Rides

Christmas Tree Ride – Sunday November 26

by

10:00am Start – Finished by 4:00pm @ King Eddy

CHANGE OF LOCATION: the ride is back at King Eddy. We were concerned there would be too much snow but that didn’t materialize so we’re back to King Eddy which is 9kms east of Vernon on Highway 6.

This is usually a fun ride that eventually turns its focus to finding a tree. The plan is to hit the trails for a couple of hours before stopping for a lunch campfire then the afternoon will be making our way back toward staging with an eye for the perfect tree (or not-so perfect as has been the case in the past).

View from Damer Lake Tower November 2023 – courtesy Backcountry Trackers

Ride Recap

That was a fun one with a big turnout of 14 machines and 18 riders enjoying dustless and minimal snow riding conditions.

The 80km route wandered the Aberdeen/King Eddy trails, stopped to enjoy the Oyama Lake campfire lookout and found some great fir trees growing on the roadbed.

Halloween Fun Day

by

Fun Day Recap

A beautiful day at The Ponds Rec Site with fun games, food and drink and 3 different takes on pumpkin launchers. The adults stayed close to the campfire because the sun didn’t reach high enough to penetrate the trees most of the day.

The kids had a great time tracking down treats on the treat trail and rolling pumpkins.

Thanks to the organizers for making the day happen and Jeremy and Angeline for taking a group for a ride around the Becker area. Great work by Allen, Claus and Michael for the three unique launcher designs and thank you Martina for the amazing photos.

The Pumpkin Launchers

Starts @ 9:30am Saturday October 28, 2023

Please register by email by 9:00pm Thursday October 26 for a fun-filled day at The Ponds Recreation Site at Noble Canyon. There will be fun for kids of all ages including pumpkin carving, a number of different games, a candy trail and pumpkin catapult.

The campfire will be going all day and food and drink provided by the club. If you have a young family this will be a fun day for the kiddos.

Bring your ATV or drive up in your car/truck/suv as there will be activities at The Ponds and rides going out throughout the day.

Becker Lake Road is a Forest Service Road (FSR) so expect potholes, washboard and snow as you get to the upper elevations near The Ponds. AWD or 4WD with good tires would be recommended but a 2WD car/truck with good winter tires should be okay if you know how to drive offroad in the winter. 

Activities include:

  • ATV rides to nearby viewpoints and longer rides
  • Cornhole
  • Axe throwing (Nerf version)
  • Kids Treat Trail
  • Pumpkin carving
  • Pumpkin launching from a couple different catapult/slingshot designs
  • Walk the trail and boardwalk around/over the pond

The forecast is for daily high temperatures in the low single digits in the valley so it will be right around freezing at The Ponds but it’s supposed to be clear and sunny. Dress warm because nothing ruins the fun like being cold.

The Ponds Recreation Site is 10.5km up Becker Lake FSR. We will lead a convoy of vehicles up from the cattleguard on Noble Canyon Road (400m from Highway 6) at 9:30am. Everyone who registers will receive detailed instructions on how to find The Ponds should they want to come up later in the day.

Please register by email by 9:00pm Thursday October 26 so we have enough pumpkins and food for everyone.

Photos from Halloween 2021 at The Ponds

Silver Star Work Party, Lunch & Ride II

by

9:30am start at Vernon Snowmobile Club Parking Lot

Starting with a safety meeting at 9:30am sharp on Sunday October 15 at the Vernon Snowmobile Association snowmobile parking lot in Silver Star Provincial Park, there is a morning work party to move the firewood we stacked so nicely (exactly a year ago) back into the majestic new Silver Star Chalet, followed by a campfire hotdog lunch then then a guided ride of the snowmobile/ATV trails in the Trinity Ricardo area.

RSVP my email to info@vernonatvclub.ca by 5:00pm Friday October 13 if attending so we have hotdogs, pop and chips for everyone.

WORK – The morning work party will consist of carrying firewood from the outside pile into the new chalet.

RIDE – The ride is an intermediate level ride due to some mud sections, tricky rain ruts and decent pace to cover the distance required to be back before dark. A single tank of fuel will be ample for the day, remember to pack clothes for all conditions as Silver Star is at 1700+ metres elevation and the weather can change fast.

There are 3 outhouses along the ride route, we expect to be done and back at the snowmobile parking lot by 5:00pm at the latest.

Directions: The turnoff to Silver Star Provincial Park is 18.5kms from the Butcher Boys intersection of Pleasant Valley Road and Silver Star Rd, turn left onto Sovereign Lake Road, drive 2km then turn right and follow the road to the upper snowmobile parking lot where you can unload your ATV.

Ride Recap

A HUGE thank you to everyone who came out today to move the firewood into the Vernon Snowmobile Association’s new chalet.

After moving a mountain of wood everyone had a nutritious campfire lunch of hotdogs, chips, cookies, pop and halloween candies and told stories in the beautiful fall weather before a ride through the park and along snowmobile trails in the Trinity Ricardo recreation area.

Thanks again volunteers, it took a lot of people to get all that firewood stacked up inside the chalet.

Friday Night BBQ & GPS Challenge

by

5:30-6:30pm BBQ, 7pm Ride Start Friday September 8

Are you up for a Friday night ride? How about a BBQ before we head out to test your GPS navigation skills?

Mandatory registration for the BBQ by email to info@vernonatvclub.ca by 3pm on Friday September 8. Tell us how many people and hot dog or hamburger.

The BBQ runs from 5:30-6:30pm, the ride heads out at 7pm and go until??? You’ll need headlights because it’s getting dark around 8pm these days. BBQ is at the King Edward FSR staging area directly off Highway 6, 9km east of Vernon.

For the GPS Challenge portion, one rider in the group will be assigned the task of navigating to the next GPS coordinate (the group will ride together, we don’t need folks lost in the dark).

Bring your GPS or your phone and GPS app and your questions, a number of club GPS trainers will be in attendance to help. Remember to pack extra clothes when riding at a higher elevation, the weather changes quickly and often is rainy and cold when it’s nice at the valley bottom.

Rides are open to everyone, if you’re not a member please feel free to come to a couple of rides to meet other riders and find new trails. 

Get back at it Ride!

by

9am start – Sunday September 3 @ King Eddy

Rain, rain, rain… now it’s time to get back to riding. The ride starts at 9am this Sunday, September 3 at the parking/staging area at King Eddy just off Highway 6 with a planned wrap up around 2pm.

This ride will be a mix of FSR and trail, most riding is at an upper beginner to intermediate level with a few more technical sections sprinkled in. This is not a slow sightseeing ride, plan to cover 80-100km. There will be a couple of breaks, bring snacks or lunch.

Riding on the Aberdeen Plateau means changing weather conditions, come prepared with extra clothes because there is an increased chance of cold and rainy at elevation.

Rides are open to everyone, if you’re not a member please feel free to come to a couple of rides to meet other riders and find new trails. 

Mara Mountain Lookout Ride

by

9:00am July 30 start time at 3 Valley Mabel FSR

It’s a bit rough and rocky getting to the top but the view is well worth it.

A convoy starts in Vernon from Tim Horton’s on 58th Avenue (across from Walmart) at 7:30am Sunday July 30 for Enderby where we meet at the Enderby Tourism Visitor Centre (turn right at the RCMP detachment onto Granville Ave and continue straight to Railway Street where you turn left and park).

Vernon Tim Horton’s (58th Avenue) to Enderby Tourist Visitor Centre

https://goo.gl/maps/iCiZ4Zx6y17vqqqu5

Enderby Tourist Visitor Centre to 3 Valley Mabel FSR

The second leg of the road trip leaves Enderby at 8:00am for the staging area on 3 Valley Mabel FSR. Drive 30km east of Enderby on Mabel Lake Road and turn left onto 3 Valley Mabel FSR when you see the snowmobile area sign.

If you’re not ready to join the convoy then you need to study the directions so you can find your way there.

https://goo.gl/maps/b43sFmBhtLqW82Bu7

There will be a short safety meeting before the 9:00am ride start.

Ride Details:

  • Total ride length approximately 70km = one tank of fuel
  • Upper beginner to intermediate level ride difficulty
  • Extremely rough and rocky terrain
  • Off trail riding will not be tolerated!!!
  • Bring snacks, drinks and a lunch as there will be a short break for snacks and an extended break at the lookout
  • Bring bug spray and sunscreen
  • The ride is open to everyone, you do not need to be a Vernon ATV Club member to attend

Friday Night Ride @ Mt Ida

by

7:00pm Start from Deep Creek Rd Staging

The ride will start at 7:00pm Friday Evening from the staging area 1km up the FSR from Deep Creek Road (the driveway marker opposite the FSR is #487 Deep Creek Road).

The track we are following says it should take about 3-4 hours depending on how many breaks we take so make sure to bring some snacks!

The weather should be good but as usual bring your rain/cooler weather gear just in case.

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.

Longest Day of the Year – Evening Ride

by

6:00pm Start Saturday June 17 @ King Eddy FSR

It’s a club tradition that we get out for a ride to enjoy the long hours of summer daylight. This ride typically winds across the King Eddy plateau to as many viewpoints, lakes and fun trails as possible and returns to the parking lot somewhere around 10:00pm before it’s really dark enough to need headlights.

The safety meeting gets started at 5:45pm at the cattleguard at King Eddy FSR with the ride starting at 6:00pm. Bring gear for all conditions (and bug spray), it’s June so it could be hot or it could be raining, or both!

Vernon ATV Club Rides & Events are open to everyone, we encourage new riders to join us for a couple of rides to meet folks, find new trails and decide if the Vernon ATV Club is for you.

Ride Recap

We had 11 people (8 machines) come out for our (not so) longest day of the year ride on June 18th. We had to turn around once due to trees on the trail and the plan is to head back out for a clearing run to get that opened up. Otherwise we followed the FSR over to the Lobster Trail and rode up to the radio tower for an evening view. The view then got a little dark with some black clouds bearing down on us. No one wanted to get caught in the possible coming storm so after a few bites to eat we headed down the trail passing a few groups of happy campers.

Just as we got back to the trucks the rain started and quickly went from vertical to horizontal (talk about good timing!). All it all while it wasn’t as long as we wanted it was still a decent evening ride.

King Eddy & Noble Canyon Cleanup

by

Friday May 26 through Sunday May 28

Come join us for a weekend of camping, good company, and cleaning our local stomping grounds. We will be dealing with the litter and old RVs along King Eddy and at Noble Canyon.

The gate to the sort yard at King Eddy will be open Friday evening so feel free to come out with your campers and tents. Be sure to follow the yellow arrows going into the sort yard, it’s pretty mucky right now so you don’t want to get off the beaten path.

The plan is to use our trucks, SUVs, trailers. to pick up and haul junk because it’s way quicker than using ATVs. There is a big garbage bin in the sort yard where everything will go so we’ll likely have multiple trips from the sort yard out to the various garbage deposits then back to the bin.

Saturday night dinner will be provided but if you want “adult drinks” you must provide your own as everyone has different tastes. Please RSVP by Friday May 26th if you would like dinner on the Saturday so we can make sure we have enough for all.


What You Need to Know

  1. Register by 5:00pm Friday May 26 to if you would like in on the Saturday afternoon BBQ.
  2. The gates to the Sort Yard on King Eddy FSR open at 5:00pm Friday May 26 for campers.
  3. Dry camping is available Friday and Saturday nights, gates close at 6:00pm Sunday.
  4. The Clean Up safety meeting starts at 9:30am Saturday May 27.
  5. The Saturday afternoon BBQ starts at 5:00pm Saturday May 27.
  6. There will be a ride from King Eddy staging at 10:00am Sunday May 28.

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. The gate will be open from 5:00pm Friday evening until it closes at 6:00pm Sunday. Google Map to Sort Yard – https://goo.gl/256nGA

We will have an outhouse 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:

  • A truck or trailer for the cleanup
  • 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.


Schedule of Events:

Friday May 26

  • 5:00pm – Gates open for campers (Map to Sort Yard)
  • All evening – Stories around the campfire

Saturday May 27

Sunday May 28

  • 10:00am – Pre-ride safety meeting
  • 6:00pm – Sort Yard gate closed