The rail trail milestones are coming fast and furious as summer progresses. Another section of the Splatsin te Secwépemc / Shuswap North Okanagan Rail Trail has officially opened between Grindrod and Enderby, BC.
This announcement came shortly on the heels of the recent ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open a section between Mara Lake and Grindrod. With this latest announcement 40 kilometres of the rail trail are now fully open between km 0.5 in Sicamous and km 40.5 just south of Enderby, BC.
The Sicamous Ferry Society recently set a new high mark transporting over 800 trail users in a single day. Trail counters along the trail have logged over 26,000 passing trail users on the upper Sicamous-Mara Lake section in 2026 and over 24,000 passing trail users on the middle section through Enderby. Additional counters are being added to the newly opened sections.
This newest section of trail was made possible through an investment from Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada’s Active Transportation Fund (ATF). This funding will also assist in completing the remainder of the rail trail between Sicamous km 0.0 and Stepney X Road at km 42.6 by the end of this year.
A two-kilometre section south of Enderby to a trailhead parking area at Stepney X Road will be finished this fall, creating an access point for residents and visitors within the Township of Spallumcheen. And a half-kilometre section on the north end will be completed later this year but remain closed until Highway 1 Bruhn Bridge opens in 2027.
Additionally, major erosion mitigation work is scheduled along the Mara Lake section of the Rail Trail in September. “We will have to close that section for a few weeks,” said project construction manager, Jeromy Schuetze, acknowledging the timing is not ideal. “We had to wait for provincial permits which dictate when the work can be done.”
“Fortunately, we are able to keep the rail trail open through the busiest part of the summer,” Schuetze stated. “The good news is once we have this finished the trail can remain open indefinitely.” A schedule of closure times will be circulated.
A Public Information Bulletin with updated access details and maps is available at shuswapnorthokanaganrailtrail.ca. (Click on the “Latest Updates” button)
The rail trail partners thank everyone for their patience and continued support as everyone works toward completing the Shuswap North Okanagan Rail Trail.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Ken Barnes, Communications Specialist
Splatsin te Secwépemc
(250) 801-8256 | ken.barnes@splatsin.ca