The trestles are back! The trestles are back! Phoenixlike, 12 wooden trestle bridges on the Myra Canyon section of the Kettle Valley Railway Trail near Kelowna have reappeared after vaporizing in flames during 2003’s forest fires. At the time, the loss seemed irreplaceable. Five years and $13.5 million in provincial and federal grants later, the Myra Canyon Trestle Restoration Society ( www.myratrestles.com/ ) plans to unveil the new bridges on June 22.

From his home in Kelowna, Ken Campbell, chair of the reconstruction committee, told the Georgia Straight that the results are “pretty fantastic”. In the early 1990s, Campbell and a group of volunteers created the society and set about making the Myra Canyon trestles safer for walkers and cyclists by installing railings and deck coverings. “Our group took over the management of this section of the former railway line and helped turn it into Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park as well as a national historic site.”

The task of replicating the trestles was contracted out to professional bridge builders, who drew on the original plans. How do the new ones compare? “Virtually identical,” claimed Campbell, who said his emotions since he viewed the charred remains have gone from devastation to elation. “There was never any doubt in our group that they would be rebuilt. They had become so internationally popular. I met a German tour group yesterday coming through to see the results.”

Since 1994, the bible on the network of rail trails that spirals across the southern part of the province has been Dan and Sandra Langford’s Cycling the Kettle Valley Railway (Rocky Mountain Books). When reached at their home in Sherwood Park, Alberta, Dan recalled that after reading a magazine article in 1991, the couple took “a leap of faith” when they rode their mountain bikes along the Kettle Valley from Midway to Penticton. They would have gone farther but rails were still in place west of there. “We wrote a book hoping someone would notice,” he said with a chuckle.

Over the years and with subsequent revisions, the Langfords received daily e-mails from cycle tourists across Europe, North America, New Zealand, and Australia. Then the inferno struck. Book sales plummeted from 5,000 to 500 per year, and so did the trail’s reputation. “Before the trestles went down, an average of one group tour a day would start out,” Dan said. “Suddenly the perception was that the fire had finished the trail. This is a 1,000-kilometre route, but the 18 kilometres from Myra to Ruth [stations] were the diamond in the ring. When word of the loss got around, it spelled the end, not just for us but it took the wind out of small businesses along the way which had caught on big with international cyclists. Hotels and B & Bs changed hands or closed their doors.”

With a new edition in the works, Dan figures that’s all about to change. “The next couple of years could be really big.”

One factor mars this renaissance: damage inflicted on the trail by all-terrain vehicles. “They were just a little hiccup in the late 1990s,” Dan said, “but now it’s a mess, especially when conditions are dusty. The fat tires scuff up the trail and make it too soft for cycling.” Articles have begun appearing in Europe about the issue, prompting calls to the Langfords from magazine editors. “The KVR is also a part of the Trans Canada Trail system, which is supposed to be for nonmotorized use only. This is such an important resource for B.C. We’re going to lose a lot of international business. It’s embarrassing to be on a tour and find the trail is almost impassable. Word gets around really quick. Fifty percent of our e-mails now concern ATVs.”

Léon Lebrun, Trails B.C.’s provincial vice president and the southwest regional chair responsible for the Trans Canada Trail, is keenly aware of the problem. Reached by phone at his home in Coquitlam, Lebrun said B.C. is “probably the slowest location on the continent” to come to terms with licensing ATVs. “We’re still up in the air about motorized vehicles for a host of reasons. The primary problem with ATVs is that they degrade trails for cyclists, making riding arduous and discouraging.”

Lebrun feels that Quebec provides the best example of separating the two user groups. ATVs are licensed, trails are patrolled, and fines are handed out where necessary. “There’s still an element in B.C. who feel they can have access to anything they want on Crown land any way they darn well please.” Lebrun pointed to the Recreation Trails Strategy initiated by the Ministry of Tourism, Sports, and the Arts to deal with the problem, but he said Trails B.C. is still “not really happy” with the current trial model. “It’s a huge issue for us, especially given that we’ve already resolved conflict between snowmobilers and cross-country skiers where there’s no longer the animosity that once prevailed.”

This cloud won’t overshadow the excitement surrounding the reopening of the trestles. Celebratory rides and walks along the Myra Canyon route are planned both in June in Kelowna and in July to Penticton by Trails B.C. as part of the Peach City’s centennial festivities. Locally, Vancouver-based cycle-tour operator Great Explorations is leading a two-week, 650-kilometre tour of the Kettle Valley Railway from Castlegar to Hope to coincide with the festivities. Owner Robbin McKinney, who guided Lebrun and Dan Langford on a similar tour in 1996, has scheduled the ride to arrive at Myra Canyon in time for the trestles’ reopening party, with Lebrun and Langford once again in tow. Like trestles, one good ride deserves another.

Jack Christie’s newest adventure guide is Best Weekend Getaways From Vancouver.