Kettle Valley Steam Railway
Kettle Valley Steam Railway
Kettle Valley Steam Railway
4.5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
649 reviews
Excellent
471
Very good
141
Average
24
Poor
7
Terrible
6
David M Scott
Summerland, Canada1 contribution
Jul 2022
Extremely well run attraction. The engine is so beautifully restored and immaculate as are the enclosed passenger cars. The journey through the rock cuts terminating at the Trout Creek Canyon trestle gives an incredible view of the canyon. The view of Prairie Valley with it's myriad of orchards and vineyards is breathtaking.
We took the Murder Mystery package presented by the Summerland Players and Singers and they conducted their production during the ride, engaging we travellers
us in same. The ride and stop where the production continued with acting and song
by the players took 2 hours and culminated with a great full course buffet at the lovely early 20th century station replica. The cost for this was $74 per person tax included, truly a bargain. I have been whale watching on both coasts, visited many
working heritage sites and I rate this a must see attraction. And the whole event is operated by volunteers from the district. Give this 5'Stars.
We took the Murder Mystery package presented by the Summerland Players and Singers and they conducted their production during the ride, engaging we travellers
us in same. The ride and stop where the production continued with acting and song
by the players took 2 hours and culminated with a great full course buffet at the lovely early 20th century station replica. The cost for this was $74 per person tax included, truly a bargain. I have been whale watching on both coasts, visited many
working heritage sites and I rate this a must see attraction. And the whole event is operated by volunteers from the district. Give this 5'Stars.
Written July 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Heather F
4 contributions
Sept 2023 • Couples
What an enjoyable and entertaining time we had as we rode on the steam-powered train! We chose the Winslow, an open-air car, and the beautiful autumn weather was a bonus as we travelled down the track to the trestle bridge and back. We were so pleased to have plenty of photo & video opportunities throughout the duration of our trip. Once on board, we were regaled with historical facts about the railway, and serenaded by a guitar playing Cowboy, who encouraged us to sing along with him. And of course, everyone was excited when we were “robbed” by the Garnet Valley Gang, who rode in with their horses and realistic sound effects! At the end of our journey, we were treated to a delicious meal under the pavilion, with music provided, once again by “The Cowboy”. We will definitely be back, next time with family and friends!
Written September 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rick G
Summerland, Canada19 contributions
Oct 2022
This experience never disappoints! My wife and I are residents of Summerland and have taken this trip a number of times. Our boys also worked on the train many eyars ago. They love it. We love it. It's such a wonderful experience for all ages. It's a true Summerland experience and we highly recommend taking the trip. The staff is outstanding. They do a wonderful job of welcoming everyone, making sure everyone is safe and providing a lot of history and education about the train, the railway and the surrounding community. The game of finding things that passengers see is simple and fun and allows the children to participate in the train ride as well. Whether you live here or are visiting this is an event you do not want to miss.
Written October 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chan
2 contributions
Dec 2022
We were looking for a Magical Christmas train ride and unfortunately the Magic was very far from being there. No warm welcome but rather just process to get your tickets, then we got hot chocolat that was actually "warm" served from a plastic brown tub! Once inside the train, the conductor didn't look very professional, dragging his feet as he walk back and forth giving us little stories of bridge or crossing. Christmas music kept on cutting out, Christmas lights in the second car didn't work either. We travelled for 30mins uphill with not much to do then look outside and then the train travelled back downhill from where it came from and at that time Santa & Mrs Claus made their way in our car to give candy cane and take photo with family. Not much magic at all, no productions or sign along or Christmas Joy all around, just a business train.... Very sad and dissapointed, I guess The Polar Express is truly is a Movie Magic Production or maybe Kettle Valley could go learn a thing or two from the Alberta Christmas Polar Express!
Written December 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michelle Feretos
2 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
We had booked a tour, for Friday, July 15th, as out of town guests & unfortunately our GPS took us the wrong way. The woman who spoke to us, laughed at us, told us we were 45 minutes away & that there are absolutely no refunds because the caterer was already booked. (We booked the murder mystery tour). We were offered a trip on the Sunday (the 17th) but we were no longer going to be in the area. The woman told us she was about to board the train, with guests that were going on the trip & she would call us on the 16th, to see what could be done. It’s now the 19th & no one has made contact with us. I tried calling back, but was told there wasn’t anyone that could assist me. The worst part was, we weren’t even 45 mins away. We made it back to our hotel in 10 minutes & the train was literally 10 minutes from our hotel.
Written July 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JohnWellington
3 contributions
Dec 2019
Our entire family went as a Christmas tradition. The price of the tickets weren't worth what you can see. The boss(Cassandra) at the station was standing with her arms crossed and barking at the employees. Not friendly at all very rude. We won't be back!
Written March 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Veronica K
Toronto, Canada6 contributions
Jun 2022
I took this with my husband for my birthday and I haven't smiled that much in a long time. You can really tell that all the actors involved really enjoy what they do and the excitement is tangible. Riding a steam train makes for such a unique experience and the views are gorgeous as you ride along. I can't believe we have something so amazing here in the Okanagan and I'll definitely be back for their murder mystery. Honestly, don't hesitate to take this train ride. As an added bonus - it's pretty much all volunteer run and all the money made either goes to the cost of the upkeep or to charity. You can really tell that the people who do this have a passion for history and the Wild West. I suggest booking the open air car on the Great Train Robbery as you'll be able to see a lot more of the action.
Written June 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
VimesFan
Leeds, United Kingdom136 contributions
Aug 2022
As steam railway enthusiasts from the UK our group of four adults were particularly keen to visit the KVR and had scheduled a visit to the area around a trip booked several months in advance. We were relieved that when the KVR moved our booking back by 24 hours it happened to be on one of only 3 free days out of 21.
We were on the Sunday morning round trip, 2 in the closed carriages and 2 in the open-air wagons. Great efforts were made by the on-train conductor, Ron, to entertain the passengers with interesting snippets of information about the railway's history and the passing environment, as well as giving out an activity sheet for children.
The restored steam engine was in immaculate condition and the facilities at Summerland station were good.
We were on the Sunday morning round trip, 2 in the closed carriages and 2 in the open-air wagons. Great efforts were made by the on-train conductor, Ron, to entertain the passengers with interesting snippets of information about the railway's history and the passing environment, as well as giving out an activity sheet for children.
The restored steam engine was in immaculate condition and the facilities at Summerland station were good.
Written August 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Martin S
wetaskiwin, Canada3 contributions
Jun 2022
Loved this special little train. We went with our family including a 2 year old. He loved it. Played with a little toy train that we bought in the gift store.
The conductor was very good and informative
Loved that they had a game for the older children to spot things along the way
The scenery was second to none
The duration was just right
All of us agreed that it was a great little trip
The conductor was very good and informative
Loved that they had a game for the older children to spot things along the way
The scenery was second to none
The duration was just right
All of us agreed that it was a great little trip
Written June 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sage2003
Penticton, Canada2 contributions
Jun 2022
If you are looking for a venue for a special occasion, seriously consider the KVSR! We booked a railcar for our 50th anniversary celebration and used their catering service for a luncheon to follow. It was an absolutely amazing day! The train ride was so much fun and our guests (all adults) loved it. The staff and volunteers went out of their way to make us feel special. We left on the 10:30 train and by the time we got back we could smell the barbeque cooking up lunch. The food was amazing and once again our guests were blown away by the quality of the food. There was a possibility of rain but we didn't worry because the platform has a covered area with many picnic tables that we were available for our use.
Written June 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We have paid for the Great Robbery Train Ride and there are no refunds but looks like the weather is going to be terrible. Where do they hold the BBQ?
Written September 11, 2019
We didn't do the train robbery/bbq. There should be a phone number on the web site. I would call and sort out details directly with them. Sorry I couldn't help more.
Written September 11, 2019
No - but at the station - not a long ride though
Written July 28, 2018
Do the trains run all year, and how often.
Written October 11, 2016
The short answer is spring, summer, fall + part of December; Thursdays through Mondays or Fridays to Mondays. The longer answer is to take a look at their web site. A special feature is their "train robbery + barbeque." - a couple of times during the summer. The strolling banjo player through the coaches is a nice added touch - I think it is just during July, August.
Written October 11, 2016
No it is not pet friendly in the train
Written August 1, 2016
can I walk to the start of the trrain trip if I am in downtown Summerland?
Written July 17, 2016
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