Welcome to the beautiful, diverse rural landscape of the Shuswap – North Okanagan! Enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of nature as you explore over 1,800 kilometers of quiet, paved back roads in the area highlighted by this road bike (or hybrid bike/slick tire mountain bike) cycling guide. It’s yours to discover for a day, for a week or for a lifetime. Over thirty-five out & back and loop cycling routes are identified with an average distance of about 50 kilometers. Choose from easy, moderate or challenging routes varying in distance from short (<20K) to long (>160K). Visitor Information Centres, parking spots, cyclists eateries,wineries, bird watching “hot spots”, swimming beaches, view points and hill climb locations are among the features and services identified to help you to plan your cycle tour.
The towns of Salmon Arm, Sicamous, Chase, Sorrento, Enderby, Armstrong and Falkland offer a variety of services for the touring cyclist. Three bike repair shops are located in the area,: Ridetech Enterprises, Skookum Cycle & Ski and Trailheads Cycle and Ski.
Salmon Arm and Armstrong each host an annual community bike ride:
- The Salmon Arm “Bike For Your Life Century Ride” is held on the third Saturday in September from Salmon Arm.
- The “Okanagan Shuswap Century Ride” is held on the last Sunday in May from Armstrong.
Most routes are ready to ride by mid-April if you dress for it. Cycling may extend to mid-November in some years. Traffic volume on some back roads may increase slightly during July and August. Local drivers are courteous to cyclists.
Shuswap – North Okanagan Cycle Touring Guide (PDF) download
Paper copies of the Guide available free at local Visitor Info. Centres.
