Summary

The iconic hill climb in the Okanagan, and one of the best descents in the valley with well-cambered corners and good sightlines.

Surfaces & Traffic

Pleasant Valley Road through Vernon has nice pavement with a small shoulder and typically sees light traffic. Silver Star Road takes a beating in the winter months with ski resort traffic so pavement conditions can be fair to good, and traffic volume varies with time of day and season. Fast descents should only be attempted once riders learn the descent, and still are often impeded by vehicles descending at the same time. The roads back into Vernon past Dixon Dam & BX Park are narrow but have fair pavement and light traffic.

Points of Interest

• Silver Star Mountain Resort @ 28½km

Refuelling

Options in Vernon are plentiful before and after the ride.

Refilling on supplies at Silver Star Resort is the best option after completing the climb, small store, pubs, and sit down food options are available all times of the year. It is possible to head up this climb with one small water bottle and no food, refuel at the top, and descend — just don’t have more than 1 beer.

Key Segments

Silver Star East Vernon Road to Welcome Bridge is the only segment that matters here, according to OKRoutes. There are other, longer, segments that start at Pleasant Valley Road — but the above segment is the most contested. Starting from BX Elementary School & Swan Lake Fire Station, and ending at the Silver Star welcome Bridge, the 18km @ 6% grade will test the legs and lungs. The gradient is even, with some sections topping out at 11-13%. Fast times are sub 1-hour and above 300 watts average.

Options

Riders can shorten their route by descending to the bottom of Silver Star Road and doubling back onto Pleasant Valley Road to return to Kal Beach.

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 #okroute5!