Shuswap North Okanagan Rail Trail heading north towards Hurricane Bay on Mara Lake.
Image Credit: Submitted/Shuswap North Okanagan Rail Trail/Jacob Brett
April 05, 2025 - 6:00 AM
The Shuswap North Okanagan Rail Trail has two new completed sections bringing the vision for a world-class bike trail through the region closer to fruition.
The Columbia Shuswap Regional District and Regional District of North Okanagan have announced that the sections between kilometre 0.5 and kilometre 4.4 from Sicamous and kilometre 49.15 and kilometre 50.15 into Armstrong are finished, according to a joint release from the regional districts.
The goal is to build a 50 km multi-purpose trail from Sicamous to Armstrong that links up with Vernon and continues until it connects with the Okanagan Rail Trail and other bike paths until it stretches all the way to Osoyoos.
Construction is ongoing as Skwlax Resource Management Ltd. works on the section along Mara Lake south of Sicamous. Skwlax started on this section last week and is expected to take a total of six weeks.
READ MORE: Construction on most difficult stretch of cycling trail from Sicamous to Osoyoos underway
The work is more complicated than slapping down some pavement and calling it a bike trail. There's erosion control, environmental work, culvert and drainage improvement, fencing and landscaping.
Part of the funding for the section along Mara Lake from kilometre 4.4 to kilometre 14. 8 is coming from the Federal Housing and Infrastructure Canada’s Active Transportation Funding program.
The construction is going to take place from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. to take advantage of access around the Bruhn Bridge closures to meet the timeline. People living around Old Spallumcheen Road should be cautious.
Yucwmenlúcwu, Caretakers of the Land from Splatsin Development Corporation, are overseeing the work.
The dream of a 370 km trail from Sicamous to Osoyoos has been around for years and has been a monumental undertaking from numerous levels of government, private companies, citizens and advocates.
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