The Othello Tunnels & Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park

If you were like us, zipping down Highway 5 just north of Hope, BC and saw the sign for the Othello Tunnels, you would probably left wondering, what the heck is that? Well, they happen to be a series of old railway tunnels and bridges left over from the Kettle Valley Railway built during the early part of the last century and now a walking/biking path located in Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park.

The trail leading to the Othello Tunnels in Coquihalla Provincial Park

The trail passes through four tunnels and crosses two bridges in the Coquihalla Gorge on a breathtaking section of the Coquihalla River. The immense scale of the canyon with its sheer vertical walls and the emerald green rushing waters of the river below will make you truly appreciate stopping here.

Just looking at Othello Tunnels, you will marvel at the significant technical engineering achievement of their construction, but the parks department has also done a fine job of placing informational signs explaining the history and the construction with text and pictures.

The Entrance to the Othello Tunnels

The History

The tunnels were originally part of a southern railway route constructed by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1914. The route was called the Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) and connected the west coast to the city of Nelson located in the Kootenays. The KVR was incredibly significant at the time, shortening travel times from the coast to Nelson down to 10 hours versus weeks by horse and mule.

A flashlight can be handy, especially in this long curving tunnel

In May of 1910 Andrew McCulloch was hired as the chief engineer to build 38 miles of railway on what was to be called the Coquihalla subdivision . The route passed over three major mountain ranges from the Coquihalla Summit to the junction with the CPR mainline on the other side of the Fraser River from Hope. McCulloch had been involved in many CPR projects, including the Spiral Tunnels near Revelstoke.

The biggest challenge of this route was the section through the Coquihalla Gorge where the river had a cut a 300 foot deep gash through the solid granite mountains. This section boasts the most expensive mile of railway line in the world, which was $300,000 in1914. The construction was done almost exclusively by hand with the assistance of horse drawn scrapers and some black powder.

The first bridge and fourth tunnel

Othello Tunnels

The Kettle Valley Railway was officially opened on July 31, 1916 operating both freight and passenger service and continued to operate until November 23, 1959 when a 400’ washout just north of the tunnels considered too large to fill in one day and that combined with numerous other washouts spelled the end of the line for the KVR. It was officially abandoned in July 1961. The tunnels and surrounding area became a provincial park in 1998.

2nd, 3rd and 4th tunnels and the first bridge

Walking the Trail Today

Since the trail is an old rail bed, the route is flat and the walk out and back is only about 3.5 kms. A flashlight, while not a necessity, isn’t a bad idea as the longer tunnels can be very dark, especially after coming in from bright daylight. The rail path continues onto into Hope.

The final bridge leading out of the last tunnel

The park is open from the 1st of April to October 31st. We went fairly early in the morning in September which was a great time to visit the tunnels as this is an immensely popular spot and congestion in the parking lot can be problem and parking difficult to find.

The final tunnel and last bridge crossing the Coquihalla River

Photos

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