Maintaining the historic Myra Canyon Trestles
Categories:
The Myra Canyon Trestles, part of what once was the Kettle Valley Railway, are an international destination for cyclists and hikers within Myra-Bellevue Park. The path follows the old railway and offers incredible canyon views. BC Parks is responsible for providing safe access to the trestles and every 15 years, the trestles need significant maintenance to ensure they’re safe for the many visitors who come to enjoy them each year.
Visitation of the trestles is on the rise
On top of this ongoing maintenance, the trestles have seen more and more visitors each year. This fall, the trestles will be re-decked, and during this process they’ll be expanded from 5 feet to 9 feet in width to accommodate the increased use while ensuring visitor safety and enhancing the overall experience.
How will the construction impact your visit to the trestles this fall?
Construction on the first eight trestles will be taking place over the next few weeks, and during this time, we will be doing everything we can to maintain access to the trestles for visitors. People will still be able to enjoy the trestles by starting from and returning to the Myra Station parking lot. We’ll also be:
- leaving all trestles open that are not being worked on;
- reopening the trestles evenings, weekends and holidays throughout the construction period; and
- working with the contractor to complete as much work as possible this fall and next spring so it’s finished and ready to open for the busy summer season.
BC Parks is working with commercial operators to minimize the impact of this critical maintenance work, and will continue to provide updates to visitors along the way. For the most up-to-date access information, please visit https://bcparks.ca/myra-bellevue-park/.
If you need other ideas for great places to visit in the Okanagan this fall…
Even though we’ll be working hard to minimize impacts to your experience at the trestles, we wanted to highlight a few other places to visit if you’re itching for other ideas. Fall is an incredible time of year to visit the Okanagan for a wide variety of outdoor activities including:
- Cycling the rail trail along Kalamalka Lake with access from Coldstream, Oyama or Kekuli Bay Provincial Park
- Mountain biking in the Crawford Trail network in Myra Bellevue Park accessed from the Stewart Road East parking lot
- Mountain biking in Ellison Park where BC Parks has recently completed construction of a new, larger parking area and bicycle skill track
- Camping at local provincial parks like Mabel Lake, Kekuli Bay or Ellison
