We walked along a trail that was once part of the Kettle Valley Railroad... and is now part of the Trans Canada Trail system, and also a provincial park. It meanders along the Coquihalla River and leads to the famous tunnels...that bring many tourists to the Hope area every summer.
The Kettle Valley Railroad...was constructed as a necessary rail link
between the Kootenay Region of British Columbia and the coast. The
railway was built over three mountain ranges. The Coquihalla Gorge,
where the river cuts a 300 foot deep channel of solid granite, proved
to be a major challenge. In 1914 five tunnels were were built through
this area to complete the track...at a cost of $300,000. This is still
considered the costliest mile of railway track in the world. When the trains stopped running in 1965, the residents of Hope removed the
railroad ties and created a recreational trail.
Yesterday we checked out the trail...
...and the tunnels (where it was mighty dark!).
Since we have had next-to-no rain on the west coast for the past two months, the river was at it's lowest level.
The salmon were lined up in the pools...waiting for the water to rise so they could carry on upstream.
It was the perfect place to spend the last Sunday afternoon in September! We enjoyed a picnic supper in the park...before leaving for home.
No need to build an inukshuk before we left...since someone else had already thought of that.
We drove by Kawkawa Lake as we left the park...looking quite lovely bathed in the late afternoon sun!
Thanks for joining us on the Rendezvous adventure to the Othello Tunnels!
