Which is the Best Way to the Coast from Vernon?

[flyfishonly]

Done them all - lots. Via Kamloops, traffic on 97 is ridiculus and no passing lanes and to heavy with truck traffic for an undivided 2lane hwy. I go thru Kelowna (Glenmore from Winfield) and regardless of time of day I find it is about 30 min faster than any other route. Either way shows the lack of foresight w/ hwy planning. Stab these arterial hwy's right through the heart of cities, impede flow of goods and endanger residents to boot. I shake my head at the thought of Hwy 97 through Kelowna, Winfield, & Vernon - hwy not 97 Avenue...

[Glacier]

I shake my head at the thought of Hwy 97 through Kelowna, Winfield, & Vernon - hwy not 97 Avenue...

And to think Vernon city counsel decided last fall to get rid of the already designed western bypass route.

[okanaganchoppers]

And to think Vernon city counsel decided last fall to get rid of the already designed western bypass route.

I think you are correct. Any bypass route would seem far too logical. Vernon council has been called alot of different things, but never have I heard "logical" as being one of them.

[Glacier]

The problem with highway construction in BC is that the politicians fly everywhere so they don't understand how crappy our roads are compared to our neighbours to East, South, North, and Northwest.

Best way to the coast from Vernon -charter a flight.

[rush]

i agree with flyfishonly.i have done both many times.you save 20-30 minutes via Kelowna.the only concern is in the winter.i always take the Kamloops route if i know it is going to be snowing because the Kamloops coke always has better snow driving conditions than the Kelowna route.

[b_man360]

in the winter i find that kamloops is the best. during the summer i always do douglas lake ranch because it cuts a few dollars off the fuel bill cuz its the shortest rout to the coast, even though it takes a but longer. if douglas lake was paved it would be by far the best way to go down to the coast.

[nellietheelephant]

Fly

Nellie

[ventured]

I shake my head at the thought of Hwy 97 through Kelowna, Winfield, & Vernon - hwy not 97 Avenue...

And to think Vernon city counsel decided last fall to get rid of the already designed western bypass route.

You mean the one planned for in 35 years?

[Glacier]

You mean the one planned for in 35 years?

viewtopic.php?f=25&t=14473&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=vernon+bypass

[I Think]

Another really good way to the coast, is to drive to Kelowna, & hop a plane to Mazatlan, wander along the Malacon & have a swim then a cool cerveca under a palapa.

[bob vernon]

If it's winter, I check the weather. If it's snowing on the Coquihalla, I will go to Kamloops and then to Lytton and down the canyon. Very little traffic, low elevation so there's not much snow..... usually.
The Fraser Canyon is longer, but there is very little traffic down to Hope.

In summer I take the Connector/Coquihalla or Kamloops- Merritt depending on the time of day. If it's a rush hour, avoid Kelowna.

[Glacier]

Vernon to Merritt via...

Kamloops

• Number of traffic lights (starting at Mainstreet): 11 (5 in Vernon, 6 in Kamloops)
• Total distance: 203 km
• Total elevation climb: 2182m up, 1901m down.
• Maximum elevation: 1442m
• Minimum elevation: 340m
• Average elevation: 737m

Kelowna

• Number of traffic lights (starting at Mainstreet): 39 (15 Vernon to hwy 33, 12 to the bridge, 11 on the westside)
• Total distance: 175 km
• Total elevation climb: 2595m up, 2294m down.
• Maximum elevation: 1729m
• Minimum elevation: 341m
• Average elevation: 897m

Advantage Kelowna

• 28km shorter
• fewer 2 lane sections
• Possible fuel savings*

Advantage Kamloops

• 28 fewer traffic lights!
• 413m less hill climbing.
• Less traffic light frustration (I hate traffic lights!)
• ETA: cheaper fuel.

Estimating fuel efficiency
Assumptions*:

- Each traffic light burns an average of 0.5km of additional fuel.
- EAch 100m climb adds an additional 1 km of additional fuel.

Fuel Economy Difference:
Kamloops = 203 km
Kelowna = 175 km + 1km/100m rise x 413m rise + 0.5km/traffic light x 28 traffic lights = 193 km

* preliminary rough estimates

Time

- The quickest way varies depending on the time of day. Rush hour through Kelowna is slower than a 7 year itch, while travelling through Kelowna at midnight can often been achieved at 80 km/h.

CLICK on the image to expand:

[Motoguy]

Wow nice job ^^^^^^^^^^^
Should also fill up in Kamloops at 107.9 or 103.9 if you go now.
Add that 22 cent per litre savings into the above calculations and the choice becomes clear.

[Gixxer]

Kelowna 25+ traffic lights
Kamloops 4 traffic lights

[Fritzthecat]

I always preferred Kamloops becasue Kamloops has the freeway that bipasses the city centre and related traffic. The Kelowna route is AWFUL until you start climbing Brenda Mines hill. Any distance advantage is quickly lost due to traffic congestion. Kamloops to Merritt is also a lot lower of a road compared to Kelowna Connector.

As an alternative the Fraser Canyon OR Hope-Princeton is a beautiful drive with very little traffic.