and gives a fresh media in which to grow. With a good cover of snow over the winter, the hillsides will blossom with new grasses and wildflowers, creating a fresh and dynamic ecosystem for a flourish of wildlife. The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) arrived in BC in 1885, but was of little use to the people of Southern BC. In 1887, silver ore was discovered in the Kootenays but miners from the U.S. were taking the money south. This became a political issue, which would elect or defeat future provincial governments. In 1901 there had been a charter created for the Kettle River Valley Railway (KRVR) which was to connect a mine at Republic and a smelter at Grand Forks. It never materialized but an Ontario lawyer, J.J. Warren took over the financial problems of the almost defunct KRVR and envisioned an alliance of the CPR and the KRVR that could be used to legally expand the rails west from Midway. So the Kettle Valley Railway (KVR), was born and survey work began on our tour route section of the railway in 1910. and the Penticton to Merritt (Princeton) division.
After consulting Premier McBride, the KVR received some perks from the BC government. KVR president J.J. Warren and Sir Shaughnessy chose Andrew McCulloch for the task of Chief Engineer for the construction. They gave him instructions that; "the KVR must be first class in every way." However, McCulloch seemed to have problems from the start in securing working engines, materials and a labour force and two years into the work, only 20% of the line was completed. But by the end of the year, over 5000 men were on the KVR and work on "one of the strangest railways ever built" was completed within five years. A proud Thomas Shaughnessy (now a Lord) traveled the full route from Midway to Hope, September 14th, 1916. The Coast-to Kootenay connection had finally become a reality. Not only did the railway provide a faster route and more efficient service for Okanagan fruit going to its market, but it carried ore and lumber to the coast, men in search of jobs, education and adventure. Branch lines were added to the KVR mainlines. At the end of World War One, a spur was constructed to the mines at Copper Mountain near Princeton. Another eight-mile link line was added in 1930, from Penticton to Okanagan Falls. In order to increase fruit shipments to Great Britain during World War Two, this line was extended to Osoyoos. The CPR had officially taken over the KVR operations in 1930 and constructed these extensions for desperately needed additional sources of revenue during the depression years. The KVR's demise began in 1949 when Highway # 3 (the Hope Princeton) opened. During the next few years it was obvious that to keep the KVR running was no longer feasible. In 1962 the rails were removed from Coquihalla. Provincial air travel was also coming into its own at this time. The KVR found its express service too expensive to maintain. In January, 1964 the final passenger run was made and eight years later the Carmi subdivision from Midway to Penticton was shut down and the tracks torn up. The Coquihalla section of the line proved too much to handle, suffering many washouts and snow and rock slides. It remains as one of North America's most expensive sections of railway to maintain. In 1959, after a series of closures, it was shut down for good. Freight continued to run from Okanagan Falls to Spences Bridge until 1989. Much of the track was lifted within a few years except for a sixteen-kilometre stretch from the Trout Creek Bridge to Faulder where a steam locomotive currently operates to keep the KVR memory alive. More history can be found at www.kettlevalleyrail.org Our tour travels the 3% grade of the railbed that has for much of it's length been made part of the Trans Canada Trail . This railbed, especially near towns, is very popular with cyclists for obvious reasons. An area of numerous trestles and an engineering masterpiece for it's time at Myra canyon is now a designated Class A Park known as the Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park. This section of the KVR is best seen on foot or bicycle. GeoQwest heartily endorses Monashee Adventures for KVR bicycle tours of the KVR and the best in bicycle adventures in the Okanagan. Decades of forestry is evident in the vistas from the railway. A section of this part of the KVR is licenced to Gorman Brothers Lumber of Westbank. John and Ross Gorman began the company in 1951 when their orchard crop failed and they decided to build wooden fruit shipping boxes for the local fruit industry. Since then, Gorman Bros. has become one of the largest family-owned wood products operations in British Columbia. Having weathered many recessions and a couple of millfires, the plant still operates on it's original Westbank site and is one of the most efficient in North America. Chute Lake Lodge contains the history of it's origins as an important stop on the KVR where a water tower once stood. The lodge itself is a step back in time. The restaurant houses a collection of antiques. But the real treasure is found outback. Gary and Doreen Reed have owned the lodge since the early 1970's. Since that time, Gary has amassed an amazing collection of KVR and other regional antiques and collectibles that overflow from his huge shed behind the lodge. Sometimes approach by movie companies for props, this collection is one of the true surprises of the wilderness. Take some time to wander through and don't be afraid to make an offer! Our trek continues upward into the forest and past two backcountry lakes that are part of the irrigation district for Naramata and Penticton. Unlike most reservoirs, the water level in these lakes is kept fairly constant and their natural setting makes for a great photo opportunity. We visit one of the famous rock ovens, built around 1915 by KVR construction workers. A number of these ovens survive today. We travel upward to Elinor and Naramata lakes. These two lakes are part of the irrigation and water supply for the towns below. The route is a rough path that may not be passable due to late spring snow or washouts caused by runoff. It will also give us access to a high section of the KVR with a stunning view towards the south Okanagan Valley. This route is also part of one of the few remaining active trap lines found in the region. The trapper's cabin could be seen near Chute Lake Lodge. We drop down to the valley bottom through undulate winter range with high populations of white tail deer and moose and re-enter the KVR on its lowest switchback in the valley. This vantage point gives an opportunity to view Lake Okanagan. This lake has a maximum water depth of about 900 feet but that depth is about 200 feet below sea level. If the soft sediment fill at that occupies lake floor is taken into account, bedrock depths put Lake Okanagan as one of, if not the deepest lake valleys in North America. These depth and other similarities exist between Lake Okanagan and Scotland's Loch Ness. They are both long and narrow and lie at about the same latitude. And they are each famous for their resident monsters. The Okanagan has it's own Nessie in the Ogopogo. Our journey continues to the outskirts of Penticton whose name is derived from the Salish native name "Pen-Tak-Tin" meaning "Place to stay forever". We leave the valley to climb up to the interior plateau and enter Weyerhaeuser "R201" radio controlled logging road. This logging highway acts as the backbone for Weyco's forestry harvesting across the plateau. Radio controlled truck traffic requires a diligent radio discipline and driving etiquette in order to travel safely. In this area can be seen a full range of forestry practices as some of the most productive forests in the province. This land has been eroded flat by regional glaciation. The material seen in many road cuts has been washed and sorted by water from melting glaciers. Bedrock in places show evidence of hundreds of feet of ice that once scraped over it. The massive granite in this area has been used for landscape and building stone. Pacific Pearl Dimension Stone has 2 quarries here processed slabs that have been used as floor tile in private residences and one Vancouver shopping mall. The area also hosts occurrences of gold and uranium. The Haynes Lakes deposit was worked between 1973-1977 by Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (Japan) for Nissho-Iwai Canada Ltd. The uranium ore is capped by a 75 metres cover of basalt (lava). The deposit measures about 2000 by 700 metres and contains in excess of 2 million tonnes of low grade uranium ore. We pass Idabel, Haynes and Hydraulic Lakes, important reservoirs for east Kelowna. Open to the public, these lake are a popular destination for local school groups, scout troops and local fishermen. Few municipalities in the valley take their water from Lake Okanagan but rely on lake reservoirs like these in the mountains. These lake represent a significant contribution to the valley's orchards as shown below (Black Mountain):
McColluch and the other adjacent lakes are directly above the city that allows a gravity feed system. Water from Mission Creek was part of the earliest irrigation for the emerging orchard industry in the valley. Portions of the original aquaduct system can still be found in the valley below the road we will be traveling. Our descent from McColluch Lake takes us down through mature stands of cedar. Gorman Brothers Lumber is currently logging below the road beyond sight. They will be establishing a self-guided tour in the logged area that will explain the logging process and regeneration. The mountain across the valley is known locally as Layer Cake Mountain or Gallagher's Mountain. These successive layers of basalt are lava flows resulting from pulses of magma for a fissure in the Mission Creek area. Most of the basalt was eroded by ice and meltwater in the last ice age of approximately 9,000 years ago. These basalts are some of the youngest flows in BC dating to about 10 million years ago. Mission Creek flows in front of the mountain and was known to produce gold in the late 1870's. All the gold was found below the canyon below this road. Dan Gallagher, whose family pioneered this valley, made a modest living from gold mining until the 1940's. Our return into Kelowna passes orchards and golf courses of East Kelowna. It also passes McColluch Station Pub. After our dusty trip, a stop here would not be out of line!
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