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Hope
Hope is located 36 km (22 miles) east of Chilliwack
and 26 km (16 miles) south of Yale on Trans-Canada
Hwy 1, 133 km (83 miles) west of Princeton
on Hwy 3 and 110 km (68 miles) south of Merritt
on the Coquihalla Hwy 5.
Diverse
and Distinct Eco-Systems
Hope is situated in the middle of four very diverse and distinct
eco-systems: The community sits at the edge of the Fraser Valley,
the Fraser River Canyon, Skagit River Valley and the Coquihalla
River plus it is surrounded on all three sides by the Cascade and
Coast Mountain Ranges.
Water
Street
The west side of Hope sits up against the Fraser River. A town park,
gas stations and motels line the Fraser River's edge on Trans-Canada
Hwy 1 (Water Street). The well laid-out downtown core is off Water
Street, sandwiched between the Fraser and the Coquihalla Rivers.
Visiting
Hope
Places for you to visit in Hope include the CNR Railway Station,
Fort Hope Trading Post, Doc's Carving Gallery, Japanese Friendship
Gardens in Memorial Park, The Hope Arts Gallery and for a coffee
or snack the Blue Moose Coffee House.
Chainsaw
Carving Capital
Hope is known as the Chainsaw Carving Capital because of all the
wooden sculptures found throughout town. First created in 1991 by
local artist, Pete Ryan, these carvings will surely amaze you. Make
sure you find the time to search out the more than twenty works
of art that are on display along the streets in the downtown core
or Doc's Carving Gallery located at 314 Hudson Bay Street.
Celebrations
and Festivals
Hope has a few celebrations and festivals that are worth your visiting.
The main Hope celebration is the annual Hope Brigade Days featuring
logger sports and fun for the whole family. For blues music lovers
there is Hope Mountain Blues Fest helped put together and sponsored
by local musicians.
Good
Swimming
If you're here in the summer there is good swimming and boating
at Kawkawa Lake. If the children need to cool off and go for a dip,
there is the Kawkawa Lake Municipal Park. The park has a beach area,
boat launch and is quite kid-friendly.
Othello-Quintette
Tunnels
The famous Othello-Quintette Tunnels are located 5 km (3 miles)
from Hope along the Coquihalla River just past Kawkawa Lake.
Kawkawa
Lake Road
To get to the tunnels when you're in Hope or off Old Hope-Princeton
Hwy, head down 6th Avenue to Kawkawa Lake Road. You then follow
Kawkawa Lake Road across the Coquihalla River past Kawakawa Lake
Municipal Park onto Othello Road. Take Othello Road, then turn on
Tunnels Road to the parking lot for the Othello Tunnels.
Andrew
McCullough
These five tunnels are an engineering marvel built in 1914 by the
Kettle Valley Railway through the steep Coquihalla Gorge into Hope.
The Othello Tunnels were named by engineer, Andrew McCullough, an
avid reader of Shakespeare.
Kettle
Valley Railway
In 1959 the Kettle Valley Railway ceased existence into Hope. The
tracks were torn up and eventually made into a trail originally
called the Kettle Valley Railway Trail. The trail has since been
incorporated into the Trans-Canada Trail allowing you to walk or
cycle from Hope across lower British Columbia and the rest of Canada.
Mt.
Hope Loop & Lookout Trail
One of Hope's most popular local trails is the Mt. Hope Loop &
Lookout Trail. The trail takes you up 500 m (1,640 ft) to the top
of Mt. Hope for a viewpoint that overlooks the town, Kawkawa Lake
and west towards the Fraser River.
Rambo
First Blood
There are some excellent hiking and mountain biking trails throughout
the Hope area due to its proximity to lush green forest and fast
flowing rivers. This fact helped convince movie producers in 1982,
when creating the 'jungles' of the Pacific Northwest, to film 'Rambo
First Blood,' starring Sylvester Stallone in Hope. Go to the Visitor
Info Centre on Water St. for the latest edition of the free Hope
Daytripper's magazine to discover these serene areas.
Hope
Golf and Country Club
If you enjoy golf there is a 9-hole golf course called the Hope
Golf and Country Club. The course plays next to the picturesque
Coquihalla River with views of Thacker Mountain in the background.
Home
Restaurant and the Dogwood Valley Café
A couple of favourites restaurants found in Hope are the Home Restaurant
on Old Hope Princeton Way and the Dogwood Valley Café at
27052 Baker. The Home features specialty pies and baked goods with
very large portions and is a real favourite with the travelers passing
through. The Dogwood's main specialty are very large hamburgers
all named after transport trucks.
Allow
Yourself Time
If you're travelling to Hope from Vancouver,
try to allow at least two hours getting to Hope but you have to
plan your times right. Although it is 200 km (124 miles) on the
freeway from Vancouver, sometimes during afternoon rush hour, the
Port Mann Bridge from Coquitlam to Surrey
or the traffic in Delta through Surrey can
get quite busy.
Travelling
to the Okanagan
One way you can travel to the Okanagan is by taking the Crowsnest
Hwy 3 from Hope to Princeton. This highway follows the Nicolum Creek
up through the Hope slide 18 km (11 miles) east of Hope.
Hope
Slide
The Hope Slide information kiosk is well worth the visit. You can
learn about this colossal event that happened in 1965, one of the
largest slides in Canadian history.
Manning
Park Resort
After the slide Hwy 3 continues past Sunshine Valley along the headwaters
of the Skagit River into Manning Provincial Park. At Manning Park
you can find the Manning Park Resort which features a lodge, cabins,
hiking and skiing during the winter.
RV
Camping
There are a number of areas where you can RV camp in the Hope vicinity:
Othello Tunnels Campground & RV Park and, in Silver Creek, the
Holiday Motel & RV Resort, KOA Kampground and Wild Rose Campground
and RV Park.
Telte-Yet
Campground
The Chawathil First Nation operates Telte-Yet Campground conveniently
located at 600 Water Street (Trans-Canada Hwy 1). The Chawathil
First Nation communities are part of the much bigger Stó:lõ
First Nation.
Provincial
Parks
Then, for more rustic campgrounds try Emory Creek Provincial Park
only 18 km (11 miles) north of Hope on Trans-Canada Hwy 1 or the
many campgrounds situated in E.C. Manning Provincial Park. For fishing
and walking try the now closed Nicolum River Provincial Park which
is only 8 km (5 miles) east of Hope on Hwy 3 or Skagit River Provincial
Park to the south.
Alexandra
Bridge Provincial Park
If you're driving north on Trans-Canada Hwy 1 towards Boston
Bar, try visiting Alexandra
Bridge Provincial Park located 40 km (25 miles) north of Hope.
Built in 1925 the Alexandra Bridge crosses the Fraser River 22 km
(14 miles) north from Yale. The suspension bridge was at a point
where they could cross the canyon over the mighty Fraser River just
1 km (.6 mile) north of Spuzzum, the site of the new bridge.
Hope
Information and Links
Includes; Travel, Recreation, Accommodation, Places to Eat and First
Nations
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