Ellison to Winfield via the Okanagan Rail Trail (ORT)

I got into cycling when I turned 50 in 2025. Almost immediately after buying a 2nd hand Salsa Cutthroat gravel bike and a brand new Cervelo Soloist road bike, I found myself in Vernon, BC on a family vacation. We’ve been going to Ellison Provincial Park for many years with my wife’s family and I knew there was supposed to be good cycling in the Okanagan so I brought both bikes along.

Since I was still relatively new to road and gravel cycling in 2025, I poked around at some routes but didn’t do anything too involved. I did end up on the Okanagan Rail Trail a few times and decided that in 2026 I’d give it a longer shot. For some reason I decided that a hot summer afternoon in early August was the best time to try cycling from Ellison Provincial Park to Winfield. Not my best decision.

The route was simple enough for the most part. I left Ellison and pedaled up and then down Eastside Road until it became Okanagan Landing. I followed Okanagan Landing Road to 34th street running south, then turned immediately left on 24th avenue and then south again on a very steep climb up 33rd street (this avoids traffic on a busy 34th). 33rd street dead ends at the top at a bike path where I turned left (east) before it cranked back south above and along a very busy Okanagan Highway (which links up to Kelowna).

There is a large military base and some baseball pitches along this stretch that is also the eastern edge of Predator Ridge. The path here was a little bumpy but very fast. After crossing the highway at the busy Clerke Road / College Way intersection, I briefly got myself lost at the Okanagan College campus. There was no need to be there, as I found out soon enough. 😀 Simply following a very steep downhill path along College Way led to the start of the Okanagan Rail Trail at a marked sign, “KM 0”. Strangely, however, there is no parking at this sign so you have to bike there. Maybe not so strange after all? 🚴 The stretch from (and back to) Ellison is where all the height gain on this route comes from.

From “KM 0” the rail trail was very easy to follow. Personally I would never ride it on a road bike - it is gravel and rocks and would be “interesting” on skinny tires. The first part along Kalamalka Lake was pretty busy, especially on an August afternoon, but it soon calmed down and I was on my own for surprisingly long sections. Despite being gravel the ride is fast and smooth. It was hot (big surprise) and by the time I was cycling through Oyama towards the Wood Lake section it was 35 degrees. 🥵

The Wood Lake section is MUCH less scenic than Kalamalka Lake. There are small falls and some history signage along the way but it’s mostly in trees with orchards and houses hugging the lake. A wildfire was starting nearby which kept me both entertained and worried as I continued past the south end of Wood Lake towards Winfield.

My original plan was to get to Kelowna but with the growing fire and intense heat I turned back and reversed my route a bit earlier than planned. Taking a dip in the lakes along the return kept me alive.

I highly recommend this, or parts of this route to anyone with a gravel or mountain bike. Be prepared for some busy sections and bring plenty of drinking water. The only fountain along the way is about 2kms from the start of the trail, there is a burger shack at Oyama too. There are many options to extend or shrink the route I did, including one which I’ll detail later (The Stone).