Ride: Harris Creek Road, Home Road, Gunnar FSR, Kettle River FSR, Winnifred Falls

Take Creighton Valley Road (just east of Lumby) to Harris Creek Road, Home Road, Gunnar FSR, Kettle River FSR, south to Winnifred Falls (side trip), then north to Hwy 6. Mostly easy ride, unless wet, then muddy sections; a few switchbacks with loose gravel and rocks; some mild ruts. About 200 km from Vernon and back with the side trip to Winnifred Falls if returning via Hwy 6.

Most of the route is along FSRs which were, for the most part, in good condition when last ridden (Sep 2024), but there was a lot of washboard (stutter bumps) in the first few km of gravel road up from Creighton Valley Road. Also, a portion (8-10 km, maybe) of Kettle River FSR was recently graded resulting in a very loose surface with many fist-sized rocks on top.

The route can be easily ridden on either a small or large dual sport bike. If the conditions are dry, or if you've got more aggressive tires suitable offroad use, then the route should be fine for large adventure bikes too. There are some switchbacks with small, loose rocks in the corners. There can be some slick sections if it's wet. Most of the FSR route is gravel / hard pack. As typical of FSRs, the conditions can vary greatly over time due to use and weather. The distance markers along the route appear to be measured (approximately) from Hwy 6 and Creighton Valley Road. There are some good views along the way, especially of the Monashee mountains. The route reaches an elevation of about 1800m and overlaps with the Graystokes snowmobile trail network.

The road surface gradually degrades the further you go until the last few km before Kettle River FSR. The degradation begins to be noticeable after the 32 km marker, but the road is still in pretty good condition at this point. The next 12 km or so the road degrades a bit more quickly (some sections in good condition, though). There are some shallow ruts and embedded rocks and the road becomes narrower. I should mention that there are some narrow sections and blind corners along the road early on as well, and you need to be aware of oncoming vehicles including logging trucks.

At the 45.7 km marker the road becomes Gunnar FSR (there is a topped tree with Gunnar and Home signs and distance markers). From here it is about 13 km to Kettle River FSR. The road becomes rougher, but not extremely so. If you're riding an adventure bike, and you have more street-oriented tires, you may need to exercise a bit of caution because there are some sections that are a bit steeper and a bit rutted with some small loose rocks. There are also more embedded rocks that might pose a risk if you have little ground clearance like on a V-Strom 650 or CB500X. The road descends to the valley bottom where it intersects with Kettle River FSR. There are some switchbacks along the way with small, loose rocks and gravel, but some portions of the remaining road are quite smooth.

It is about 6.7 km south along Kettle River FSR to Winnifred Falls (the turn around point for this ride) from where it intersects with Gunnar (66.5 km marker sign). Winnifred Falls is also about 22.5 km from Hwy 6. The falls are near the bridge where Kettle River FSR crosses the Kettle River. There is a pullout area with a picnic table at Winnifred Falls, or at least there was the last time I was there. (I haven't ridden the stretch of Kettle River FSR to the falls for a few years). There is a short trail down to a view point of the falls. Kettle River FSR (along the route) is essentially a gravel road. The plotted track shown in the map, and the uploaded GPS file, do not include the ride from Gunnar FSR along Kettle River FSR to Winnifred Falls. There are a few Kettle River access points along Kettle River FSR, and a pretty one about 0.1 to 0.2 km off Kettle River FSR along a side road to the east between Gunnar and Hwy 6 (you can see a bridge from the FSR). The route ends at Hwy 6, and from here it's about 57 km west to Lumby.

On my ride along this route in Sept 2021, I also rode up Harris Road (go left at the 18.5 km marker) in an attempt to ride into SW Denison Lakes. I made it up 7.6 km before I decided to turn around because it was getting really wet, muddy and slippery (and I was riding solo on my DR650). The trail was getting a little overgrown too. I didn't make it to the lakes, but I did get close. If I had a riding buddy with me, or if I was on a lighter bike, I might have persevered. The road / trail into SW Denison Lakes was supposed to join up with Home Road in a further 5.7 km at about 5.8 km up from the Harris Rd / Home Rd junction at the 18.5 km marker. There are some other roads leading off Harris Rd, and looking at my maps, it might be possible to ride into Denison Lake too (in addition to SW Denison Lakes). Maybe another time I'll explore some more up there. On 2021 ride I saw quite a bit of wildlife: about a dozen grouse, 2 deer, 3 small snakes, a black bear and a bobcat! It's the first time I've seen a bobcat in the wild.

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