A few years ago, me and Carolyn did a 1-night backpacking trip on the Tikwalus Heritage Trail. It’s a ~12km loop train located off Highway 1 past Hope. It’s a nice trail and we had a good time exploring the area, but what was most notable for me was the realization that, in the 8 years I’d been living in BC at the time, I’d never actually driven on Highway 1 past Hope. All of my adventures either take me up the Sea-to-Sky or out the Coquihalla Highway towards Kamloops or Kelowna.

Past Hope, Highway 1 falls the Fraser River upstream to the Fraser Canyon. I’ve been wanting to travel there for several years to go whitewater rafting, but a lot of the rafting companies were impacted by the flooding in 2021. After doing the Tikwalus Heritage Trail, I was determined to spend some more time exploring the area. My timing was good, because my friend Gina works in the tourism industry and got 2 free tickets to Hell’s Gate for summer 2023. We decided to drag our husbands along and make a day of exploring along the canyon.

Hell’s Gate is a pretty cool tourist attraction. I had actually done it before when I visited BC as a teenager with my family, but I didn’t remember it very well, so I was happy to do it again. Hell’s Gate is named because it is the narrowest part of the Fraser Canyon, where the river comes rushing down from Lillooett and is forced through this narrow channel by the steep canyon walls. The canyon is only 35 metres wide at this section and has been an important location throughout history for many different reasons.

Traditionally, this part of the river was an important fishing ground for indigenous peoples in the region. During the gold rush, the canyon was frequented by miners trying to access the gold-rich bars upstream of the channel. Then, in the late 1800’s, the Canadian Pacific Railway constructed the first rail line against the bank of the channel. The railroad still passes through the canyon today, but it is much more easily accessible as a suspension bridge has been constructed at the base on the canyon, and an airtram transports hundreds of tourists from the highway down to the tourist centre.

It’s a cool site to visit, but it definitely has a dark history. A rockslide into the canyon in the early 1900’s, greatly impacted the fishery in the area by destroying salmon habitat. Today there are many fishways that have been constructed to assist in Salmon migration up to Adams Lake and there are several historical exhibits at the base of the river – including about the natural environment, the gold rush, and the many Chinese workers who perished constructing the railway.

So from a historical perspective, I think it’s a good place to visit, but it definitely needs some updating. The storyboards and information in the museums has clearly not be updated in years and I found it to be overly focused on colonial history and many of the terms and language used around the site are no longer politically correct. It might be a small criticism to some, but this is a site that a lot of tourists come through and I think it’s a bad look to be using updated terms and ideas in a place where people come to learn about local history.

As a natural phenomenon, the site is really cool and I loved the engineering aspect of it. There’s a beautiful view of the canyon from the tram and the bridge is a very cool structure. The bridge floor is just a grate, which means you can see all the way down to the river, so hold on to any lose items and hold on to your hat since it can get windy through the canyon!

We spent a few hours at Hell’s Gate and had lunch in the cafeteria. We decided to visit Alexandria Bridge Provincial Park, which is located nearby. It’s a very small park, but is the location of another suspension bridge. Like Hell’s Gate, this location on the Fraser River is also a traditional fishing ground for the local first nations and important for conservation. The bridge was first constructed in 1861 to connect the Anderson Brigade trail (according to BC Parks). I couldn’t find much information on this trail online, but I believe it is an extension of the Tikwalus Heritage Trail, which was used by the Hudson’s Bay Company as part of the fur trade in the mid 1800’s (but developed by the Nlaka’pamux).

It was cool to visit because I’ve now done the Tikwalus Heritage Trail, the HBC Heritage Trail (from Tulameen to Hope), and Alexandria Bridge. So there’s a lot of history and culture in this area and I’ve learned a lot over the past 2 years about the fur trade and the gold rush.

For more information on the trail, this is definitely just a road-side stop (not a whole day affair). There’s a parking lot on the side of the highway and it’s ~1km each way to hike down over the bank to the suspension bridge. The trail ends at the end of the suspension bridge, where it enters Nlaka’pamux Tribal Council land. It’s an easy trail – there are some shortcuts through the woods, but you can just follow the road down and it’s easy walking, but still a good work-out thanks for the elevation gain on the way back.

Our final stop of the day is probably familiar to anyone who’s driven out to Hope – Bridal Veil Falls. The Falls cascade down from Cheam Peak all year round and there’s a nice picnic area and walk up to the viewpoint. It’s only ~1km round trip, so another good roadside stop on a day out.

There’s no shortage of places to explore in BC. I tend to gravitate to some of the “big view” trails, but it was really nice to have a lazier day and explore some of the roadside stops and smaller attractions in the area, plus learn more about the local history. Even better if your friend has free passes for the airtram!