Month: September 2021

Fly Hills – Save Your Photos Day Ride

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10:00am start Sunday September 26

Check the maps below for directions, the Salmon Arm Snowblazers parking lot isn’t easy to find so study the map or join the convoy leaving Tim Horton’s on 58th Street Vernon at 8:30am.

This is going to be a slightly faster ride with speeds up to 80kmh on open Forest Service Roads and a pace of 30-50kmh on trails. If you’re not able to maintain 30-50kmh on trails please check back for future rides to attend.

The Fly Hills has an amazing variety of trails and numerous viewpoints.

When
Join the convoy leaving Tim Hortons on 58th Street Vernon at 8:30am. We are aiming to have our pre-ride safety meeting and being ready to ride at 10:00am.

Where
The Salmon Arm Snowblazers trail system staging area we’re using is west of Salmon Arm. Please review the map below or join the convoy leaving Vernon at 8:30am.

Trail Difficulty Rating
Intermediate level and above riders will enjoy this ride which combines a mix of Forest Service Road, old logging/skid trails and snowmobile trails.

Ride Speed
Speeds will reach up to 80kmh on open Forest Service Roads and will be at a sustained 30-50kmh on trail sections. Please skip this ride if you can’t do this speed, there will be more leisurely rides in the coming weeks.

Trailside Bathrooms
We are riding past a few recreation sites and snowmobile cabins for those needing an outhouse.

Viewpoints and Breaks
There will be a few breaks to take in the views, for snacks and a longer lunch break with a campfire so bring something to toast over the fire.

What to Bring

  • Food and drink for a day riding
  • Clothes for all weather conditions, we ride in all conditions!
  • Your standard ATV emergency supplies
  • A chainsaw or handsaw, we haven’t ridden here all summer so there may be trees down.
  • A single tank of fuel will be adequate for the entire ride.

Vernon ATV Club and events are open to everyone, we encourage new riders to come out for a couple of rides to meet club members, find new trails and get a sense of the club before joining.

Great First Ride Back!

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Mara Mountain Lookout is always a great ride, 19 machines came out for the first ride back after the extended self-enforced shutdown during the extreme fire danger risk this summer.

The weather didn’t look great but the dark clouds held onto their contents and the temperature was warm enough for an extended stay atop the windy lookout.

After a quick safety meeting and discussion about the importance of staying on the trail in the alpine the group climbed to the 2,240m (7,350′) elevation at the old fire lookout. Thanks to David and Alex for placing the PLEASE STAY ON TRAIL signs to help spread the message of the importance of staying on the trail in the alpine.

What’s Next, Where to Ride?

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Our ride leaders are either busy or recovering from injuries for the next weekend or two so there probably won’t be any organized club rides so head over to the Vernon ATV Trail Riders Facebook Group. The group is a great way to ask questions, share photos and meet up with other riders looking to head out on the trails.

Try these rides

Create a free account on GaiaGPS to download the GPX files (or a discount on Gaia GPS Premium for extra features) for these rides, load the files on your GPS then get out there.

The Epic 250 isn’t for everyone but it isn’t as long as it sounds. Starting from King Eddy staging with 20 litres (or more) of extra fuel, we did it in just under 10 hours with several stops and a maximum speed of around 60kmh.

Skimikin Lake (parking lot before entering the campground) northwest of Salmon Arm is the staging area for this fun ride that accesses a vast trail network of forest service roads and snowmobile trails.

Mt Ida is northwest of Enderby on Deep Creek Road and has an amazing network of trails with views of Salmon Arm and Shuswap lake and diverse trails from rainforest cedars to Okanagan dryland fir/pine forest and everything in between.

Trinity Ricardo Trail Network is a hidden gem that takes riders up to the Silver Star Park Boundary (no ATVs in the park!). Tolko is logging in this area so weekday riding is not advised and watch as they may be logging on weekends with winter on the way.

Mara Mountain Ride – Sunday September 5

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Mara Mountain let the voting for the first ride back of fall. Other rides were close so watch for those areas in coming weeks.

There are multiple meeting points and a new staging area so read on.

  1. Departing Tim Horton’s on 58th Avenue across from Walmart at 8:45am
  2. Departing the Enderby Chamber of Commerce at 700 Railway Street at 9:30am
  3. Departing Beattie Road staging at 10:30am

Directions & map to Beattie Road staging (written directions below)

NOTE FOR WIDE SIDE X SIDES
If you ride a wider side x side you may need to do some trail trimming to fit the first section of trail. By starting on Beattie Road we cut out the first section of road riding and replace it with great trail but it is grown in some spots so if you’re 64″ plus bring a chainsaw.

RIDING OFF THE TRAIL
There is zero tolerance for off trail riding on this ride. The area has seen an increase in off trail riders and is on the BC Government’s radar which means it is in danger of closure. The ride rules will be explained at the pre-ride meeting.

Trail Difficulty Rating – Intermediate
The lower portions of the ride are on FSR, as we climb into the alpine the trail becomes much rougher due to exposed rocks. There is one point on the trail where there is a short rock ledge which most people climb over easily, there will be spotters in place to assist less experienced riders should they need assistance.

Come Prepared for All Conditions
The Vernon ATV Club rides go ahead regardless of conditions so come ready for sun, wind, rain and at this elevation it may even snow. If it’s nasty and cold we likely won’t go up to the lookout and will explore the trails at the north end of Mabel Lake.

Detailed Driving Directions
A convoy leaves the Vernon Tim Hortons on 58th Avenue opposite Walmart at 8:45am heading to Enderby.

Leaving the Enderby Chamber of Commerce on 700 Railway Avenue at 9:30am we head east on Enderby Mabel Lake Road for 34 kms where we turn right onto Beattie Road then continue another 3km to where it becomes a Forest Service Road where we can park.

Everyone is welcome, the Vernon ATV Club encourages quad and side x side riders to attend up to 3 rides to meet other riders, find new trails and get a sense of what the club is all about. We’re sure you’ll like the club and want to join!