Grey Canal Trail

The Grey Canal Trail follows the alignment of British Columbia's longest irrigation channel, the canal that once carried water to the orchards and farms across the Greater Vernon valley; in places the old pipelines are still visible beside the path. It is not one trailhead but a series of sections that ring the valley — from The Rise to Davison Road, Turtle Mountain to Blue Jay Road, Silver Star Road to Star Road, Hartnell Road to DeRoo Road, and the Coldstream Ranchlands to Ravine Drive, among others — each with one or two parking areas, so you can walk it in pieces and choose your view. Dogs are permitted on every section but must be on leash. The trail is part of the more than 87 km of regional trails that earn Greater Vernon its 'Trails Capital of BC' title. Add the sections up and they come to roughly 32 km, about 28 km of it off-road, so you can walk it in pieces for weeks. Tourism Vernon rates most sections easy — Turtle Mountain (Blue Jay Road to Turtle Mountain Boulevard) is 3.5 km and Coldstream Valley Estates (Buchanan to Warren) 4.2 km — with the 2.7 km Foothills loop moderate and the 1.1 km Boss Creek section difficult. For a short, steep taste with a story, the 570-metre Nel's Leap Trail climbs a former 1929 ski-jump hill from 43rd Avenue and Alexis Park Drive, past interpretive signs to a bird's-eye view of Vernon, and joins the Turtle Mountain section.