Grey Canal: The Historic Waterway Beneath North Okanagan’s Trails

Grey Canal: The Historic

A Trail Beneath Your Feet — and a Story Beneath That

Each year, thousands of people walk or cycle the scenic trails winding through the hills, gullies, and farms of the North Okanagan. Some come for exercise, some to immerse themselves in nature, and others are simply drawn to the quiet beauty of Vernon, Coldstream, and Lavington’s open spaces.

But what many don’t realize is that these popular walking routes follow the path of an extraordinary piece of Canadian engineering history—the Grey Canal, once the longest irrigation channel in British Columbia.

Many who walk these trails have paused to enjoy the view and have found themselves intrigued by stone-lined ditches, old flume supports, or odd steel remnants tucked into the landscape.

These quiet features are the last visible traces of a system that transformed the region’s economy and farmland more than a century ago.

Why It Was Built — and Who Made It Happen

The Grey Canal was designed to do one thing: bring water to the Okanagan’s dry benchlands so they could be farmed.

Built between 1906 and 1914, the system delivered water from Aberdeen Lake east of Lavington all the way to Okanagan Lake, stretching more than 50 kilometres without a single pump.

The canal was initiated by the White Valley Irrigation & Power Company, whose backers included Lord and Lady Aberdeen, prominent early developers of the Coldstream Ranch. It was named in honour of Governor General Earl Grey, who visited the project in 1907.

By 1920, the system had been taken over by the Vernon Irrigation District, and irrigation became a permanent part of life in the region.

📌 Sources: Vernon Museum & Archives; Allan Brooks Nature Centre; Ribbons of Green Trails Society

Engineering Challenges and Innovation

Constructing the Grey Canal was no small task. It required hand labour, horse-drawn scrapers, and early steam shovels to carve ditches up to 6 metres wide and 1 metre deep into the earth.

The project also used 18 flumes—some over 750 metres long and 12 metres high—as well as wood and steel siphons to cross ravines and uneven terrain.

The canal operated on gravity alone—no pumps. But over time, engineers had to adapt to constant problems: water was lost to leaks, evaporation, and damage from floods or erosion.

Repairs were frequent, and eventually, open ditches gave way to buried metal pipelines for better efficiency.

📌 Sources: Ribbons of Green Trails Society; “Ways of Water” Exhibit – Vernon Museum

A Lasting Impact on the North Okanagan

At its peak, the Grey Canal irrigated more than 20,000 acres of farmland—enabling the shift from dryland ranching to high-value fruit orchards.

Its success was so dramatic that by the 1930s, the Grey Canal system delivered more water than the entire City of Vancouver’s water supply at the time.

Farms grew, communities expanded, and the canal played a central role in shaping the identity and economy of the region.

📌 Source: Allan Brooks Nature Centre; Vernon Museum Archives

What’s Left Today?

Though the open canal was shut down by 1970 and replaced with underground infrastructure, much of its route remains as part of the Grey Canal Trail System.

Thanks to the efforts of the Ribbons of Green Trails Society and the Regional District of North Okanagan, more than 35 km of the old right-of-way is now accessible to the public.

As you walk the trail, you’ll find:

• Interpretive signs that explain the canal’s story

• Visible ditch lines, old concrete works, and even remnants of flumes

• Sweeping vistas of the valley the canal once nourished

These elements offer a living connection to the region’s past—a perfect blend of recreation, education, and preservation.

📌 Sources: RDNO; Ribbons of Green Trails Society; Vernon Museum

Credits and Public Sources

All information in this article is drawn from publicly funded institutions or not-for-profit organizations, including:

• Ribbons of Green Trails Society – www.ribbons-of-green.ca

• Vernon Museum & Archives – “Ways of Water” video exhibit & Orchard History

• Allan Brooks Nature Centre – Regional irrigation history

• Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) – Grey Canal Trail information