Rides

10:00am Start @ Deep Creek Road Staging

FREE HOTDOG BBQ LUNCH FOR MEMBERS - $5 FOR NON MEMBERS

RSVP by 5:00pm Friday June 4 via our website or by emailing info@vernonatvclub.ca

We’re back to hosting group rides but we must continue being COVID responsible citizens.
Riders must maintain physical distance of 6′ or more from other riders not in their bubble and wear masks any times you may be in close proximity of other riders.

The ride will start from the Deep Creek Road staging area after a safety meeting at 10:00am sharp!

Google Directions to Deep Creek Road Staging.

If you’re coming from Vernon there will be a convoy leaving the Tim Horton’s parking lot on 53rd Avenue (across from Walmart) at 8:45am.

Start Time: 10:00am Safety Meeting
End Time: approximately 4:00pm
Ride Length: up to 80km, a single tank of fuel in your machine should suffice
Ride Difficulty: Beginner to Intermediate trails with other members assisting at difficult obstacles if needed
Ride Speed: up to 60kmh on Forest Service Road sections
Number of Breaks: 3 planned breaks at 10:30am check-in, 12:30 lunch break and afternoon snack break
Bathroom Facilities: we will stop at Silver Creek Community Park after lunch where there are toilets, we are unsure if they are open with current COVID restrictions.
Machine Size: machines up to mid-60 inch size should fit on the trails. If you ride a wider machine you should come prepared to do some trimming, just in case.

Our first ride back as a group since the fall of 2020. The ride will proceed at a safe trail speed and as fast as 60kmh on Forest Service Road sections. Trail conditions vary from Forest Service Roads to old and deactivated roads that have grown in over the years to now become narrower trails.

There will be a 1/2 hour lunch break (free BBQ for members, $5 for friends and guests) and a couple of other short stops to enjoy numerous viewpoints.

We will be using the leapfrog method of marking corners where the leader instructs a rider to park at a corner to indicate the way then that rider joins back on in front of the tailgunner. 

A little (or a lot) of rain has never stopped a Vernon club ride so come prepared for all conditions.

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!

Ride Recap: A spectacular day on the trails of the west side of Mt Ida. Starting from the Silver Creek Community Park due to how treacherous the Deep Creek access would be with the amount of snow.

A big group, 28 riders in 24 machines clambered the hillside to enjoy the panoramic view of the Salmon River valley and Fly Hills and the winding trails.

Allen led the group up to the viewpoint then past Lost Lake then along some fun deactivated trails before heading back down through the slippery zone on the way back to staging.

10:00am Sunday November 15, 2020

The votes are in and Mt Ida was the winning ride location. The ride safety meeting starts at 10:00am.

We’re challenging everyone to give us much as they can when they attend this ride, whether it’s food or cash for the food bank or a gift for Santa’s Anonymous.

COVID-19 is our new reality so if you’re not feeling well don’t attend. If you do attend you must maintain social distancing throughout the day.

Ride safety meeting starts at 10:00am at Silver Creek Community Park off Salmon River Road. Join the convoy leaving the Tim Horton’s on 58th Avenue (across from WalMart) at 9:00am sharp!

The ride will feature a variety of trails from forest service roads to technical trails with difficulty reaching upper intermediate for short sections. The club will have spotters at difficult sections or get your machine around or through. The trails will accommodate quads and side x sides up to approximately 68″ wide.

Bring a lunch, we will try to have a campfire to warm up by at lunch but don’t plan on being able to cook lunch over the fire. Outhouse options are limited at Mt Ida so be prepared for bush business.

Vernon ATV Club rides go rain, snow, sleet and even sun. If you’re up for a ride someone will be there to join you!

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.

Ride Recap: Good fun on the snowy trails this past Sunday. It was great to have Steve back leading rides after a busy summer away, his first ride back started a bit later after a few machines experienced dead batteries and low tires after a summer of neglect. 

11 riders in 10 machines started out in brisk conditions that didn’t warm up much until late in the afternoon. Perfect early winter riding with up to 10″ of snow in places making for smooth trails and fun factor without danger of getting stuck.

10:00am Start Sunday October 25 Noble Canyon

Ready to ride at 10:00am at the bottom of Noble Canyon Road in Lavington. Remember to unload past the cattleguard then park your vehicle back alongside the road toward the highway.

This is a leisurely ride with approximately 6 or 7 stops throughout the day. The goal is to head up to Cactus Ridge, the hang glider launch and then hopefully make it back to Becker Lake and back down by 5:00pm.

Ride speeds will range from 30kmh on trails to 50kmh on roads will be suitable for upper beginner/intermediate level riders and up. A single tank of fuel will be adequate for the entire ride.

We’ll have a campfire at lunch so bring something to cook over the fire. The ride will go past one or more recreation sites for outhouse stops during the 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.

10:00am Sunday October 25 – Mt Ida

Meet at Mt Ida staging off Deep Creek Road at 10:00am. If you’re coming from Vernon the convoy leaves the Tim Hortons on 58th Avenue at 9:00am.

The first hour or two will be theory and discussion then we’ll hop on the ATVs and apply what we’ve learned and have each trainee lead the group for a while.

What to bring:

1. Food & drink for a day on the trails (the club brings coffee and donuts for the morning)
2. A GPS isn’t required but is strongly recommended
3. A pen and paper to take notes
4. Clothing for all weather conditions
5. Your “oh poop” supplies including: emergency gear/first aid kit/repair kit

Please register by email to info@vernonatvclub.ca by 5:00pm Friday, reference materials will be emailed to participants Friday evening.

Ride difficulty will range from FSR to technical trails rated up to intermediate difficulty. One tank of fuel will be more than enough for the amount of riding done during the day. We may not ride by an outhouse so come prepared to do your business in the bushes.

Weather never stops the Vernon ATV Club, even if it’s raining or snowing the event goes on. Once we’ve posted a ride/event it’s going to happen so come prepared for a good time!

Contact the Vernon ATV Club at 250-550-5290 or email info@vernonatvclub.ca to register or if you have any questions.

Thanks to these 11 brave souls who came out on a snowy and soggy Sunday morning to trim back the alder and branches on the Rock Spine Trail.

10:00am Start Sunday October 18

A couple of trails are getting pretty tight with alder doing what alder does best. We’ll spend a couple of hours of trimming the bush back to restore the trails to rideable condition then we’ll hit the trails after lunch for some quality ride time.

The club owns a couple brush saws (weed wackers with blades) and a pole saw that we’ll bring. We will may need a couple chain saws as well but we’ll also need people to throw the trimmings off the trail.

Safety is our top priority, bring all appropriate personal protective equipment if you are going to be operating power equipment. COVID-19 is still a reality so everyone needs to keep their distance throughout the day and stay home if you’re not feeling well.

Bring something for lunch, we’ll have a campfire to roast food and warm up by. Remember at this time of year and elevation the weather changes fast so bring clothing for all conditions.

The ride portion will be on FSR and trails ranging from Green (Beginner) to Blue (Intermediate) experience levels. Assistance is available to get riders through should we encounter a difficult obstacle along the ride.

Speeds will range from low speed trails up to 50/60kmh on FSR sections. A single tank of fuel will be sufficient for the anticipated ride distance of less than 80kms.

There are numerous recreation sites along the ride so outhouses will be available if needed.

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.

Ride Recap: Success at last, our first attempt at this ride was thwarted by snow 2 years ago this same weekend. The weather didn’t look too promising in the week leading up to the ride but thankfully the weather people smiled on us and we had rain in the days prior to cut the dust and sun all day while riding.

The morning started early with 20 riders and 17 machines at the morning safety meeting at 7:45am in a brisk wind and on their machines ready to go shortly after 8:00am.

The route wound its way along roads, trails and past lakes, viewpoints and recreation sites throughout the day.

There were two 45 minute stretches of FSR riding to transit to other trails, we’d like to cut these out but Graystokes Park means no cross trails connecting separate riding areas very easily.

After putting up with the extended road sections riders were rewarded with a great climbing trail up McAuley Creek to the Aberdeen Plateau. The final stop of the ride was at Edwin Lake then home to staging for a total start to finish time just under 10 hours with 240kms covered.

Kudos to all riders for an excellent job doing leapfrog on the corners, not a single lost rider or missed turn all day long! For such a long ride it was uneventful with no mechanicals and everyone had enough fuel for the entire ride.

View and Download the Epic 250 GPS Track

8:00am Start Sunday September 27

We last tried this 2 years ago but were snowed out. Let’s see if we can make it happen in 2020, it’s a crazy year so why not!

This ride is not for everyone, here’s what you need to know to participate in this ride:

• Ready to ride at 8:00am sharp!!!
• You must be able to ride 65kmh minimum on FSR stretches
• Your machine has to be in good mechanical order
• You must bring enough fuel to go 250kms
• Be prepared for fewer/shorter breaks than normal club rides

We will be turning riders away that aren’t able to meet the criteria above.

Ok, so you’re up for the ride? Read on then!

Starting at 8:00am Sunday, September 27 from the bottom of King Eddy FSR in Coldstream. It’s a long ride so we need to start early, keep up a good pace and we’ll still be late in the afternoon getting back.

Ride difficulty is upper intermediate due to the speed, nothing greater than intermediate level difficulty obstacles along the route.

There will be a mix of trail and FSR with extended sections of FSR which is unavoidable on a ride this length. Consider bringing ear plugs because one section is 30+ minutes of FSR done at cruising speed (65kmh minimum) which gets a bit tiring on the ears.

Bring food and drink for a full day on the trails. Breaks will be short and they won’t happen very often so bring something you can poke down quickly. We will pass a number of recreation sites with outhouses for those in need of facilities. Remember we’re still in COVID times so everyone must keep a safe distance from others throughout the day.

We reach 6,000ft elevation along the route so bring cold/wet weather riding gear.

Ride Route – this isn’t 100% accurate as it has been simplified to reduce the number of waypoints but is a pretty close approximation of the 250km ride route.

Download the GPX file and bring your GPS or download a 3 month free trial of Gaia GPS App to your phone to track the ride.

Please get in touch if you have any questions by email at info@vernonatvclub.ca

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.

An amazing day with our 4 new Ride Leader trainees Angeline, Bob, Gerry and Randy. A+ marks to all and we couldn’t have done it without current leader Allen’s help but he didn’t lead so no grade for him.

The day started with 2 hours of theory and productive discussions then each new leader took their turn leading the ride.

Watch for upcoming rides with our new leaders.

9:00am Saturday September 19 – King Eddy FSR

It’s a go! Meet at the parking lot at the bottom of King Edward Forest Service Road at 9:00am. The first hour or so will be theory then we’ll hop on the ATVs and apply what we’ve learned and have each trainee lead the group for a while.

What to bring:

1. Food & drink for a day on the trails
2. A GPS isn’t required but is strongly recommended
3. A pen and paper to take notes
4. Clothing for all weather conditions
5. Your “oh poop” supplies: emergency gear/first aid kit/repair kit
6. 5-10 litres of extra fuel in case we get a lot of riding in

More training materials will be shared to participants Thursday afternoon.

Weather never stops the Vernon ATV Club, even if it’s raining the event will go on. Once we’ve posted a ride/event it’s going to happen so come prepared!

Contact the Vernon ATV Club at 250-550-5290 or email info@vernonatvclub.ca to register or if you have any questions.

There’s no question fall is the best riding of the year and the club is working hard to plan events to get as many miles under your knobbies as possible.

We know it’s hard for some folks to attend rides on short notice so get your calendar and red pen out and tell your wife/husband/partner/parents/kids you’re busy the following dates:

• Saturday September 19 – Ride Leader Training Session 1
• Sunday September 27 – The Epic 250km Ride at King Eddy
• Sunday October 4 – Trail Maintenance with Vernon Snowmobile Club
• Sunday October 18 – King Eddy Trail Maintenance & Ride
• Sunday October 25 – Ride Leader Training Session 2
• Saturday October 31 – Halloween Dress up Ride
• Sunday November 15 – National Clean Out Your Fridge Day Ride
• Sunday December 6 – Just Because We Should Ride Ride
• Friday January 1 – Start the Year off Right Ride

If you have an idea for a ride contact the Vernon ATV Club by email at info@vernonatvclub.ca

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.