More than 350 people were on hand to celebrate the official opening of the Okanagan Rail Trail on Thursday.

The District of Lake Country, City of Kelowna, Regional District of North Okanagan and Okanagan Indian Band all cut the ribbon to open the nearly 50-kilometre trail.

Connecting Kelowna to Coldstream, the path offers a multimodal transportation system for walkers, bikers, roller bladers, skateboarders and much more.

Photo Credit: Contributed

“Today we were able to celebrate the collaborative effort of municipal partners and community partners coming together to bring this trail to fruition,” said Kelowna mayor Colin Basran.

“We are grateful for the various contributions that allowed us to take advantage of this unparalleled opportunity to create a legacy for our communities.”

The trail was completed thanks to a community-based fundraising campaign that brought in $7.8-million from more than 5,000 generous donors.

Nearly $1.3-million was pitched in by the Government of B.C. as well, through BikeBC and the BC Rural Dividend Fund.

“B.C. is a leader in North America when it comes to cycling infrastructure, and the Okanagan Rail Trail is an example of how these projects can bring communities together,” said Claire Trevena, minister of transportation and infrastructure.

“Building a culture of cycling encourages healthy living and reduces emissions, and we’re proud that we could contribute with BikeBC funding that helped to make this trail a reality.”

The majority of the trail is now open and begging to be used, but a small portion between Kelowna International Airport and Duck Lake is still closed to the public.

It will remain this way while that land is reviewed by senior government through the federal reserve process and Agricultural Land Commission.

For more information on the Okanagan Rail Trail, visit the website.