An old car parked on Kalamalka Lake Drive (the old Highway 97 south) overlooking Kalamalka Lake in 1915. The new Kal Crystal Waters trail is partially comprised of this old highway.
Image Credit: Vernon Museum and Archives – Photo No. 1349
September 15, 2020 - 4:09 PM
A new extension to the Kal Crystal Waters Trail in the North Okanagan is making use of a section of an early 1900s highway.
The Regional District of the North Okanagan recently completed an extension to the Kal Crystal Waters trail, which is adjacent to the Okanagan Rail Trail.
The new section features stunning viewpoints of Kalamalka Lake, a plethora of birdwatching opportunities, and offers a shady path through forested sections, according to a regional district news release.
The trail development is unique in that the regional district did not have to purchase land. In fact, parts of the trail are on an old early 1900s highway. Other sections were granted as easements or right of ways by property owners and the B.C. Ministry of Transportation.
Bob Fleming, North Okanagan Regional District director for Electoral Area B, is pictured standing at an entrance to the Kal Crystal Waters Trail off of Crystal Waters Road.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED / North Okanagan Regional District
“The discussions for the Kal Crystal Waters trail began in 2013. When the Okanagan Rail Trail project began taking off in 2015, the enthusiasm and energy were understandably shifted to creating that trail,” said Bob Fleming, director for Electoral Area B, in the press release.
The Kal Crystal Waters Trail offers a more challenging incline than the Okanagan Rail Trail, with options for trail looping with the rail trail to provide a different perspective of Kalamalka Lake and the landscape.
The 1.8-kilometre trail’s southern access is from Crystal Waters Road, and the northern access is near the Okanagan College campus in Vernon. Trail users can travel from the college to Lake Country off of the highway.
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