THE GORGE-OUS FRASER CANYON
By Jane Cassie
(For Travel Writers' Tales )

We've driven the Fraser Canyon so many times over the last three years I could do it with my eyes closed. In fact, when my husband's behind the wheel, I sometimes do. This scenic drive is the link between our White Rock residence and Cariboo retreat and though the journey has become a regular routine, it's really worth staying awake for.

Usually we zip through quickly in an effort to get to our lakeshore sanctuary, but on this warm sunny day, we take time for stops and exploration. In the process, we discover that this beautiful highway is a destination in itself.

Hope:Chainsaw Carving Capital of Canada

The city of Hope and ‘gateway to the Canyon,' is a mountain-enshrouded enclave that any woodsman would love. In 1808 Simon Fraser passed through this area in search of a waterway to the coast. Forty years later the Hudson 's Bay Company set up a fur-trading fort. More recently, it's been named ‘the chainsaw carving capital of Canada '. Go figure. With all the timber around, it makes sense to whittle a little wood. Eagles, grizzlies, wolves and bobcats are just a few of the finely chiseled images that pose in park areas.

Yale

Historical tales weave a fine yarn when we check out the next two-bit town of Yale . It's hard to believe that this sleepy hollow was once the largest city west of Chicago and north of San Fran. When the prospectors hollered out, “There's gold in these hills,” over three thousand miners flocked to the area. Twenty hotels and fifteen saloons quickly rose from the dusty streets of this town that became the first to be incorporated on BC's mainland.

There are walking tours, gold panning demonstrations and museum memorabilia that share the stories. As well as checking out one of our province's oldest churches, St. John the Divine Anglican, we read about Andrew Onderdonk, a motivated pioneer who was contracted to get the Canadian Pacific Railway chugging through the Canyon.

The historical saga continues when we pass through Spuzzum. Although it's certainly not ‘a must see' today, this place, interpreted as ‘Little Flat' by the natives, was a toll station in the mid 1800s. Getting to the Canyon's far side was initially accomplished on a rickety ferry, then in 1862 a man by the name of Joseph Trutch was instrumental in constructing the first Alexandra Bridge . Although there's been a bridge at this locale since ‘the rush', we discover that it's been replaced on four different occasions.

After a ten-minute stroll from Alexander Bridge Provincial Park , we reach the remains of a tarnished relic, the predecessor to the one that now exists. The silver-plated trellis wobbles beneath my feet and feels more like a shaky scaffold. I edge out gingerly, just long enough to smile for that quick photo moment.

Alexander Lodge

After whizzing by the Alexander Lodge, an antique B&B from the gold glory days, our ribbon of highway seems to take flight to higher ground. While hugging up to the steep mountainside, it bisects evergreen thickets and passes through tunnels of bedrock. “China Bar, Sailor Bar, Hell's Gate…” We call out each name in succession and, like a couple of kids, hold our breath while driving through the granite-enclosed passageways.

Tunnels

The claustrophobic Fraser Canyon measures thirty-five meters at the narrowest mark and the river below can run as deep as fifty meters during spring run-off. Two hundred million gallons of water forge through this narrow gorge per minute, a figure that doubles the volume of Niagara Falls .

Hells Gate

Getting through this waterway for Simon Fraser and his men would have been a tad challenging. In order to conquer the quest, they had to string up bark ladders and tackle the torrents on makeshift rafts. After losing a few of the crew along the way, they were pretty sure the river resembled the gates of hell, hence the name.

Today, reaching the other side of this gulch is a breeze. From our Hell's Gate Airtram, we're privy to breathtaking views of the steep-sided Canyon and the International Fishways that flank the narrow gorge. Far below, the river unleashes its magnificent fury.

Scenic Thompson River

This is the mighty Fraser Canyon and our eyes are wide open.

If You Go:  

Check out this web sites:
https://www.hellobc.com/places-to-go/fraser-valley-fraser-canyon/