One of Canada's Most Famous Historic Sites To Officially Re-open
Less than 5 years after the destruction by forest fire of one of Canada’s major historic sites, Canadians will be able to once again visit the magic and wonder of Myra Canyon outside of Kelowna, British Columbia.
The Myra Canyon Reconstruction Project Committee announced that Sunday June 22, 2008 will mark the official re-opening of Myra Canyon and its 18 famed railway trestles and two tunnels with a special day long community celebration as part of the BC150 Years anniversary.
Myra Canyon was one of the greatest engineering challenges in the history of railway construction. It formed part of the Kettle Valley Railway line built in the early 1900’s and it now serves as part of the world class recreation trail network for British Columbia. During the forest fires of 2003, Myra Canyon was virtually destroyed. Twelve of eighteen trestles were burned to the ground and the fire created significant slope instability and rock damage throughout the canyon. Prior to its destruction, it was recognized one of Canada’s most outstanding achievements in engineering and construction and had become a national tourism attraction attracting over 50,000 visitors annually.
Myra Canyon is the jewel of the Kettle Valley Rail Trail – part of the Trans Canada Trail and also a key to the provincial Spirit of 2010 Trail network created by the province of BC as a tool for community economic development and to promote adventure tourism for non-motorized users. It is also part of the Myra Bellevue Provincial Park managed by BC Parks. It includes a distance of roughly 9 kilometers, 18 trestles and 2 tunnels. The restoration of Myra Canyon was funded by 90% through Canada’s Disaster Financial Assistance program and 10% by the Province of B.C.
For more information on the re-opening of Myra Canyon please go to http://www.myratrestles.com
Read about the Kettle Valley Rail Trail here
