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I wrote a piece for Trans Canada Trail about “love locks” on the McCullough Creek Trestle, just outside of Penticton, along the Kettle Valley Rail Trail. The limited word count prohibited me from sharing all the community feedback that poured in, after I posted a query to a local Facebook group, seeking stories behind the locks.
What follows is the intro to my Trans Canada Trail article, followed by the stories behind the locks – in their entirety, as given by individuals from the community. Many of these stories made it into the original article, but regrettably there wasn’t room for them all. To ensure every story found a home, I wanted to document them here. Trans Canada Trails has graciously agreed to link this post to the original article I wrote for them.
You can read my “Love Locks on the Trans Canada Trail” article on the www,tctrail.ca site here.
Love Locks on the Trans Canada Trail – From original ARTICLE
You notice them as you cross the McCullough Creek Trestle, a modest wooden span on the Trans Canada Trail / Kettle Valley Rail Trail outside Penticton. A flash of brass, a glint of steel catching the Okanagan sun. Love locks. Hundreds of them, attached to the wire mesh, and weathered over the years. Some are engraved, some painted, and some have faded to the point where the names are nearly gone.
What’s the story behind these locks I wondered? The people, the community, and their connection to the Trans Canada Trail? On a whim, I posted to a local Facebook group seeking answers.
Within 24 hours the post had 375 reactions, 59 comments and 44 shares. People tagged friends, emails arrived, and direct messages piled up. What came back was a portrait of community – it’s history, grief and humour, shared with love and deep attachment to the trail.
Responses received
What follows are stories of community and connection. Some are happy, loving, often funny. Others are sad. There’s a lot of history shared too – through stories of family and friendship. Relationships are celebrated over decades, and a few have gone sour, left to rust like some locks on the trestle. And at least one high school romance was seemingly up for a second chance!
Some stories left me in tears. Deaths of parents, siblings, spouses, and children remembered. The Mom who lost both kids unexpectedly – one at 6, the other at 20, had me tearing up. She had placed two locks linked together for her kids attached to the bridge and visits the trail every summer. The couple who celebrated 50 years marriage with friends, putting a lock there with them, then the wife walking the trail to the bridge daily, to visit her husband’s lock after he died last year.
A window into the community
I knew the locks would be a window into many lives in the community, marking their love for someone, and passion for the trail. But I had no idea how vulnerable people would be, and how touched they were that someone cared to ask. It was a bit overwhelming, but I hope that in sharing the stories in this way, it helps do them justice.
I’ve left names attached to the responses received, but have removed emails, phone numbers and social media handles. I’ve lightly edited for spelling and grammar, but have left the quotes otherwise as submitted.
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Hi, I heard u were looking for some people who have a lock on the bridge. I have one but we put it as a graduation lock there with my ex-boyfriend who’s still my best friend. I am not in Penticton but I would be more than happy to communicate with u over email with any questions u have for me. Also my name is Tabatha
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Saw your article on FB, and guess what? I was the first lock on that bridge! Yes, I started it all! It must have been around 2014? I’d just seen something similar in France, so my gf (at the time) and I thought it would be cool to put one on that bridge. When I lived in the area I would walk/jog the KVR for exercise. I think we nail polished TB + SC with a heart on our lock. – Todd Broadhurst
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Hi Mary,
I just wanted to pass on the lock that we have there. My husband and I came to Penticton every year for 24 years for summer vacation. It’s so beautiful here that we knew we wanted to retire here one day. We walked that KVR every year looking at the locks and thinking, OK next year we’re going to bring a lock to lock on the bridge, but it seemed every year on vacation we would forget to bring a lock.
Finally in October 2024 my husband retired and we moved out here from Calgary. Excited to start our new adventure living in beautiful, wonderful place that we visited every year ever since we met. After we seem to get settled in, we started adventuring out, checking out new areas and we came across the bridge again. I thought finally we live here and I’m going to put a lock on the bridge celebrating our new retirement in Penticton. I went and got the perfect lock. We replaced it on the bridge commemorating our new life here. We love it here. It’s a lot quieter than the busy city a perfect place to retire. Thanks – Brenda
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Good morning, A friend of mine tagged me in your post about wanting to get to know more about the people who’ve put a love lock on the bridge along the KVR trail. Four years ago, I had organized a surprise gothic Valentine’s day photo shoot for my now wife to celebrate our moving in together. We got pictures taken with our dog on that bridge and we placed a lock that very same day. I hope you had a pleasant stay in Penticton. – Kynan Kraft
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Good morning Mary, I hope you are having a lovely day. My name is Sue, I was born and raised in Penticton. I live here with my husband Rick and my son Devon. We put a lock on the bridge many years ago. So neat to express our love for Penticton and the beautiful KVR Trail! We live to walk and bike it regularly. My hobby is photography and there is nothing I love more than capturing the beauty of my surroundings here in Penticton. If you need any photographs to accompany your story, I have so many of the KVR. Looking forward to seeing your story! Very exciting. Thanks for your time. – Sue Marie
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From Scott Breir – via DM on Facebook
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From Kathleen Deobald via DM on Facebook
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So many amazing stories were shared!
Hi there,
A friend tagged me in your post about the Penticton KVR bridge with the locks on it and a story you are writing. My husband, Ken, and I met at Okanagan University College back in 1994. We went through the business administration diploma program together.
As the story goes, I walked up to the front door of the school and saw this cute guy in a leather jacket, and I felt like I knew him from somewhere. We smiled at each other like we knew each other, (we had never met before- he was newly moved from Yellowknife and I was newly moved from Williams Lake). As I walked into my classroom and sat down, I was getting settled, and the same guy walked in and sat behind me, and the rest was history. I have always felt like it was meant to be. We moved to Kelowna for our second year of university but loved Penticton and moved back shortly after completing our education.
We spent seven years together before we married in 2001. Our son was born in 2003 and is now doing his second-degree at UVIC. After completing his biology degree he’s now in law school.
We raised our son on a 4acre cherry Orchard we owned in Naramata and often biked and walked the KVR trail, which was right out our front door. We eventually sold our Orchard when our son was in high school and built a home in Penticton, which has a path right outside our door to connect us to the KVR Trail pretty easily.
My husband had a lock engraved and made for us to put on the bridge for our 20th anniversary. He surprised me on one of our bike rides and we locked it in place on our 20th anniversary (Aug 11). We bike from our home to the KVR and always stop at the bridge to say “hi” to our lock. We typically bike the KVR once a week and have even biked the Myra Canyon KVR Trail from Kelowna to Penticton with our son. (80km adventure!)
We met on that first day of university and really never left each other’s side since that day for the last 32 years. We don’t plan to leave Penticton as we love it here and just like the name means, it’s a place to stay forever. Cheers, – Nicole.
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I saw you article and decided to tell you my story – We moved to Penticton in 2016 – my husband & I walked the KVR and saw a few locks and decided to add to the group. Then we had long time friends come for a visit from northern BC – for their 50th anniversary we gave them a lock and had them add it next to ours. My husband passed away in early 2024 – I go check on the lock in case the City of Penticton decides to remove them. It is a special place for me to visit and reflect on 50 years of marriage. – Brenda A
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The trestle is named Mccullough Creek trestle. my husband and I put a love lock on the wires in about 2017. In these 9 years our lives have dramatically changed. But our love is locked in forever. – Suzanne Kinsey
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I saw your post on FB and although I am not from Penticton, I have left two very special locks on that fence. The locks are connected together to symbolize their eternal bond to each other and my belief that they are together waiting for me to join them one day. The love that these locks carry are not of husband and wife or of partners in love, they are of the love of brother and sister lost to this world too soon, and the love of a heartbroken mother trying to navigate the world without parts of her soul.
The locks symbolize a hope that people will read them and say their names, to acknowledge how precious life is, and as a way for the people who love them to leave a little piece of them wherever they travel. There are locks united in love placed in many places; Creston, Cranbrook, Kimberley, Newfoundland, and in Nicaragua. And where locks can’t be left, ashes and nickels are left behind as a mark so say “you will never be forgotten, and you are always with us no matter where we are in the world”.
Thank you for recognizing how truly life altering a place like the fence of love can be for some, it gives someone like me a way to talk about and share my babies with the world. Love from Alyssa (forever 6) and Davis’ (forever 20) mama. Deb Bartraw
Additional note from Deb:
Hi Mary, It feels amazing to have a safe space to talk about Davis and Alyssa. Davis and Alyssa were born in Creston, and until we moved to Cranbrook when Alyssa was 3, we had a favorite park, and the locks are placed on that fence. In Cranbrook we had a favorite sliding spot, so we have placed locks there. There is a short easy hike for youngsters close to Kimberley called Marysville falls that we would do quite regularly. Alyssa would ask what the locks meant, so after she passed, Davis and I placed a lock there for her. After he passed, we placed one for both of them.
When Alyssa was in remission, we planned to go to Newfoundland because that is where her Greggie (my husband, her bonus dad) was from. We had our tickets bought counting down the days, and she relapsed and never had a chance to go. Over the years since, our family has visited many times and it became a special place for Davis, so the Christmas after he passed we put some of his ashes in the Atlantic, a nickel in memory of Alyssa and placed locks. After that, when we would travel I would always bring a tiny bit of Davis’s cremains, a nickel that my Angel Alyssa would bless me with and locks.
Sometimes we couldn’t find a fence to place them, but in Nicaragua last year we found the perfect spot looking over the pacific. We have spread cremains and thrown a nickel in the Atlantic, pacific, Caribbean, and in a few weeks my daughter Ellie and I are going to Spain to spread them in the Mediterranean. The first picture is Aruba, the other two Nicaragua with the fence and the view. I almost forgot…when Davis and Alyssa were 2 and 4 their best friends Matthew and Brayden, along with my best friend, Ardith (their mom) moved to Penticton…this is why there! Love from Davis and Alyssa’s mommy forever, Deb
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the comments just kept coming!
My husband (of 35 years) and I placed a lock on the trestle last year. I grew up in Penticton, left after graduating in ‘79, and then returned in August of ‘90 to raise our three girls there. Two are still living in Penticton raising their children. When I was growing up, freight trains still stopped in Penticton and the station is still there on Hastings Street.
The KVR has always been a very popular choice for us to walk and cycle. The bike ride to the tunnels is very scenic and now they have restored the Adra Tunnel which is very cool. It’s a great place to picnic. When the girls were much younger we rode our bikes from Kelowna Myra Canyon to Chute Lake (about 23 miles) on the KVR trail stopping over night at Idabel Lake. Our two youngest were in bike trailers and the eldest was about 9 yrs. old and rode her bike.
In May of last year my niece got married at the Keilty Vineyard (Gneiss Wines). While the bride and groom were having their photos taken they encouraged their guests to visit the Abandoned Rail Brewing Company and/or the McCulloch Trestle to put a lock on the fence. Two of my daughters, and their partners, plus my husband and I chose to add a lock to the thousands of other locks on the “Love Lock Bridge”. – Jeanette Sick
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I live in Toronto, but grew up in Summerland. My father grew up in Penticton and my mother and father live there now. My kids and I spend every summer in Penticton because I am a teacher in Toronto and have the summer’s off. We are absolutely in love with the KVR trail and always spend time walking and biking on it.
Recently my mother has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and me and my kids made a lock for her, to represent her strength and perseverance in this fight against cancer. We went out together and placed it on the bridge. It was a way for us to do something, to show hope, when my kids felt like there wasn’t much we could do. It’s different from a traditional “love lock”. We actually have participated in this kind of ritual or tradition before…..my parents, me and my wife, my sister and her husband have ALL placed locks on the Via dell’Amore (Path of Love), a beautiful 1-kilometer trail connecting the villages of Riomaggiore and Manarola in Italy. All three of our locks were placed on different trips separate from each other. So I guess these locks have meaning for us. – Jocelyn
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Not everyone loved the locks though
Hi Mary!
This is simply a suggestion… As a journalist you may want to investigate and include the maintenance, legal and other implications of leaving love locks on bridges/properties – in addition to the focusing on the stories behind those who feel the need to leave locks to profess their love for another. These locks cause a lot of work and costs in Italy – where the idea seems to have originated and is now being copied in Penticton. Many people may not enjoy the locks being romanticized nor encouraged.
Best regards, Hedy Hope
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But the stories continued…
Hello there Mary, I saw your post on FB, my husband and I put a lock on the bridge in 2017, we lived on the KVR and rode by it almost daily. We are now back in Vancouver, but happy to answer any questions you may have.
My husband and I moved to Penticton full time ish…(I still commuted back to Vancouver every other week to run my business) in 2016. I had my 2nd concussion and living in the city was very difficult for me, we decided to look for somewhere a little quieter. We lived at the beginning of the KVR, it was at the end of our drive way on Vancouver Place. We rode the KVR almost daily for years, early on we saw the bridge and there were a few locks, and decided to add ours to the fence. It was a statement of our commitment to a new life, and a new love to our surroundings. We also chose a lock that was a little bigger than most so we could always see it when cycling by.
I looked up on line what locks on bridges represented and it was about love…for us it was about the love we had for one another, and as noted above our new journey. This year we celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. We lived in Penticton until 2024. – Cheers, Cori
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Hi there! I saw your post about passing over the bridge in Penticton, the famous Love Locks bridge! Are you still looking for stories or pics?
My hubby and I celebrated our 12 years together this year and popped a lock on there on our anniversary. I have some pics of us doing such and happy to share a story or two about how much we enjoy walking our dog Munchie on the KVR.
There is something special about the KVR. Getting to either bike or hike ALLL the way the Chute Lake is certainly a hidden gem.
We have lived here in Penticton several years together out of the 12 we have shared, hubby and I. As a younger art and music outdoorsy couple we don’t live by the norms of kids ha-ha and enjoy our doggies company instead. We also have been full time living in a lovely RV that’s been home for 5 years!
I recall when we had first moved to Penticton around 2015 or 2016. The locks that were there had all been removed and over the years they appeared again. I think that’s special. Some people will whine and complain about the weight of the locks?? Seems like those are the keyboard warriors that don’t get out and actually enjoy something with SOMEONE ELSE
I love that I can drive 10 min from town and see a deer 🦌 a hawk or two and enjoy some sage brush. Cheers!! Thanks for your time! – Robyn & Derek
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Hello Mary- Saw your post on Facebook re the locks on the KVR bridge in Penticton. We have a bit of a story there- on our first biking date about two weeks into our relationship in 2018 we stopped on the bridge to take in the view and James looked fine and saw a red heart lock with our initials in it- we couldn’t believe it and took it as a sign. The pic hangs in our home. ❤️
Look forward to your story! – Kim and James
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Hi! My name is Donna Lessard and I’ve lived in Penticton for 5 years now. I moved here from Innisfail Alberta in 2021 when my mom’s health was starting to decline due to dementia. Wanting to be closer to her and Dad who were living in West Kelowna, I got a job working in Penticton with persons with diverse abilities. We would often go on walks on the trail and passed over this bridge many times.
Before my mom was put into a care home, my dad brought her down to Penticton for some supper and I took them to put a lock on the bridge with their names on it. They were married in February 6th 1965. At the time that we put the lock on the bridge my dad had been taking care of Mom and was really struggling. This was a very special moment even though mom didn’t really understand what was going on at the time. She passed away the next summer. I always look for their lock when I’m walking the trail and crossing the bridge. That’s my story about The Love Lock bridge in Penticton on the KVR trail. 😊
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And finally, here are some comments added to the original Facebook post…
Kim Palmer: Hi, Mary! We roller bladed together once upon a time, and I now live in Penticton. Let me know if I can help with the story!
Kristjan Back: It’s a great backdrop for pictures (puppy on bridge)
Rita Arrowsmith: Check out giants head Summerland also- Thanks for bringing awareness to peoples locks of life!
Linda Dunphy: Thanks for Asking and I’m sort of new to the area from the East and I’d love a follow up as to what the Reasoning Is behind it as Well.
Dayna Kraft and Kynan Kraft: We’ve got a lock there
Cheryl Donna: Favourite place to walk
Debra Formo: There a love lock wall at the hospital too I think at the entrance in the parade
Barbara Henniger: Please don’t publicize the love locks on KVR trestles. If this idea takes off it can cause the structural integrity of the trestles to fail. I think it’s a very romantic idea but the weight they add is not insignificant.
Tony Davis: Some of those locks not only express undying love (supposedly), but also, behind their brass or steel shells, duplicity, deceit, and indescribably and shocking painful betrayals.
Donnie Carlson: I remember when there was only like 5 or 6 locks on that
The Comments just kept coming on Facebook
ResidentGoldfish2164: OMG this reminds me I need to take mine off there!!
John Hardisty: This train trestle bridge is named after an engineer; his daughter lives not far from trestle. Her name is Greeta Henning. Her father had a plaque on the bridge. Hope that helps. You can message me if you like.
Bev Kohler: We got the idea from the bridge in Paris and there is another one on the Penticton creek walkway just off Wade Ave and Braid St
Nirvana Terry: My ex fiancé and I put one down. It lasted many years longer than we did lol
Shawna Fletcher: One of my favorite spots to stop at when I’m hiking with the dog or cycling
Robin Soper: My husband and I have a lock there
Mahado Thomas: My husband and I put a lock up on that bridge one Valentine’s Day. Our names faded but we still know which one it is. We walk our dog there often.
June Vander-Hoek: This is the McCullough Trestle that the love locks live on
Lisa Fladager: Not sure if the one in the pic, but my family added a red heart lock for our dad and papa Love the lock bridge!
Dolly Abney: This is us, love your article idea! We ride or run the KVR almost daily
The last few comments!
Endrene Shepard: Cathartic Wanderer you have a lock on there, I think?
Wendy and Jerry Imhoff: We placed a lock on the bridge December 2020 to celebrate our 25th Anniversary. We started regularly walking this part of the KVR that fall to help my husband recover from his double lung transplant.
Jean Collins Anderson: I’ve been walking the KVR trail for many years. I believe this was one of the first locks. I took this photo in June 2014
StePau Presov: We divorced last year, so I went and unlocked my lock.
Ashley Duncan: We have a lock
Darrien McWatters: My girlfriend and I put a lock on that bridge and threw the key into the ravine. Five years later and we are still together and strongly in love!
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The Trans Canada Trail runs nearly 30,000 km connecting communities from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic. It passes through small towns and cities, farmland and wilderness. And in places like Penticton, it runs through people’s lives – daily bike rides, recovery walks, anniversaries, first dates and last goodbyes. The McCullough Creek Trestle is on a small section of a vast trail. But what has accumulated on its wire mesh is a record of what trails like this mean to communities they run through. They give people a place to show up together.
Decommissioned rail trails are common along the Trans Canada Trail. There’s symbolism in that. Those rails originally connected communities across Canada, just like the Trans Canada Trail does now. And love locks carry the stories of the people linked to those communities.
If you made it this far, and would like to read the original featured article “Love Locks on the Trans Canada Trail” you can link to it here on www.tctrail.ca