Kettle Valley Trail Mountain Biking: Stage 3
From Princeton to Hope 

For a short get-a-way from the city, this section of the trail makes for an ideal sampler (or finisher if you have done the other stages)! Our ride starts in Princeton, a mining town with restored turn of the century buildings; we follow the verdant Tulameen River Valley, stopping at idyllic Otter Lake to camp. On the next evening, we’ll overnight on Coquihalla Lakes. Sunday, we’ll ride downhill through perhaps the most spectacular section of all, the Coquihalla canyon and Othello tunnels through to Hope.

This tour can be combined with our Stage 1 & Stage 2 which precedes.

Want to know more? Read Robbin’s full story about Kettle Valley here.

Location

Princeton

Princeton, BC, Canada

Stage 3 Starting Location

Coalmont

Coalmont, BC, Canada

Brookmere

Brookmere, BC, Canada

Hope

Hope, BC, Canada

Stage 3 End Location

What’s Included in the Cost of Your Trip?

INCLUDED IN REGULAR TRIP

Services of one or more experienced Great Explorations guides
Support vehicle
2 nights camping (backcountry sites)
All breakfasts, lunches & dinners (appetizers daily, gourmet meals, lots of variety, vegetarians gladly accommodated)
GPS instructions
All baggage transportation
All transportation from initial meeting point to final drop-off (Princeton/Hope)

Not Included

Mountain bike rental
Camping gear
Transfer to Princeton on arrival day
Transfer to Vancouver on departure day

Particulars

EVENT DATES

2023

Jul 21-23

2024

Jul 19-21

Custom trips also available and can start any date. Call or email for details.

TRIP SIZE

8-16 participants

TOTAL DAYS

3 days / 2 nights

ARRIVE / DEPART

Princeton / Hope

ACTIVITY LEVEL

Moderate
20-36+ miles daily
Van supported

TERRAIN

The railgrade has a maximum grade of 2%

COST

Land Cost:
CAD $750*
All meals included

Mountain Bike Rental:
CAD $180*

*Prices before tax. British Columbia applies a 5% GST.
*Please note that we charge a deposit of CAD $375 per person for this trip.

Transfers Available (bike transportation inc.):

  • Arrival day:
    • From Vancouver to Princeton: CAD $65
    • From Hope to Princeton: CAD $35
  • Departure day:
    • From Hope to Vancouver: CAD $35
Please note: Final itinerary is subject to revision; any changes made are done so in an attempt to provide the best possible trip given route conditions and available services. Due to the nature of our business and exchange rates, prices are subject to change. Due to cancellations and waiting lists, trip availability fluctuates daily. If you have any questions or would like to confirm space on this trip before making your reservation, please contact us at info@great-explorations.com or by telephone at 604.730.1247

1

Day 1

Shuttle and then ride Princeton to Otter Lake

For those that have booked transportation from Vancouver, we transfer at 9:00 am by van to Princeton, stopping in Hope (to pick up those who prefer to leave their cars there- approx 11 am). After a visit to the Princeton museum and lunch, we’ll start off cycling through the Tulameen Valley to Coalmont and on to Tulameen.
Distance: 30 km; 270m

2

Day 2

Otter Lake to Coquihalla Lakes

We’ll ride along beautiful Otter Lake to Brookmere, with probably the best preserved railroad heritage buildings on the KVR. This makes for a lovely lunch stop. From here, we’ll loop south to the summit at Coquihalla Station and Coquihalla Lakes where a wilderness campsite awaits.
Distance: 67 km; 600m (30km option available with shuttle)

3

Day 3

Coquihalla Lakes to Hope

It’s pretty much all downhill to the Ride finish. The road through the canyon is stunning and there is new Trans-Canada trail (single track!) that is superb. There is one short section (8km) on the highway which we shuttle to skip (to a swim spot on the river). Othello Station, one of the most famous sites of the entire KVR, the Quintette tunnels. The horseshoe path carved by the Coquihalla River (90 m deep) required engineering a route that must be seen. From here, the lush trail descends to a Ride Finish celebration at the Memorial Park.
Distance: 60km; 350m

Van transport will leave from Hope at approx 4:00 p.m. for Vancouver arriving at 6:00 pm for those that have booked.

*Please note that trail conditions change from time to time and there may be occasions on this stage where detours from the trail are required due to washouts.

Camping

Camp sites include a mix of provincial, private and wilderness parks with solar showers.



			



Trip Reviews

September 27, 2019

“I really enjoyed the people, the lake, fireside on the second night, the scenery. The last day was pretty good, but I guess I had pictured being on railway grade throughout. That said, it was still quite picturesque. I did like being on a campsite by the lake on Day 1. Impressed Robin was able to find the longest surviving resident on the small town we went through and get a brief history. Distances were great, difficulty was fine. The only comment I would have is sometime the trail didn’t look like a trail, but it still worked.”

September 27, 2019

“It was a wonderful experience for me & I thoroughly enjoyed it. I did not have any expectations having never travelled with this company before nor having ridden any part of the route. It is difficult to write any negative comments as I loved the experience. The rides were more difficult than I expected. The only KVR trail I had ridden before was Kelowna to Penticton. This route had more varied terrain however I enjoyed that as it made it more interesting. I enjoyed all of it. I loved that it was a test of my endurance & an adventure. It was the 1st 3 day bike trip I have ever done & I am excited to do more.”

September 27, 2019

“Very much enjoyed the trip. The chicken curry rice meal on day one was very good. It was interesting to speak with the old timer railroad guy.. Patrick was awesome with his knowledge of the outlaws of the area. Day 1 and two were a bit tougher than I thought. Both days were quite hot. Day 3 was a lot of fun.”

September 27, 2019

“I really enjoyed being with my riding companions, the scenery and the overall experience of riding in a mostly wilderness setting. Particularly enjoyed the wooded sections of ridings. Locations were good for both nights of camping.”

September 27, 2019

“I really enjoyed the varied terrain, beautiful countryside and great guides. Fresh fruit was awesome. Navigation app was good.”

September 27, 2019

“A Very friendly group and enjoyable staff. The route was a little more advanced at times than I had expected but this added to enjoying the adventure once we realized that we could conquer it. We were lucky the weather was on our side. The 1st camping site had only 1 outhouse for the whole campground. The 2nd campsite was much more private and real toilet facilities were appreciated. All the food was very good. The GPS was very helpful. I really enjoyed the scenery, the challenge, and joining a group with the same aspirations.”

December 5, 2018

“Fabulous varied and different scenery, loved the trails, the history of the Kettle Creek rail bed and the pioneers who built it. I have to say, I like a smaller group to really get to know each other. It made our experience special. I also really enjoyed stopping to learn about aspects of the trail history.”

August 20, 2012

“Having the opportunity to do an off-road tour & being able to camp & experience the real feel of the place; great food!”

July 20, 2012

“[I enjoyed] the cycling through the nature [and] seeing the wild animals.”

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