6:00pm Friday December 5 @ Eagle Industries – 1801A Kal Lake Rd Vernon
Bring everything you throw in/on your quad or side x side when you go riding. We’ll review each person’s kit to check things like your first aid kit, recovery gear, emergency supplies and whatever else you bring along just in case.
We want you to have the supplies you need should you have a flat tire, get stuck, cut yourself with a saw, get jabbed by a branch, etc.
Please let us know by email if you’re coming by 9:00pm Thursday December 4 so we can have enough food for everyone. We’ll probably grab pizza but are open to suggestions.
Get your headlights ready for this spooky venture into the forest. Ride starts at 4:00pm at King Eddy FSR Staging on Highway 6 and will go until 7-8:00pm, well after dark!
Come prepared for all weather and bring a snack as we’ll try to have a campfire somewhere along the ride.
Riders from as far away as 100 Mile House, Fraser Lake, the Okanagan and the West Kootenay converged on Christina Lake Saturday September 20 and Sunday September 21 to join members of the Grand Forks ATV Club to ride the Columbia & Western Trail.
Saturday September 20 – Christina Lake Trails with Grand Forks ATV Club
Randy Ellenchuk from the Grand Forks ATV Club lead the group of 18 machines and 25 riders on a ride that started at the Santa Rosa parking lot on the Columbia & Western Trail. The ride headed west over the majestic 505′ long Smitten Trestle across the Kettle River to Cascade Falls with a number of stops along the way to share information about historic events and the area.
After time to enjoy the amazing scenery of Cascade Falls and history of what once was Cascade City, the ride retuned east back over the Smitten Trestle then climbed the mountains east of Christina Lake to ride the Green Tunnel and Fife Road area trails.
Sunday September 21 – Christina Lake to Castlegar with Grand Forks ATV Club
Rain had dampened the trails overnight resulting in a different mix of 18 machines and 24 riders showed up for the ride to Castlegar along the Columbia & Western Trail.
Jonas from the Public Land Use Society (a group dedicated to preserving public access to crown land in BC) joined the ride to show support for the Columbia & Western Trail and talk about his group’s efforts to preserve access and restore funding for the trail.
Again starting from the Santa Rosa parking lot, the ride headed north 10km to the Lafferty Link Road where the first of the new warning signs has been recently installed to warn users they are entering the section of the trail the government is no longer maintaining.
Proceeding along the trail the ride passed through a tunnel then under the Paulson bridge, past a number of information kiosks and picnic shelters then stopped for lunch at the Bulldog picnic shelter where we met a number of other recreation users on ATVs, motorcycles, Jeeps and cyclists from England and Germany on a months long trip of BC.
After passing through the 1km long Bulldog Tunnel (for the first time for many on the ride) it’s 30km to Castlegar passing through more tunnels and over impressive trestles. The Castlegar end of the trail has a large staging area that is always busy with ATVs, cyclists and hikers.
The return ride to Christina Lake was a mad dash when a storm blew in off Arrow Lake with strong winds and drenching rain.
Recently installed warning signs found when entering the section of the Columbia & Western Trail where the provincial government has ended maintenance.
Check back as we’ll be adding rides throughout fall to take advantage of the unmatched riding conditions.
Sunday September 28 – Dee Lake Ride Day We have a limited number of spots for this ride so email christian@vernonatvclub.ca to get the details on when and where we’re staging for this ride.
Saturday October 18 – Westside Ride with Kelowna ATV Club Part II The first ride was cut short by a freak mechanical where a rock wedged into a rad fan until it sprung a leak, the second kick at this ride will do the loop again including the trip over to Pinaus Lake and back.
We’re meeting at Tim Horton’s by Walmart, we’ll leave here at 8:15am to head to the staging on Westside Rd.
Saturday October 25 – Pre-ween Social & “Test your Lights” Night Ride 11:00am to 2:00pm – CANCELLED DUE TO A LACK OF REGISTRATIONS
4:00pm @ King Eddy – CANCELLED DUE TO A LACK OF INTEREST
Have a Ride Suggestion? Contact the club if you have an idea for when/where to ride or if you’d like to lead a ride.
PLEASE NOTE: we’re asking for people to contact the club to let us know if you’re coming for this one because the meeting point is the bush and we don’t feel like trying to hunt people down. If you’re attending email info@vernonatvclub.ca and we’ll fill you in on the details.
We will be leaving our usual Tim Horton’s meeting spot on 58th Avenue (opposite Walmart) at 8:00am.
Ride length will be approximately 150km, most machines will go that far on a tank but if you have fuel anxiety you’ll want to bring some extra gas.
This will be an all day ride, bring food and gear for a day on the trails.
Ride Recap
What a ride, thank you to Stephen and the Kelowna ATV Club for taking us on a tour of the Westside trails.
We staged from the parking lot across from Parker Cove and met at the junction of Whiteman Creek Rd and Sugarload Mountain Rd. From there we went south to the White Elephant Mine near the Valley of the Sun development then headed west and north to the Brett Mine for lunch.
After lunch a short stop at Bouleau Lake then the plan was to continue to Pinaus Lake but somehow a rock got stuck inside the radiator fan on one machine, every time the fan came on the rock would wear deeper into the radiator until it finally wore through dumping all the coolant.
A really fun ride through the haunting beauty of an area burnt by forest fire and the amazing recovery taking place. There are a couple areas where the trail is being compromise by runoff and a creek undercutting the trail so you have to be on your toes if you download this track from the Vernon ATV Club Trail Share.
A social get together where the ATV Club provides the main course and non-alcoholic beverages, you bring a side dish, lawn chair and your best ATV stories. Food will be served from 6:00 to 7:30pm.
Lakeshore Park & Beach is on the shore of Okanagan Lake near Kin Beach, has direct lake access and grassy areas where large groups can hang out.
Registration is required by 5:00pm Monday August 11 using the form below or email info@vernonatvclub.ca
Club members chose Saturday July 26 with more votes than all other dates combined so start getting ready to venture to this special spot. The safety meeting will be held near the start of Kingfisher FSR at 9:30am so we’re ready to ride at 10:00am.
Join the convoy in Vernon or Enderby:
In Vernon meet in the Tim Horton’s parking lot on 58th Avenue (across from Walmart). We’ll leave here at 7:45am for the 30 minute drive to Enderby
In Enderby meet at the Enderby Visitor Centre at 702 Railway Ave, leaving here at 8:30am for the 30 minute drive east along Enderby Mabel Lake Rd to the Kingfisher/ Three Valley Mabel FSR where there is parking alongside starting where the FSR road leaves the pavement.
The day before Mother’s Day, Michael is leading this trail work ride to clear the Lobster/Tunnel Trail that connects CJ Express to Oyama Lake FSR near Damer Lake. This trail is an important connector that enables a loop ride rather than having to ride King Eddy FSR back down again.
Safety meeting at 8:50am, ride rolls at 9:00am.
The plan is to perform 3 hours of trail work to clear the downed trees and alder encroaching on the trail to make a more enjoyable and safer experience for everyone.
Bring a lunch and your favourite trail clearing tool (chainsaw, hand saw, axe, brush saw, etc.) and the safety gear required for operating that tool.
A single tank of fuel will be enough for this ride. We’ll try to head for a ride after the trail work as a fun reward after a day revitalizing a great trail.
King Eddy FSR is approximately 9km east of Vernon on Highway 6, the staging area starts immediately off the highway with parking continuing alongside the road as needed.
Relax . Ride . Reconnect on this laid-back trail ride through the beautiful terrain of Noble Canyon.
This ride is ladies-led and encourages ladies to bring their quad or side x side for a fun day on the trails that includes lunch and stops at scenic viewpoints.
We will be heading up Noble Canyon for a leisurely ride and then a stop for lunch at our favourite lookout. There will be food and drink provided by the club as well as a souvenir activity that you can take home with you (no special skills required).
If you have concerns or are unsure about coming out (either due to trailering, unloading/loading, or you don’t drive) your significant other is welcome to attend the ladies ride. If your significant other has their own machine there will be a ride just for the guys.
Please email christian@vernonatvclub.ca or message 250-938-2228 if you have any dietary restrictions or questions regarding the ride. Can’t wait to see you all!
