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McCulloch to Peachland Loop
McCulloch to Peachland Loop

Category
Epic
Surface
Gravel
Distance
195km
Elevation
3146m
Tag
Peachland 4ºC
Kelowna 4ºC
Penticton 5ºC
Video
1 Video
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Map Strava | GPX | TCX

Maximum
1641m
Minimum
343m
Selected
-m

Video

Summary

There are a few options to circumnavigate the southern end of Okanagan Lake:

  • Myra Canyon to Chute Lake & down to Naramata,
  • Myra Canyon to Hydraulic Lake and Chute Lake, or
  • McColluch Road to Grey Mountain.

This route leaves from downtown Kelowna, heads east on KLO Road, up Hydraulic Lake Road and McCulloch Road to Kelowna Nordic Ski and Snowshoe, and heads south around Little White Mountain to Grey Mountain, then down into Penticton for 85km of uninterrupted gravel. From Penticton the route heads up Green Mountain Road, turns north to head through Shingle Creek & connects to Summerland and more gravel roads.

Summerland to Peachland on Garnet Road is mostly gravel, and the route finishes with a section of paved highway between Peachland and West Kelowna.

Points of Interest

Surfaces & Traffic

80% gravel with light to no traffic.

The route begins from downtown Kelowna, traveling on wide, paved shoulders on KLO Road where there is light to moderate traffic. The route turns to gravel @ 15km on Hydraulic Lake Road; the gravel road is hard-packed, wide, and mostly smooth with minimal traffic from this point to 71km.

The gravel road narrows while descending from Greyback Lake to Penticton around 75km. At 86km the terrain becomes challenging, rough, and demands focus as it switchbacks down Greyback Mountain Road. Thankfully there is little-to-no traffic on this section.

Pavement returns as the route enters and leaves Penticton from 93km to 115km, traveling up Green Mountain Road before turning north. Once heading north through Shingle Creek, little-to-no-traffic and wide gravel roads return from 115km to 130km.

The route travels through Summerland and up Garnet Valley on pavement with light traffic from 130km to 146km. After this section the route is gravel once again before reaching Peachland, at which point point the route is on pavement with moderate traffic through Peachland and to the finish back in Kelowna.

Refuelling

Hot summer days will make water a priority on this route. If you are a slower rider, or if the weather is very hot, having water filtration supplies to refuel from mountain lakes is advisable.

Once outside of Kelowna there are no opportunities to purchase food until reaching downtown Penticton at 97km. However, the best opportunity to stop is the gas station at the beginning of Green Mountain Road @ 105km — it’s extremely well-stocked with pepperonis, roller dogs, and all sorts of sugary treats.

After riding through Shingle Creek, riders may want to stop in Summerland to refuel a second time @ 120km.

Key Segments

  • Full Climb to Nordic Station @ 24km. 22km @ 3% gravel climb up to Kelowna Nordic Ski and Snowshoe. The last 8km are mostly flat; the steeper sections are in the middle of the climb.

  • Greyback Mountain Descent @ 92km. 12km @ -6½% is a challenging gravel descent with many rocky sections.

  • Green Mountain Road to Shingle Creek @ 118km. Pavement, 10km @ 3% steady climb.

  • Shingle Creek North @ 115km. A 16km rolling gravel segment through Penticton Indian Band land. The first ½ is a mix of loose and hard-packed gravel with a wide road, while the second half is a narrow, bumpy road.

  • Trepanier Road @ 177km. 1.3km @ 10% pavement climb.

Enjoy!

And please be sure to…

  • ride safely,
  • let us know what you think about this route, and
  • follow us on the grams & tag us along with #okroute20!