#6 North Okanagan Loop

Summary

Starting from Oyama (due to pizza-eating at Pane Vino Pizzeria or beach-going at Kaloya Park), this route is a challenging ride that falls just short of a full-century.

Traversing 142km and climbing 1600m of elevation, this ride travels south to Kelowna on Glenmore Road, over the William R. Bennett Bridge to West Kelowna, then north along the west side of north Okanagan Lake. The route takes riders through Vernon, with options to take the #9 Kettle Valley Rail Trail back to Lake Country, or up & over #3 Predator Ridge.

This ride is difficult on its own and there are few bail-out options, adding in more climbs or hot summer weather can make this ride epic.

Points of Interest

Surfaces & Traffic

Oyama to Carrs Landing Road has light traffic, narrow shoulders, and good pavement. Glenmore Road has moderate to heavy traffic (avoid rush hour), and very narrow shoulders until reaching the Kelowna Landfill @ 25km. Through Kelowna, and across the bridge, has moderate traffic, good paved surface, and wide shoulders; riding the pedestrian path across the bridge is the only option, and is not busy. Westide road has a fair to good paved surface and light traffic (40km - 107km), but narrow shoulders. Old Kamloops Road into Vernon has a rough paved surface and narrow shoulders (ride with caution). KVR from Kal Beach to Oyama is gravel and busy with pedestrians and other cyclists.

Refuelling

There are numerous options to refuel in Kelowna; make sure you have at least 2 full fondo (700mL+) bottles before crossing the Okanagan bridge. Recommended fuel-stops are:

The options to refuel @ 120km in Vernon are numerous, though we suggest stopping at Triumph Coffee.

Once back at Oyama, be sure to stop for pizza or snacks at Pane Vino Pizzeria and Gatzke Orchard respectively.

Key Segments

Highway to Little Kindgom is 51km rolling segment from the west side of the Kelowna Bridge, all the way to Little Kingdom Gas Bar @ 92km. Fast times are around 1½-1.75 hours. If you’re stopping in La Casa for refuelling prior to the end of this segment, the following segment might be more suitable for an effort.
Highway 97 to La Casa 29km rolling segment.
Westside 20km TT 20km flat segment after the rolling portion of Westside Road, prior to turning back south to Vernon.

Options

This route is still accessible whether you’re leaving from Kelowna, Vernon, Lake Country, Armstrong, or Lumby; there is no need to drive to the starting point. The Kettle Valley Rail Trail is a welcome flat section for tired legs, but brave riders should include #3 Predator Ridge, Commonage Road, and Carr’s Landing Road to add more elevation to the route.

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 #okroute6!