Vernon ATV Club

GPS Survey Take 2

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Thanks to everyone for voting again, here are the results of the GPS Survey.

  • 48%  – I own a GPS and want more GPS events
  • 29% – I own a GPS but need training
  • 9 % – I’d like to get a GPS but don’t know enough
  • 9% – I own a GPS but not interested in GPS rides
  • 5% – I don’t own a GPS and not interested

We flubbed up last week by not asking if people with GPS are interested in more events so we’re back this week with the same questions plus one. Click here to complete the short survey by 5:00pm Wednesday June 10.

Pinaus Area Ride

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Great ride Allen! A nice day winding the trails west of Pinaus Lake included visits to Woods, Nugget and Jimmy Lakes.

NOTE: the last photo in the gallery is a puddle on a road, it is not a stream!

10:00am Start Sunday June 7

Meet at Pinaus Lake Road (click here for directions and map) and be ready to ride at 10:00am Sunday June 7.

A convoy will be leaving the Tim Horton’s by Walmart Vernon on 58th Avenue at 8:45am if you want to tag along.

Remember we need to observe physical distancing so keep a safe distance from all other riders at all times from first arriving and throughout the day.

There’s a bunch of parking along Pinaus Lake Road with a few spots immediately after leaving the highway and much more where the road widens at 1km.

Plan on being out riding until approximately 4:00pm. We’ll stop for lunch but can’t guarantee we’ll have a campfire so pack a lunch, your camera, GPS and all safety and weather gear for the day.

Ride objectives include Woods Lake, Nugget Lake and others. Shouldn’t be dusty as the forecast is calling for a 60% chance of rain. For those new to the Vernon ATV Club, we ride rain or shine so you never need to worry if we’ll cancel a ride.

Club rides typically do 50-60kmh on Forest Service Roads (FSR) and slower on trails. Ride difficulty will range from easy riding on FSR to medium difficulty obstacles on trails. We work as a team on rides, if you riders encounter something above their ability we either help them through or find a way around.

Rides 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.

The Vernon ATV Club promotes responsible all terrain vehicle use. Riders must must carry their driver’s license, vehicle registration, and proof of $200,000 liability insurance for riding on forest service roads. Quad riders must wear a helmet, side x side riders aren’t required by law to wear helmets but we recommend they do.

Scavenger Hunt Ride Photos

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The Crystal Clear Guided Ride and the GPS Scavenger Hunt took riders to new trails and viewpoints across the north end of the Aberdeen Plateau and challenged riders to seek out the hidden locations. A great time was had by all!

GPS Coordinates for Scavenger Hunt

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We’ve had a number of people enter the coordinates from the Scavenger Hunt Score Card only to find the points showing in the middle of Kalamalka Lake, Downtown Vernon, etc. which is not where we hid them, promise!

The format we used in the score card is called Decimal Degrees (DD) .

50.18966 -119.1807

If you have been navigating since paper maps you’re likely most familiar with Degrees Minutes Seconds (DMS).

N50°11’22.776″ W119°10’50.52″

Or you may prefer Degrees and Decimal Minutes (DDM).

N50°11.3796 W119°10.842

The three formats look different but they all represent the exact same spot on earth. Where we run into problems is if the GPS is expecting one format but we enter the information from another format.

Scavenger Hunt Rides

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10:00am Sunday May 24 – King Eddy FSR

Sunday is National Scavenger Hunt Day but you can start now to find the hidden markers around the King Eddy/Aberdeen Plateau.

There are two options:

  1. GPS Scavenger Hunt
  2. Guided Ride with Scavenger Hunt Stops (scroll down for info)
    10:00am Start Sunday May 24 @ King Eddy FSR

GPS Scavenger Hunt

Start now to try to locate all 28 hidden coordinates. You’ll need a GPS, the score card, pen and camera to score maximum points!

Download the Scavenger Hunt Score Card

How Does it Work?
Use your GPS to find the hidden coordinates, write down the number from the laminated card attached to the tree and for bonus points take a selfie (that means you in the photo) with the location number.

Downloads (links removed after ride completed)

  • Download the Scavenger Hunt Score Card – PDF
    Please see our post about GPS formats if you don’t recognize the coordinate format we’ve used.
  • Download the Coordinates – GPX
    Coordinate waypoints are named SCVG A, SCVG B, etc.

Points

  • One Point will be awarded for each correct number/coordinate combination. Share a photo of your completed card for scoring.
  • One Bonus Point will be awarded for each laminated card you take a selfie with.
  • Five Bonus Points will be awarded to riders that take a selfie with the trash they find and pack out.

Share your photos on Facebook or Instagram and tag @vernonatvclub OR email your photos to info@vernonatvclub.ca

Prizes
ATVBC’s Annual Raffle is your chance to win a Polaris RZR Trail or $15,000 cash. One ticket will be awarded for each of the following:

  • Highest Score
  • Best Selfie with Garbage Packed Out
  • Random Draw Prize for All Participants

Deadline
All entries must be posted to Facebook or Instragram (and tagged with @vernonatvclub) or emailed to info@vernoantvclub.ca by 6:00pm Monday May 25.

Guided Ride with Scavenger Hunt Stops

Steve will be leading a ride starting at 10:00am Sunday May 24 from the bottom of King Eddy FSR with stops to let riders seek out hidden scavenger treasures.

Prizes (ATVBC Raffle Tickets) will be awarded to the rider that finds the most hidden trinkets and a random draw for all riders. 

Remember we’re still living in COVID times so keep a safe distance from other riders at all times.

This event is open to everyone who wants to attend, you don’t need to be a Vernon ATV Club member to participate.

If you are out in the forest and spot one of these tags please leave them in place so everyone can play.

  • National Scavenger Hunt Day Sunday May 24

Harris Creek Recon Ride

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Harris Creek to Kettle FSR Ride

Last weekend a handful of riders headed to Harris Creek to investigate reports the roads had been plowed for logging this winter meaning there should be a decent amount of snow free road riding at a minimum.

Arriving early in the morning (and keeping our distance at all times) we were the first riders to arrive and unload. After trying some side roads that were either blocked by snow or fallen trees, we returned to Harris Creek FSR then headed south to Home and Gunnar Roads which lead all the way to the Kettle FSR for a roadside campfire lunch break.

There are spectacular views along the way and the ride was still challenging due to the deep mud in spots from the 8′ high snowbanks melting onto the road. If you’re considering this trip you may need extra fuel to complete the trip to Kettle FSR and back because of the thick mud.

Harris Creek staging is approximately 10km from the 4 way stop in Lumby (Google Map Directions). It’s a wide forest service road with ample pullouts and flat areas to park and unload.

Click to view or download a GPX track of the ride

Click to view and download a GPX track of the ride

It was encouraging to see a large number of families out enjoying a spectacular Sunday in the forest.

Everyone we saw was riding responsibly and keeping their distance. Keep up the great work showing how responsible motorized recreation is a safe way to get out during these trying times.

Keep your Distance Ride

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11:00am start – Sunday March 29 @ Noble Canyon

IMPORTANT NOTE: Riders must comply with these rules to participate:

  1. Maintain a minimum of 2m (6′) from other people at all times.
  2. If you are isolating or quarantined – do not come on the ride.
  3. If you are exhibiting symptoms – do not come on the ride.
  4. If you are in a high-risk health group – do not come on the ride.
  5. If you want to ride like an idiot – do not come on the ride.

The ride could still be cancelled so check the club website and Facebook Sunday morning before heading to Noble Canyon.

The ride will start at 11:00am Sunday March 29 from the cattleguard at the bottom of Noble Canyon Road. Remember to keep a minimum of 2m (6′) from other riders when unloading and getting ready for the ride. No hugs, handshakes, high fives or fist bumps, that’s too close!

We recognize some people may be getting squirrelly from being home for a couple of weeks but this is a slow ride to “smell the flowers”.

This ride will be a very leisurely logging road ride, in fact it will probably be boring for most folks. As stated before, reckless riding is not welcome as there will be no rescues or putting SAR or emergency personnel at risk. We are going to enjoy the outdoors and take in some easily accessible viewpoints.  We are not going anywhere we may get stuck as there will be no groups of people helping push/pull stuck riders. 

There will not be a lunch campfire.

The End of Time Ride (Standard Time that is)

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10:00am Sunday March 8 – Noble Canyon Road

Daylight Savings begins this weekend so we kiss Standard Time goodbye with a ride. Meet at the cattleguard at Noble Canyon Road in Lavington at 10:00am. Remember to spring ahead an hour for Sunday’s ride!

The sun is out but there has been more snow than normal this year so there will still be lots of chances to get stuck, especially if you venture off the packed trails. Noble Canyon has seen a lot of ATV traffic this winter so there are well packed trails, we’ll see how far we can get.

Come prepared for winter riding, bring lunch and your camera. We try to have a fire but it isn’t always possible in winter conditions so keep that in mind for your lunch.

Club rides are open to everyone and the more the merrier so invite your friends.

The Vernon ATV Club promotes responsible all terrain vehicle use. Riders must must carry their driver’s license, vehicle registration, and proof of $200,000 liability insurance for riding on forest service roads. Quad riders must wear a helmet, side x side riders aren’t required by law to wear helmets but we recommend they do.

Do a Grouch a Favour Ride Day at Noble Canyon

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Starting Sunday February 16 at 11:00am

Do a Grouch a Favour Day is a great excuse to get out of the funk you’re in. You might be grouchy because it’s been too cold, there’s too much snow, it’s too grey, too much Christmas credit card debt or maybe you’re just generally grumpy.

Come on out for the 11:00am start at the bottom of Noble Canyon Road to shake off the case of the grumps you’ve got.

Everyone is welcome, you don’t need to be a Vernon ATV Club member to come out on a few rides. Meet other riders, discover new trails and turn that frown upside down with some ATV therapy.

The ride will be in winter conditions so come prepared for cold, snowy, wet and nasty and we’ll hope it’s not that bad. We usually try to have a lunch campfire so bring something to toast over the fire.

The Vernon ATV Club promotes responsible all terrain vehicle use. Riders must must carry their driver’s license, vehicle registration, and proof of $200,000 liability insurance for riding on forest service roads. Quad riders must wear a helmet, side x side riders aren’t required by law to wear helmets but we recommend they do.