This ride starts from the gravel pit on Durnin Road off the Trinity Valley Road. Durnin Road is 3km from the bridge over the Shuswap River on Trinity Valley Road. There is a gravel pit that is normally (always?) open for parking a short distance after tuning off the paved road.
Jim is really enjoying his new Polaris Ace so has offered to lead a ride to Pinaus Lake and Tuktakamin Mountain Sunday morning. The ride starts early to beat the heat and you should bring a jacket because the Tuktakamin Mountain summit is at 1775m (5825 feet) elevation so it may be cool at the top.
The forestry fire lookout that lived atop Tuktakamin Mountain from the 1950s to 2005 now resides at the Falkland Museum & Heritage Park on the left as you enter Falkland heading west toward Kamloops. Lookouts were always placed to provide a commanding view of as much terrain as possible so the view from the top is amazing.
Ride Staging Area See the images below for directions to the staging area. Google Maps calls it Pinaus Lake Road but the FSR is named Ingram Creek Rd. Drive 1km up this FSR to where you find a wide area to park.
DO NOT PARK AT THE KML MEAT PROCESSING PLANT ROAD which is also called Pinaus Lake Road – this is not the staging area.
This is what the turnoff looks like as you are heading west toward Westwold.
Connecting Vernon, Beaverdell, Renata, Edgewood and other communities
Inspired by the success of the North Island 1000 that visits multiple communities on northern Vancouver Island, we wanted to explore the concept of a multiday offroad route that incorporates smaller communities that are open to ATVs accessing fuel and amenities.
A handful of machines left King Eddy at 8:00am on Canada Day on the first leg of the journey on familiar trails regularly used for club rides. Once past Ideal Lake the ride ventured onto trails only used by the club on the Epic 250km ride a couple of years ago, then the route turned onto Okanagan Falls/201 FSR where it was all new terrain. There are two legal road crossings (with stop signs on either side of the pavement) for Big White Road and Highway 33.
We arrived at Beaverdell 4 hours after leaving King Eddy but made the mistake of trying to access Beaverdell along the KVR from the south and encountered a boulder placed at a bridge blocking ATV access (locals informed us to come in on the KVR from the north to get into town). Each machine was packing extra fuel (40L for side x sides, 20L for quads) so we skipped the planned Beaverdell fuel and food/grocery stop and continued south where we encountered the third legal crossing back over Highway 33 to start heading east.
The temperature was climbing and all the roads were freshly graded so Taurus (Bull) Lake Recreation Site provided a welcome break from the heat and dust and an opportunity to meet locals fishing for the day.
The afternoon portion of the ride took the group down to the Christian Valley where we had approximately 5km of pavement riding before getting back on the FSR that went up, down, up and down again before arriving at Gable Creek Recreation Site, a beautiful campsite at the confluence of Gable Creek and Granby River.
Riders quickly converted into campers, setting up their tents, getting the campfire going and supper underway. While sitting around the evening campfire we watched two bears cross the bridge over the Granby River then disappear into the forest opposite our campsite.
After approximately 275km of riding sleep came quickly with the cool breeze and soothing stream sounds providing the perfect antidote even for seasoned insomniacs.
A group of riders from the Grand Forks ATV Club stopped at the rec site just as we were heading out Saturday morning, they were on the annual ride on a favourite trail and shared their knowledge of the area.
The first objective was Renata on the shores of Arrow Lake and we were all smiling ear to ear after enjoying the absolutely amazing trails maintained by the Grand Forks ATV Club. Renata is a slight departure from the shortest route to Edgewood but the view from the beach makes you want to plunk down in the sand and enjoy a sunny afternoon.
Knowing that we still had nearly 300km of riding ahead we headed back out on the FSR. Burnt trees from the previous years forest fires lined the roads most of the way to Edgewood. It’s possible to make good time on the wide and well maintained FSRs in this area but you also have to keep it somewhat in check because going off the road would send you a long, long way down the steep hillside.
We arrived in Edgewood in the early afternoon and headed straight to the Edgewood General Store to line up at the fuel pumps and grab some lunch then stopped at a roadside ice cream truck before heading back onto the trails.
This section of the trail from Edgewood to Kettle Valley had a big question mark on it because we’ve been told a trail exists but that it was steep and narrow. It turns out it is passable by 64″ side x sides (even with cargo racks and rooftop tents) and we found the steep section which is a 20′ slippery rock face which was a reasonably easy climb in a side x side but most will want to winch up on a quad.
Once back out of the tight forest and incessant buzzing of mosquitoes, the group started making miles on the higher elevation FSRs near Mt Scaia and Lightning Peak. A refreshing break was taken at the Kettle River Recreation Site before the final blast along Harris Creek FSR then a mix of our regular trails on the Aberdeen Plateau to finish up back to the King Eddy staging area at 9:00pm.
The ride was approximately 600km in length and forms one possible backbone that can provide a nearly unlimited number of jumping off points for side trips to lakes, mountain vistas, recreation sites and access into other communities.
600km is a fair amount of ground to cover in two days but can be done by maintaining 80kmh where possible on the FSR. This loop could easily be turned into a three to seven/ten/fourteen? day trip by exploring more side trails, stopping more often and basing your camp at one of the countless recreation sites for further exploration of an area.
We found our machines could go further on fuel than we gave them credit for but it’s nice having the option of accessing fuel in Beaverdell and Edgewood. We definitely recommend bringing extra fuel equal to what your fuel tank holds (40L for side x sides and 20L for quads) so you have the flexibility to explore further.
Beaverdell and Edgewood are open to ATVs riding into town to access services provided you ride responsibly and with respect or we all could lose access.
The route was developed on GaiaGPS using a combination of satellite and road layers vetted by reviewing public tracks shared by other users. Now that we’ve ridden the route there are a few modifications we’ll make for future trips, partially to simplify or improve the route but also to take in new sections of trail and see different areas.
The weather may not have cooperated but that didn’t stop a huge turnout from members of 4WDABC, Okanagan Forest Task Force, Vernon ATV Club, local paragliders and citizens from heading out to the bush to clean the forest.
As folks arrived Saturday morning the crowd grew under the assembled tents as rain threatened. After a safety meeting groups were giving their pre-scouted dump site assignments so fanned out across the King Eddy/Aberdeen Plateau to retrieve all manner of trash ranging including household waste, appliances, paint, tires, mattresses, pallets, steel, wrecked cars, pallet fire nail caches and so much more.
With over 4 tons of junk in the garbage bins graciously provided by LRM Contracting, the triumphant cleanup workers were rewarded with a big BBQ with burgers, corn on the cob, chips, salad and more followed by a night around the campfire for those who brought campers to stay at the cleanup site.
A big thank you to everyone who gave their weekend to clean the North Okanagan backcountry we all love!
What started as a cleanup in support of BC Trails Day has grown to a weekend celebration of outdoor recreation including camping, the cleanup, rides and a Volunteer Appreciation BBQ.
Dry camping is available Friday and Saturday nights, gates close at 6:00pm Sunday.
The Clean Up safety meeting starts at 9:30am Saturday June 4.
The Volunteer Appreciation BBQ starts at 4:00pm Saturday June 4.
Getting Here
All the action takes place at the Sort Yard which is the gate to the left of the cattle guard at the bottom of King Eddy Forest Service Road. There will be a yellow “The MOATCU” sign pointing into the sort yard, and the gate will be open from 5:00pm Friday evening until it closes at 6:00pm Sunday (we’ll close the gate at 11:00pm each night). Google Map to Sort Yard – https://goo.gl/256nGA
We will have outhouses at the Sort Yard but there are no services for campers (water, sewage, electricity), it’s dry camping in a large field.
What to bring for the cleanup:
Your chosen vehicle
Your trusty navigation & communication tools
Good boots, gloves and clothing for all weather
A rake, shovel, rolling magnet and bucket (if you have them – they’re used for pallet fire cleanup)
Bug spray and sunscreen
Food and drink during the cleanup
We will be supplying garbage bags, 5 gallon buckets, a list of cleanup areas and a giant dumpster to put all the garbage in. Some of the cleanup sites will be concentrated areas but we will also ask some people to cruise the roads and trails looking for trash.
After the cleanup we’ll have a way of getting yourself washed up before diving into the big BBQ to thank all the amazing volunteers for their hard work.
Picking up after other people is only so much fun, that’s why we have camping and rides planned throughout the weekend. We hope you can join us to camp for the weekend or take in one or more of the rides.
We’re being joined by Okanagan Forest Task Force and 4WDABC for the weekend. Come pitch in to help clean up our riding areas and meet other outdoor enthusiasts.
A fun ride today that originally split off with half the group checking trails for snow and the other half looking for garbage dump sites. We used our Garmin inReach devices to decide where to meet for lunch at Damer Lake Rec Site then continued to Grizzly Lake to complete the loop after lunch.
10:00am Ride Start – Sunday May 29 – King Eddy FSR
Join the ride this Sunday morning to see what trails are snow free and assess the number of dump sites to plan for next weekend’s cleanup
Everyone in attendance must complete the ATVBC Waiver prior to riding so please complete the waiver ahead of time and bring your phone with the confirmation email so we can check you off. Once you’ve filled out the waiver you’re good the entire duration of your current membership.
When The pre-ride safety meeting starts at 9:45am and the ride heads out at 10:00am sharp. We should be done and back down at the parking area by 4:00pm.
Trail Difficulty Rating Beginner to Intermediate roads and trails will be ridden and we’ll probably encounter snow, ice and slippery trails.
Ride Speed Speeds will reach up to 60kmh on open Forest Service Roads and will be at a sustained 30-50kmh on trail sections.
Trailside Bathrooms We are riding past one or more recreation sites with outhouses.
Viewpoints and Breaks There will be a few breaks to take in the views, for snacks and a longer lunch break.
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 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.
It would be greatly appreciated if you can lend a few hours of your time to help clean up that area and we may spread out and see what other dump sites have sprung up over the winter.
Okanagan Forest Task Force has a self loading truck and a bin for all the RV steel but with people being people there probably is other junk out there… and who knows what the party spot/shooting gallery under the powerlines looks like!
What to Bring:
your ATV if you want to ride around looking for trash (and do a little riding after?)
your car/truck if you’re just coming to the main mess at 2km
gloves, good boots, dirty clothes
something to clean up with after
Signing the Waiver – because this is a club organized event, all participants will be required to sign the waiver saying you won’t sue the organizers or the club if you are injured at the event. If you’d like to sign the waiver ahead of time please visit the ATVBC website and bring a copy of the email or a screenshot on your phone Saturday.
I was frustrated when I first heard about the new waiver requirements imposed on ATVBC by its insurance company and what it would mean for rides and events. It concerns me that our legal system rewards someone injured while willingly participating in a club event instead of holding them accountable for their actions and decisions. Given a few minutes to reflect, I put myself in the shoes of someone injured who loses the ability to make a living for months or years and came to understand why they might try using the legal system to keep themselves and their family afloat at the expense of volunteers and their organizations.
I don’t have the power to change the legal system so I accepted that we would need to comply with the new waiver requirements so our club could continue to function without risking the financial future of all our volunteers. Our volunteer directors, ride leaders, tail gunners and everyone who has ever been in a decision making role in the club have spent too much time, energy and money sharing the love of ATVing with others to be sued for everything they own.
Why Waivers? Signing the waiver means you’re waiving your right to sue the club, directors, ride leaders, etc. Please read the waiver on the ATVBC website and be sure you understand what it means for your legal rights should you be injured at a club event.
As of May 1, 2022 all new and renewing memberships can only be purchased via the ATVBC website. When you complete the membership form you are required to accept the waiver.
As of May 1, 2022, all people participating in club rides and events will be required to have signed the waiver. The recommendation from ATVBC (its insurance company) is that we have everyone sign a waiver at every event to ensure we don’t miss anyone. The club is still determining if it will track who has a current waiver or if we’ll use the waivers for everyone approach.
Non-members and guest riders are still welcome on rides provided they read, understand and sign the waiver.
What Does This Mean For You? You either sign the waiver and can participate in club rides and events, or you don’t sign and you can’t.
Effective May 1st, ATVBC will be converting to on-line transactions for the purchase of new or renewal club memberships. This will mean the end of the paper transactions that we had been used to. Over the past few years, the majority of Vernon club members have already made this switch and have been using the ATVBC website to purchase their club memberships.
It’s long overdue to give a big shout-out to the staff at Johnston Meier’s Vernon office for their service in handling the paper renewals at their office for these many years. Please be aware that you will no longer be able to purchase your ATVBC membership at their office as of April 30th. You will need to bring your ATVBC membership information with you when you go to get your insurance. Please be kind and respect the Johnston Meier staff if they politely inform you that you have to bring your membership paperwork with you.
For those members who are renewing, you should have received a reminder email from ATVBC where you can click on the URL in the invoice to lead you through the process. Otherwise you can go to the website www.atvbc.ca and click on the Join ATVBC link to take you to the renewal.
Once your purchase is complete, you will get an email from ATVBC with your membership details and a membership card you can print out if needed. You will need to take this info with you when go to renew your machine’s insurance policy in order to get the club discount. In a hurry? You can screenshot or print your membership card while you are still on-line after making your purchase and take that to your insurance agent.
Your membership is valid for 1 year and you will receive a renewal reminder via email prior to the expiry date. As always, please ensure that you advise ATVBC of any changes to your email address so that they can keep you up to date.
