Media Advisory
Friday, August 29, 2025
A section of the Splatsin te Secwépemc/Shuswap North Okanagan Rail Trail along Mara Lake from Kilometre 2.8 (Folland Road) and Kilometre 14.8 (Rosemond Lake Bridge) that was temporarily closed for culvert installation and drainage improvements will be re-opened for public use on Saturday, August 30, 2025.
Trail users should anticipate further work later in the year to complete additional erosion repairs along this section. The erosion repairs require full environmental reviews and can only take place in designated low water periods, so they will occur through the fall/winter once the permits are received.
In the meantime, public access for walking and bicycling is allowed along this section of the rail trail. Pedal assisted use of e-Bikes is also allowed, but cyclists are asked to keep their speeds to 30 km/hour or less and yield to pedestrians. No motorized vehicles of any kind are allowed except those authorized for maintenance. And dogs must be kept on leash.
Due to the delayed construction of Bruhn Bridge on the Trans-Canada Highway, full access from Sicamous to the rail trail will not be completed until 2027.
The Sicamous Ferry, operated by the non-profit Sicamous Ferry Society, will continue to run through September (as donations and sponsorship funding allow) to provide access to km 0.5 of the trail.
Trail users are reminded to stay on the trail, obey all signs, and use at your own risk. Watch for both hazards and beware of poison ivy along trail edges. A temporary toilet has been provided at the km 2.8 Folland Road rail trail crossing.
There is currently no access south of Mara Lake. Construction of the rail trail within the Agricultural Land Reserve remains on hold.
A public information bulletin is available on the rail trail website at shuswapnorthokanaganrailtrail.ca that includes updated access information, maps, and further background on construction progress including the delays south of Mara Lake.
We thank everyone for their patience and understanding as work toward completion of the rail trail continues.
