(Part of an ongoing series about the best trails to explore, city by city, regional district by regional district, in the Southern Interior.)

The dream of the Trail of the Okanagans Society is a 250-kilometre multi-purpose trail from Sicamous to Osoyoos and, in the longer term, a 370-kilometre trail from Sicamous to Brewster, Wash.

Such a trail would trace traditional trading routes of the Okanagan First Nations. With more than 100 existing paths already in the territory, the goal is to connect and merge them into one large spine.

The first to be (almost) completed was the Okanagan Rail Trail between Kelowna and Coldstream, with the exception of seven kilometres between Kelowna’s airport and Lake Country, partly through the Okanagan Indian Band reserve.

Construction is underway on the Shuswap North Okanagan Rail Trail, from Sicamous to Armstrong. The link along an active rail line from Armstrong to the ORT is still outstanding.

Trail of the Okanagans (www.trailoftheokanagans.com) is specifically focused on establishing the 125-kilometre trail between the William R. Bennett Bridge (over Okanagan Lake, linking Kelowna and West Kelowna) and Osoyoos.

A key section—the most expensive at $1.13 million—is the Peachland to Goat’s Peak Park multi-use trail,........

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