After pedalling up the winding switchbacks on the Holy Pail Climb Trail, you drop into Feel the Love, a fast, flowy trail full of unique berms, jumps, and drops. Smith Creek is a trail network located in West Kelowna with a long history in the mountain biking community. The network has recently been sanctioned by Recreations Sites and Trails BC, and with that has come new infrastructure like clear, easy-to-follow signage, a large parking lot and bathrooms at the trailhead.
Along with the new infrastructure, the trails have been revamped to align with modern trail-building standards for safety and sustainability, making the network more accessible and fun for everyone. The network currently boasts 26 trails listed on the Trailforks app: 5 rated green, 10 rated blue, 10 rated black and 1 rated double black. If you’re coming to town and don’t have room for your bike, check out Smith Creek Cycle’s full-suspension mountain bike rental fleet.
Where
Smith Creek Trails are located on the hillsides of West Kelowna. Driving from Downtown Kelowna, you can follow Highway 97 until you reach Old Okanagan Highway. Travel along Old Okanagan Highway until you reach Reece Road. Turn onto Reece Road, then take a right onto Elliott Road, and then shortly after, take a right onto Smith Creek Road. You can follow Smith Creek Road until it turns to dirt, and shortly after, you will find yourself in the trailhead parking lot. Directions can also be found on the Trailforks app.
What to Expect
The Look Out Holy Pail Climb Trail. Rider: Mia Serratore. Photo: Mathew Wanbon
The downhill trails in the Smith Creek Network are accessed by climbing the Holy Pail Climb Trail, a fun and twisty climb trail with a handful of optional technical sections. It is just enough of a challenge to keep you on your toes while staying fun and climbing at a reasonable grade that helps you stay on your bike and walk less. There are a handful of options along the climb to start your descent; a common halfway point is going to “the lookout” and taking a connector trail onto Feel the Love from there.
Typical ride lengths start around 5km and can range up to 15km or more if you want to climb the 585m to the top of the trail network. In general, this network is best enjoyed by intermediate to advanced learners, with some trails suitable for confident beginners. Riders can expect fun, unique jumps and drops built from rocks and other natural materials, rad wooden trail features, fast sections, dirt jumps, and a deep bermed gulley on lower Feel the Love. If you do not already have the Trailforks app downloaded on your phone, it is recommended that you do so before visiting to help you navigate the trail network.
Recommended Beginner Guide
As mentioned above, Smith Creek is probably not the best place for the first-time beginner, but for a confident beginner who already has a handful of days on their bike, a great option is to take Holy Pail Climb Trail for the first 3km, where it crosses with Feel the Love and descend a short section of Feel the Love, with some berms and table jumps that can be easily rolled over. Soon, you will hit a fork in the trail. At the fork, take the left option down a trail called FOMO, a fun and flowy trail with winding berms, one mellow wood A-frame feature, and some small rollable jumps.
Recommended Intermediate Guide
DH Holy Pail Climb Trail. Rider: Mia Serratore. Photo: Mathew Wanbon
For an intermediate rider, Smith Creek might be one of your favourite places to ride in the Greater Kelowna area, thanks to its progression-friendly trails. Take the Holy Pail Trail until you meet the top of Feel the Love. From there, you can descend Feel the Love and ride the trail to the bottom. This trail is excellent for progression with a range of features that go from easy to more challenging. The trail has a black rating as there are some bigger features, but no worries if some of them are beyond your abilities; all the bigger features have easy ride-around options.
For those with a lot of ambition for climbing, there is a great option to maximize the descent. Continue past the top of Feel the Love to ride down Kid DinoMyt Descent, a blue trail with fun turns and a unique optional wood feature that creeps between some trees. Kid DinoMyt Descent feeds into Feel the Love, which you can ride to the bottom. After the fork with FOMO, the lower section of Feel the Love flows through a gully with some steep whoops that can be scary for beginners but a lot of fun for a confident intermediate rider keen for a bit of G-force.
Recommended Advanced Guide
Dear Santa Trail. Rider: Mia Serratore. Photo: Mathew Wanbon
For advanced riders who want some steep, with a mix of wood and natural features, take the Holy Pail Climb Trail to Kid DinoMyt Descent and take a right at the first fork onto Dear Santa. Dear Santa is one of Smith Creek's first descent trails and has a fun mix of technical and flowy sections, with the lower part having many fun wooden features to play on. Alternatively, advanced riders who want to prioritize airtime can climb as much or as little as they’d like and choose a place to hop onto the Smith Creek Jump line. A fast trail with large berms and 5-30 foot gap jumps, including a mix of tables, doubles and a large step up at the bottom. It is recommended to first take a slow ride down this trail to scope your lines before going in full-send. Although these jumps and berms are the size and quality of a machine-built trail, the trail doesn’t always have the same width as you’d expect at the bike park and can require you to thread the needle between trees after sending a large jump.
If you are coming through Kelowna with a mountain bike, Smith Creek is a must-visit network with fun options for nearly everyone! Take in the wicked views of Mount Boucherie, Okanagan Lake, and Okanagan Mountain as you take a break at the lookout points on the climb trail and enjoy the wildly fun, flowy, jumpy trails. After a long day of shredding the dirt, there are plenty of beaches, wineries, and local craft breweries nearby to enjoy in Kelowna. And if you are coming from out of town, there are countless places to stay, ranging from campgrounds such as Bear Creek Provincial Park to high-end luxury hotels such as the Delta Hotels by Marriott Grand Okanagan Resort.
