Thompson Okanagan

Merritt

Hero Dirt Under the Sun

Merritt, located in the scenic Nicola Valley, is known for its open landscape of rolling hills and rare stands of Ponderosa and Aspen forests. With four main riding areas, you'll find fast and flowly singletrack, challenging steep and rocky trails, gentle grassland routes, and scenic forested pathways.

Iron Mountain offers a mix of old school freeride lines and new school flow. Swakum trail area, above the Merritt bench, and Coutlee Plateau (a.k.a the Midday Valley Road trails) offer excellent all-mountain riding. While the Sugarloaf trail area (a.k.a. Lundbom Lake Recreation Site) is a cross-country dream zone through grassy meadows and groves of Aspen. Merritt—ideally situated between Kamloops, Kelowna, and the Fraser Valley—has something for everyone and more than enough riding to keep you inspired for days.

Number of Trails:

Highest Elevation:

1,695

Trails:

easy: 8
intermediate: 34
difficult: 20
extra difficult: 5

Merritt Inspiration

Uncover stories from the grasslands.

Getting here & Trail Access

Merritt is centrally located between the Fraser Valley, Kamloops, and the Okanagan Valley and can be easily accessed from many directions.

Drive to Merritt from rom the Fraser Valley in the south or from Kamloops in the north via the Coquihalla Highway (Highway 5), or via the Coquihalla Connector (Highway 97C) if you are coming from the Okanagan Valley.

Driving Distances & Times:

From Kamloops - 90 km (55 mi), 1 hour
From Kelowna - 130 km (80 mi), 1 hour 40 minutes
From Vancouver - 270 km (167 mi), 3 hours
From Calgary - 700 km (435 mi), 8 hours

The closest airports to Merritt are Kamloops Airport (YKA) and Kelowna International Airport (YLW), with daily flights from Vancouver, Calgary, and communities across BC.