The tunnels are dark and a little eerie if you were walking alone. Water is dripping off the ceilings, sounds are echoing, it’s really quite something else. The Othello Tunnels trail is a short, easy 3.5km return trail that passes through several tunnels over the rushing river below. Beautiful to look at, I wouldn’t want to fall in though… It’s about a 10 minute drive off of the Coquihalla Highway. You could easily stop here too on your way to the interior. (Thanks to the kind man who took our family photos!)Īlso noteworthy, the engineer Andrew McCullough was an avid reader of Shakespearean literature and used characters such as Lear, Jessica, Portia, Iago, Romeo & Juliet to name stations of the Coquihalla subdivision. The most expensive mile (the one near the summit) cost $300,000, triple the average cost for railways at the time which was $136,000 per mile.Īnother interesting tidbit is that the railway section had 43 bridges requiring 22 million board feet of lumber, 13 tunnels and 16 snowsheds totaling 2 miles in length. The section of the Kettle Valley Railway between Hope and Coquihalla is the Coquihalla Subdivision. It was built between 19.Īs a result because of the location, it was an expensive project. I’m terribly afraid of heights, so I may just send Curtis along with the camera for that adventure.īut, Othello Tunnels was an adventure I really enjoyed and the bonus was that we could bring Piper along. He ended up being carried around for most of the walk, which I’m pretty sure he didn’t mind.Īnyways, back to some background of the tunnels. Another one I have yet to do in my life so far. There is of course, Hell’s Gate, a popular tourist attraction nearby. Yet, it seems like you are somewhere else walking this trail. You generally pass through Hope to either the interior or return to the Lower Mainland. Nature at it’s finest, something I would not imagine in Hope. These tunnels are stunning, you really cannot appreciate it until you are there in person. You look up the mountains and then look down below to the river. A straight line of five tunnels were built through it which are known now as the Othello Tunnels. In the Coquihalla Gorge, the river cut a 300 foot deep channel of solid granite. The railway goes through over three mountain ranges. In the early 1900s, the Canadian Pacific Railway decided a route was necessary to link the Kootenay Region with the BC coast by rail. It’s a nice day trip from the city that includes a beautiful walk along historic trails. These old railway tunnels are just outside of Hope, which is located two hours from Vancouver. You will see the parking area ahead.Įnv.gov.bc.A couple of weekends ago, Curtis and I (with Piper!) hit the road to Othello Tunnels. and take first right to stay on Othello Rd. Turn left at 6 Ave, then right on Kawkawa Lake Rd and slight left to stay on Kawkawa Lake Rd. Turn right at Old Hope-Princeton Highway junction (stop light). Directions: Traveling East on Highway #1, take exit 170 and turn left at the stop light at end of exit ramp. Features: Picnic tables, fishing, hiking, cycling and toilets. Some are long and dark, and the gravel surface underfoot may be uneven due to erosion caused by dripping water. Flashlights are strongly recommended for anyone walking or cycling through the Tunnels. If you are interested in enjoying a longer walk, you can continue past the last tunnel and walk along the Kettle Valley Trail into Hope. If you visit the tunnels in late summer, you will likely see spawning salmon leaping from the river as they make their way up the Coquihalla. There are breathtaking viewing opportunities as you walk along the trail, through the tunnels and on the bridges. The engineer Andrew McCullough was an avid reader of Shakespearean literature so he named each station of the Coquihalla subdivision after the playwright's famous characters: Lear, Jessica, Portia, Iago and Romeo & Juliet. These tunnels were built in a straight line through the granite cliffs. There are five tunnels which were built in 1914 to connect the Koutenay Region with the BC coast by rail. You and your family will be in awe of this magnificent area. The contrast between the man-made structure against the steep granite cliffs is wild. The Othello Quintette Tunnels, better known as the Othello Tunnels, are one of the most spectacular, man-made attractions in the Lower Mainland. The tunnels are open from dawn to dusk daily for the summer season.
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