Thompson Canyon ~ Fraser Canyon ~ Hope, BC

We are making a round trip to Hope, BC today and had decided we would go down through the Thompson and Fraser Canyons to enjoy the different views then return on the Coquihalla Highway.  The Thompson River leaves Savona at the end of Kamloops Lake and meets the Fraser Canyon at Lilloett, so we get to enjoy two canyons.

Thompson River and CP train

Although there is some confusion when doing the research for this, it appears that the CN and CP share their rail lines.  Once they reach the Fraser River, one side is used for one direction, the other side is for going the opposite direction, with the crossover happening at Siska in the Fraser Canyon. 

CNR tunnels

As we can only imagine this day and age, these rail lines were carved into these rock bluffs with many problems.  Construction was done manually with much risk to human lives 1881-1885 and the history that goes with this is not something we’d want to see again, thankfully we won’t.

Thompson River Rapids

Muddy waters this time of year with runoffs happening and the rapids in this part of the Thompson River are great for summer rides but not this time of year.  CN on opposite side transporting potash.  Always a busy mode of transporting freight, it is very common to see potash, coal, oil plus much more.

View from Jackass Mountain

We are climbing Jackass Mountain, elevation 2006m (6581ft.) which is part of the Cascade Range.  In 1862 the Cariboo Road was built for access to the Cariboo gold fields but the very difficult part was a trail to cross Nicaragua Bluff.  Many muletrains perished on this trail as they tried to traverse it, therefore the name.

Hell's Gate Airtram

The airtram at Hell’s Gate will be open again once the pandemic allows that to happen.  Traffic is light and over the years since the Coquihalla opened, small businesses have had to close down due to the lack of business, but thankfully the airtram survives. 

Alexandra Lodge

The Fraser Canyon part of the Trans Canada Highway was built in the 1950’s and it was definitely not easy travelling through here back in those days.  I remember sitting in the family car roadside waiting for another vehicle to pass by on those dirt and narrow roads during construction days.  It’s likely the Alexandra Lodge housed many construction workers at that time.

Bridge over Fraser River

We are now on the ‘new’ Alexandra Bridge that was built 1960-1964 and can see the ‘old’ Alexandra upstream.  We did make a stop to see the old bridge on this trip so I’ll be sharing that soon.

Yale Tunnel

As we follow the Fraser River we drive Highway 1 and pass through seven tunnels.  The Yale tunnel is where Lady Franklin Rock, named after a visiting British aristocrat, pokes out of the river allowing a very narrow passageway. This was as far as the steamboats could make it up the Fraser River from the coast. 

Yale, BC

The history of this tiny town is amazing.  It is hard to believe that this town of less than 200 people once had about 10,000 residents.  The Goldrush days in 1861 brought everyone north and at that time, Barkerville became the largest town and Yale was the second largest north of San Francisco!

I do find history very interesting now, it is too bad I didn’t feel that way when studying it in school! Lol 

 

Hope to make the Yale Museum a stop on the next trip down through the Fraser Canyon.

Winter Driving ~ Thompson Canyon ~ Fraser Canyon ~ BC

We love rv’ing and the time has come for these Canadian Snowbirds to head south for some sunshine.  Not that we don’t have some wonderful winter weather at home, but we also like to enjoy the winter weather that doesn’t include cold temperatures and snow.

Climbing into the clouds at Kamloops Lake, BC

We seem to be getting more snow than we’ve had in recent Decembers so the road conditions might be an issue.  New tires were on the list of purchases this year and they were a good idea, even for local driving during the time leading up to leaving for the trip. There were many snowfalls and some mild days.  This photo has dirt on the windshield showing what kind of roads we were travelling around Kamloops.

Winter roads near Cache Creek, BC

The challenges of winter driving can be a bit intimidating and watching the weather forecasts and road reports for a couple of weeks before departure day is typical at this time of year.  We’d enjoyed our travel through the Thompson and Fraser Canyons last year and decided we’d go the same way this year, too. 

The Thompson River

The roads are definitely winter conditions but have been well sanded and the temperature seems to be kind enough that we’re not seeing a lot of ice on these roads.  Most of this day of travel, the coldest temperature we noticed was -2C (28F). 

River, Highway and Train tracks

The Thompson River meanders through the valley, CN and CP Railway tracks frame on either side of the river and Highway 1 follows along on the snow covered hillside.  Three different routes for transportation are seen here. The contrast of the snow is showing off some of the geography we may not normally notice and creates some great photos.

Thompson River at Spences Bridge, BC

As we pass through Spences Bridge, we follow along at river level and see fisherman throwing their line from the cold shoreline.  The Thompson River at Spences Bridge is a big fishing draw for Steelhead in the fall.  Steelhead is a rainbow trout so they migrate to saltwater from freshwater streams but return to those freshwaters to spawn. 

Whitewater in the Thompson River, BC

Fresh snow on these rocks in the river is pretty rare to see so the camera is busy catching what photos I can as we drive by.  All of these photos have been taken as we drive so I get what I can and although I am not going to get prize winning photos, they still may show the beauty of our drive.

Leaving the Thompson Canyon, BC

From here we begin to climb and can see some promising blue sky up ahead. The sun has been trying to peek through some of the clouds and makes the snow sparkle and shine.   This just makes the day even better!  Nothing like blue sky and sunshine as we head out on a great RV holiday!

Lillooet Range in the distance

And look at the view we get as we come around a corner and get to the crest of the hill before reaching Lytton.  The Lillooet Range Mountains are covered with snow and with the sun shining, they look spectacular.    

Near Hell's Gate on Fraser River in BC

This part of the trip was so pretty with all the snow laden trees lining the highway.  The sun has managed to keep the roads bare, although not quite dry but with the temperature just above the freezing mark, we are travelling on great roads. 

Highway 1 - the road leads to Yale, BC

Once we pass Lillooet, BC, we are now following the Fraser River as it meanders its’ way to the Pacific.  We pass through Yale, BC, which has some great history, as does the whole Fraser Canyon.  Click here to see more of the history of the Fraser Canyon.

Dark clouds loom over Hope, BC

As we approach Hope, BC on Highway 1, we see the clouds ahead are low and make the day dark and dreary, we now know we chose the right route.  We have just enjoyed driving through the beautiful Thompson and Fraser Canyons with spectacular sights and sunshine. The roads were good winter conditions and the roads ahead are going to be just fine.

The travel time for this trip that took us into Aldergrove took 5 hours from Kamloops, so that is a bit longer than taking the Coquihalla.  We parked in our daughter's driveway for the night and left early the next morning to travel through Washington State.  I will post some photos from that drive soon.

Fraser Canyon ~ Highway 1 ~ BC ~ Canada

We love rv'ing but winter travels can be treacherous in typical winter conditions.  Our options to travel south from Kamloops, BC include a few different routes but due to the recent snowfall warning for the Coquihalla Highway, we chose to travel through the Fraser Canyon.  It had been several years since we'd used the route, especially during the winter but the road conditions sounded good.

The Fraser River arrives in Lytton, BC

The Thompson River flows into the Fraser River at Lytton, BC where the Thompson Canyon meets the Fraser Canyon. The Fraser River continues through the beautiful canyon named after it and is the longest river in BC.  It runs from the Fraser Pass to Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains travelling 1375 km (854 mi) into the Strait of Georgia at Vancouver, BC.

Cloud formation in the Fraser Canyon

We only had a bit of blue sky to enjoy but the dark clouds made great paintings on the canvas-like sky with enough brightness to create reflections on the hood of the truck.  We enjoyed dry roads for most of our trip through the Fraser Canyon other than some wet spots from recent rain but we had mild temperatures that prevented any ice from forming on the road.

The snow level sits high above the railway

There had been snowfall overnight but the snow level was high above our roads and the railway that runs on either side of the Fraser Canyon rocky walls.  Early transportation through the Canyon before 1862 was on a narrow mule trail, so named as there was only room for one mule. The Cariboo Wagon Road was an improvement in getting through the canyon and was built by 1865.  Sections of that trail were destroyed when the railway was built as there was not enough room on parts of the terrain for both. 

The center of the Fraser Canyon is Boston Bar, BC

During the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush 1858-1860, the canyon between Boston Bar and Spuzzum, BC was called Big or Black Canyon.  The ‘black’ may be due to the color of the rock cliffs when they’re wet.  When the CP Railway was built in the 1860’s, this construction cut off road access to Boston Bar and Lytton except for a difficult wagon trail.  We’ve come a long way since then.

The China Bar Tunnel in the Fraser Canyon

There are a total of seven tunnels that we pass through on our travels through the Fraser Canyon.  The one closest to Boston Bar is called China Bar Tunnel, named after an old mining area. It is a curved tunnel that is the longest of them all at 610 meters (2000’) and one of North America’s longest, the Yale Tunnel is the shortest one at 57m (190’).

Hell's Gate in the Fraser Canyon

At Hell’s Gate, where the canyon walls are about 1000 m (3300’) high, there is an Airtram that operates April to October that will take you on a ride down the canyon walls to see the Fishways, which opened in 1945. Previous to the Airtram opening in 1971, there were trails leading down to the river and I remember making that walk down with family in the early 1960’s.  If memory serves me right, there were no others on the trails that day, it wasn’t an easy trek back then!

Hell's Gate Tunnel

The construction of this portion of the Fraser Canyon Highway was a very tedious and difficult job and was considered a great engineering feat. It began in the late 50’s and I remember traveling through here as a young one and having to pull over to allow traffic to pass by before it was all completed in the mid ‘60’s.  The roads were narrow dirt roads and two way traffic and that made it a scary trip at times, especially when there was big construction equipment using most of that road.

The north side of the Fraser Canyon approaching Yale, BC

We have crossed the Fraser River on the Alexandra Bridge and we now follow the river along the north side.  The Yale Tunnel is the last one we pass through as we approach Yale, a once thriving town during the Gold Rush days. The canyon between Spuzzum and Yale, BC is called Little Canyon because it is the lowest part of the Fraser Canyon.  This is also where the steamboats were able to navigate to from the coast before the river became too difficult to continue.  

The Fraser River at Hope, BC

We’ve now reached the end of our travels through the Fraser Canyon when we reach Hope, BC, which is 108 km (67 mi) from Lytton, BC.  The small town of Hope, nestled in the surrounding mountains, is the intersection of 3 major highways.

We had left Kamloops by midmorning to avoid icy road conditions and were very happy to have also been able to not have any rain or snow to contend with, we really couldn't have asked for better winter road conditions and we're ready to continue onto some sunny places. 

To learn much more of what the Thompson and Fraser Canyons have to offer, have a look at 
www.travelthecanyon.com  .  They're a wonderful source of information.

Fraser Canyon ~ Thompson Canyon ~ BC, Canada

We love rv'ing and have travelled many different roads during every season of the year.  During winter months, weather conditions must be considered in order to decide the best route to take and on this trip we decided that the best road conditions appear to be through the Fraser Canyon. This is such a scenic drive and we haven't traveled this section of the Trans Canada Highway for a long while, especially during winter months so with the route now planned, we were on our way.

We begin our travels through the Thompson Canyon, Cache Creek, BC

Cache Creek is 193 km (120 mi) to Hope and pulling the fifth wheel meant we would likely take about two and half hours travelling through the canyon to reach Hope,  It is a rather dreary overcast day but the sights are great anyway and we're appreciating that we do not have any snow or ice on the road to contend with.  We barely see a dusting of snow up on the hills on this part of the trip and we expect to see more in winter.

The Thompson River offers a scenic drive

The Fraser Canyon is what most call the area between Cache Creek, BC to Hope, BC but technically between Ashcroft, just south of Cache Creek and Lytton, which is half way through to Hope, it is called the Thompson Canyon.  The Thompson River flows through this canyon and meets the Fraser River at Lytton, BC.  Lytton to Hope, BC is what is technically the Fraser Canyon.  This makes total sense knowing the two different rivers but I had never questioned that before because we appear to follow the same canyon.   Now that I have the correct information, I understand it but old habits are hard to break and you know what they say about teaching an old dog new tricks :).

Waterfalls down the rocks at Spences Bridge, BC

The Thompson River at Spences Bridge has always been a favored spot for steelhead fishing and today we spotted a few people standing in the river with their fishing rods busy searching for the 'big' one.  I noticed this water cascading down the rock face across the river from the highway and I think there may be bits of ice on the rock but there is definitely water that is not frozen on this day making a great waterfall.

The Goldpan Tunnels in  the Thompson Canyon

Both the CN Railway and the CP Railways were built along the rockface along either sides of the Thompson River.  There and several tunnels drilled through the rock as well as structures built over the tracks to prevent rocks or snow landing on the tracks and causing problems.  A bit of history of the railways about construction through the Fraser Canyon can be found on my Kamloops blog concerning their connection to the railway.

The Thompson River appears calm before the rapids

Much of the Thompson Canyon is not very deep so we are fairly close to the Thompson River level.  The river is usually quite low at this time of year but that changes throughout the seasons. At this point we are able to see all the rocks that create a big challenge for anyone who may want to boat down the Thompson even with higher water levels; I understand it is one of the most popular river trips for those who like the whitewater rafting and a great day for those that do it!

The highway climbs up from the bottom of the Thompson Canyon

We are beginning our climb up the mountainside and leaving the river to follow at the bottom of the canyon,  We are driving on roads that are mainly wet but no ice and no snow to make this a difficult trip. There is enough water on the road to warrant using the window wash on occasion so always make sure you have those filled before you leave on this kind of weather days.

Snow capped mountains of the Lillooet Range

As we're approaching the Lytton area, we see some sunshine appear with blue sky that allow us to see the snowcaps on those beautiful mountains that are part of the splendor of the Fraser Canyon; that begins when we leave the Thompson Canyon at Lytton, BC where the Thompson River meets the Fraser River and continues onto Vancouver, BC.

More snow on the mountains at higher elevations

The mountains we see are part of the Lillooet Range with Skihist Mountain being the highest peak at 2972 meters (9750').  We can see there is some snow up on the mountains but less than expected at this time of year.  The weather seems to be different than our normal, no matter who we speak to.

We see the Thompson River at the bottom of the Thompson Canyon

We've climbing quite high in the mountains on the Trans Canada Highway (TCH), also called Highway 1 and are still amazed at how mild the day is and the conditions of the road make the drive stress free.  This most definitely makes the travel much more enjoyable than dealing with snow and icey roads.  We can see the Thompson River way down below as it weaves its way through the canyon to soon meet with the Fraser River.

So now that we've had our lesson on the Thompson Canyon - Fraser Canyon names, we will continue our drive down through the Fraser Canyon and see how good the roads might be on this section of the TCH for our winter travels.

To  learn more about this wonderful part of our province, click on the link to visit www.travelthecanyon.com to see all that there is to see. 

Driving the Fraser Canyon Highway

Driving the Fraser Canyon Highway

While driving the Fraser Canyon, one cannot help but be impressed by the beautiful views, whether the trip is made in Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall.

We chose to drive home from the coast via the Fraser Canyon on our most recent trip back from our winter holiday in Southern California. The roads had been closed briefly due to severe winter snow conditions and this is something one needs to be aware of when winter driving thru the Fraser Canyon. It doesn’t happen often, but can happen. As it was, the roads were great and the traffic fairly light and we were lucky enough to have some blue skies and sunshine.

One of many majestic mountains in the Fraser Canyon

Hope is at the junction of Hwys 1, 5 and 7, 150 km (94 mi) east of Vancouver, B.C.
It is nestled at the base of the Cascade Mountains and sits at the entrance of the Fraser River Canyon. This pretty little town of 6667 people is considered the Chainsaw Capital of Canada but there was a time it was the Hudson Bay Company fur trading fort as well as a Gold Rush town and with so much history is worth a stop at the Hope Museum.

Our next stop on Hwy 1 is 24 km (16 mi) to Yale, which has quite a history, as well.
The museum is housed in an1868 heritage home and is open for travellers to hear all about the past and what Yale means to the Fraser Canyon. It is one of the oldest and most historic communities in British Columbia. The Gold Fever in 1858 brought 20,000 people to live in Yale, today there are 200.

                                         The light at the end of one of 8 tunnels

Once you leave Yale you will pass thru a total of 8 tunnels on your drive of the Fraser Canyon Highway. We pass by Spuzzum, which you will miss if you blink since the old store burned down a few years ago.

Then onto Boston Bar, 42 km (26 mi) north of Yale, with a population of 890 people. You will find food, gas and lodgings as well as many outdoor activities to enjoy. There is river rafting, gold panning, rock hounding, fishing and hiking throughout most of the year, and snowmobiling and snowboarding during the winter months.

Kanaka Bar is along this part of the road and has been a truck stop for as long as I can remember and likely has it’s own stories to tell, if only walls could talk !!

The Fraser Canyon Highway was completed in 1962. That may seem like a long time ago to the ‘young ones’ but it really wasn’t that long ago that the trip from the Interior to the Coast thru the Fraser Canyon was a long day trip. I remember travelling on this road during construction. I was still pretty young and it was scary to us kids looking over the edge of the road into the deep canyon. We’d have to use the pull outs carved into the banks to allow traffic and the big trucks to go by. It took several years to complete and was quite a feat when one considers the obstacles that had to be overcome.

Another fact that might age me, too, is remembering the walk down to Hell’s Gate before the current tram was there. It took awhile on that hot summer day, but we did it and without the help of a burro or camel, now that would make me really old!!

There are camping facilities scattered along the Fraser Canyon Highway. If you have time to stop and enjoy the wonderful scenery and history of the Canyon, try to get your campsite early and they fill up during the summer months.

There is a day use park at Alexandra Bridge with picnic area, some wheelchair access and hiking trails.

Between Hope and Yale there is Emory Creek Provincial Park with 34 campsites to stop and enjoy the great fishing in the area as well as the hiking trails.

There are four roadside rest areas with toilet facilities between Hope and Lytton, which is 105 km (63 miles) apart.

At Lytton, there is Skihist campground with 56 campsites and some wheelchair access, picnicking and hiking.

Once you reach Lytton, you can follow Hwy 12 up to Lillooet following the Fraser River that will take you for more beautiful mountain scenery and if you wish to complete the Circle Tour, follow Hwy 99 and it will bring you around to Whistler, Squamish and onto the Sea to Sky Hwy to Vancouver.

Or you can stay on Hwy.1 that follows the Thompson River and takes you into semi-arrid country with different vistas. I hope you’re able to take all roads and see all that British Columbia has to offer.

View Larger Map