Salmon Arm, BC - Part 4

 Part 4 - Columbia-Shuswap Cycling

The main purpose of most of my travels these days has been to get outdoors and ride my bike. I love 'slow pace' sightseeing, and cycling has given me the opportunity to do just that. 

On two separate days during my trip to Salmon Arm, my boyfriend and I rode some hills and took in the sights. Both rides were recommended by riders on cycling blogs and Map My Ride. Here are highlights...

Route 1 - Carlin - White Lake - Balmoral - Carlin

We started by parking at the middle school in Carlin, just off the highway. Then, we cycled down the first big hill to the fork near the highway underpass, turning right, then immediately left, following the first of many hills up towards the farms. We saw a few cyclists out and so, you'll know you're heading in the right direction by just following your fellow riders. 

 Road conditions in some areas are a little rough, but generally look like the photo above.

 

We came across some wild berries along part of the route. 

We sampled; they were quite bitter!

Biking out to White Lake, there is a public park there with a loo and some picnic tables. We stopped for a short water break and to check out the view of the lake. As this route is predominately uphill, you'll get some nice views from the crest of the farm fields and valley, below:

 For the return, after reaching the valley, head east towards White Creek along the service road that parallels the major highway. You'll enjoy passing by some corn fields, over some ups and downs before making your way back to Carlin.

Sign post denoting direction back to Carlin (via White Creek).

Route 2 - Carlin - White Lake - Balmoral - Notch Hill - Sorrento - Carlin

On another day, we decided to give the first route another try, but continue from the valley towards Notch Hill and Sorrento, another popular resort town in the area. 

I forgot my phone on this ride, so I don't have personal photos to share, but Notch Hill is a pretty nice ride and it's a good place to stop and view the heritage buildings there. The community park has a public train viewing platform (see info HERE) where you can take a break and watch the CN rail cars pass by on the street opposite. 

My boyfriend did manage to get a photo of me looking pretty happy on my new Trek road bike (an Émonda SL 5 - view them HERE at Trek.ca) as we stopped at the end of the road next to White Lake:

In Sorrento, we stopped at a Subway to eat lunch before heading back to Carlin. The sandwich gave me the power I needed to get back to those hills and finish up this cycling trip. I highly recommend Salmon Arm for a short trip away!

Bonus: Views from Canoe Beach.

I did a few open water swims at the public beach here. The entrance is very Instagram-y:

The view from the beach is great too -- you can see the lake stretching out and cliffs on the opposite shore:

 

Despite sharing the water with boaters and jet skiers, the facilities here are really good. There is a sandy/muddy bottom, a floating dock off the shore by about 50 meters(?), a pathway from the grassy area to the shoreline, a playground for kids, some picnic tables and benches, outdoor showers (very cold!) and large change rooms; all facilities here are free! Best times to go are in the morning or the early evening, when there are less boaters and the lake is calmer.

Hope you can get a chance to visit Salmon Arm; it's beautiful! 

Next post: Cycling in Canmore & Banff, AB.

References:

Columbia Shuswap Regional District. (n.d.). Notch Hill community park. CSRD. URL. 

Trek.ca. (2020). Émonda SL 5. Trek Bicycle Corporation. URL.