Almost a year since the above post, but I just rode the Coquihalla / Brookmere - Summerland section of the KVR this last weekend. If the weather holds, I am going to try catch the Penticton/Naramatta - Chute Lk - (Myra)Bypass and over to Carmi next weekend, but....I have a bit of an update for anyone who is wondering.
The Coquihalla - Brookmere section isn't rideable at the moment. There was a fire there this year accidentally set by some wingnut having a domestic dispute with his girlfriend...somehow he left the bbq on in the back of the truck, or threw it at her, or some crazy story, and with the crazy hot summer conditions, either the truck went up, or the bbq did, and it ended up burning a LOT of that section of the KVR. The 2nd bridge is completely burnt, and there a couple of tiny by passes before it, but...after the burnt bridge, there are danger trees down all over the route. Once you get to Brookmere, you can get very easily onto the KVR, and for a short distance it's a very lovely, nicely maintained trail. It changes to whooped out monotony shortly after. Soft terrain, you swear you have a flat, and it goes like that for nearly 60km.
A short distance later, another bridge that is 'off limits', but....seems totally fine. After that, it is literally km's of whoops, relentlessly, slowed only by fence after fence (30+?), before you come to another missing bridge just a few miles out of Coalmont. While we went and crossed the slimy river, it really isn't worth it as you can deek out onto the asphalt highway just ahead of the bridge, and the trail literally connects 800m beyond the missing bridge back onto the highway. I nearly shit myself after all the pain of getting my AT across the river only to find the Trail connect up with the Hwy moments later. We took a few photos and looked around Coalmont (still some cool history there!), and then made a mile towards Princeton. It is still another 30km to Princeton, and the trail is a little less whoop-y.
Closer to Princeton, the trail does start to get a bit better. We stayed in Princeton overnight, and left early the next a.m. with -2 on the thermometer! No rain overnight, so...no drama. The trail is significantly more traveled from Princeton onwards toward Summerland. It is 105km from start to finish. Much easier to navigate whoops-wise, and the trail is in good condition until closer to Summerland. A few gates, a couple of minor detours, and quite straight-forward until closer to Summerland. Signage is good, and mixed-use all the way until literally a handful of km's outside of town. There are a few tunnels, the topography is amazing, the location of the trail is impressive, there are a couple of rockslides with a small path over them to navigate, and then one last river/bridge wash-out just outside of Summerland. At this location, however, there is a small trail around the river, so....no wet boots involved!
All in all, Princeton - Summerland is much more agreeable than Brookmere to Princeton, and for the moment, the start of the KVR is completely unrideable.
