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Riders enjoy sights, sounds, scents of nature

“I don’t ride a bike to add days to my life. I ride a bike to add life to my days.”
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Photo contributed. Shuswap back roads are a great place to explore on a bicycle.

“I don’t ride a bike to add days to my life. I ride a bike to add life to my days.”

- A cyclist

Welcome to the beautiful and diverse rural landscapes of the Shuswap - North Okanagan!

Enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of nature as you explore more than 1,500 kilometres of quiet, paved back roads on your bicycle.

The Shuswap is a cycling paradise. It’s yours to discover and enjoy for a day, for a week or for a lifetime.

The Shuswap’s paved back roads offer enjoyable cycling experiences for all ages and abilities. Most routes are ready to ride by mid-April if you dress for it. The traffic volume on some back roads may increase during July and August.

Along your bike route stop at a local winery, check out a farmers’ market or linger at one of the local cafés. Enjoy a refreshing swim in Shuswap Lake, Eagle River, Adams River or Shuswap River. Bring your camera and binoculars.

“With so many cycling possibilities, where is a good place for me to cycle?” you might ask.

Since 2009, Shuswap Tourism has published a Shuswap-North Okanagan Cycle Touring map-guide available free at local visitor centres. Thirty-five local cycling routes are listed in a routes table. Routes are cross-referenced to a 1:145,000 scale map and rated easy, moderate or challenging. Parking locations are identified.

Most parking locations are less than a 30- to 40-minute drive from Salmon Arm. Some routes start and end in Salmon Arm. Also featured are eight Signature Cycling Routes. Shuswap Tourism is currently developing web-based planning tools to help you to choose a route that suits you for your first or your next Shuswap cycling adventure.

Next week’s article will focus on some cycling routes for parents with bike trailers to carry their pre-school children and route ideas for families with elementary and middle school cyclists. A third article will offer cycle route suggestions for active seniors, visitors and newcomers to the Shuswap.

Join in the fun of Salmon Arm’s “Bike for Your Life” Community Bike Ride on Saturday, Sept. 16 from Blackburn Park. Choose your distance: 10k, 35k, 75k or 100k. It’s not a race. Registration and information at: www.bikeforyorlife.com Adults: $30, families: $50, children under 18 years: $5. Aid stations, well-marked routes, barbecue lunch, live local entertainment, draw prizes.

Proceeds to the Second Harvest Food Bank and Shuswap Trail Alliance ($22,000 since 2012).

Happy Shuswap cycling!