Attractions - Tunnel Vision

Two minutes into a five-day, uphill bike trip, my cycling partner and I arrived at the Othello-Quintette tunnels near Hope, the last station on the now-defunct Kettle Valley Railway. Having ignored guidebooks and advice from people who know the area, we’d planned our trip along the old rail bed going east— which meant we’d eaten the carrot on the end of the stick before our journey had really begun. As it turns out, the Othello tunnels— a beguiling highlight of the watermark KVR bike route—are where you want to end up.

From Vancouver, it feels strange to turn your back on the ocean, the curves of the Gulf Islands and the rugged North Shore mountains and head toward Hope, 160 kilometres east, in pursuit of outdoor adventure. Hope and the surrounding parks and valleys, however, offer some of the province’s most varied hiking and biking terrain. The town itself is squeezed between two mountain ranges—the Coast and the Cascades — and sits at the junction of the Fraser and Coquihalla Rivers. Two hours inland, the region is all rolling farmland and brilliant green foothills on both sides of the Trans-Canada Highway; a labyrinth of rainforest trails is heavy with ferns and moss, the air is humid, summer temperatures are comfortable, and winters are wet and mild. When you stop at the visitor information centre in Hope, no matter which of the endless trails you decide to follow, the people behind the counter will advise you to culminate your adventure with the Othello-Quintette tunnels, a dramatic payoff for a day spent exploring the woods and canyons.

The Kettle Valley Railway is the most famous trail in this area: an abandoned rail bed that runs from the Kootenays through to Hope, the route is a wonder of engineering and an opportunity to view a spectacular part of the world not accessible by car. Most of the railway — built nearly 100 years ago in an attempt to divert mineral riches found in B.C.’s interior to the seaport in Vancouver rather than cross the border by U.S. rails — is now part of the Trans Canada Trail, the longest recreational trail on the planet, stretching some 18,000 kilometres across the country. Two of the bestknown sections of the 600-kilometre rail bed are, or rather were, the Myra Canyon trestles west of Kelowna (most of the wooden bridges burned to ash in the Okanagan fires in the summer of 2003), and the Othello-Quintette tunnels which were cut, amazingly, in tangent alignment with the horseshoe path of the Coquihalla River that runs through a steep canyon. The tunnels are unlit and the tracks are gone; a walk through the corridor, which takes about 40 minutes round-trip from the parking lot east of Hope, is a show of sound and light: the river rushes loudly through the gorge and sunlight plays off the rocky tunnel openings and the steep granite walls of the canyon.

As far as biking a section of the KVR — unless you’re more stubborn than we were—you’ll want to drive farther east of Hope and plan a day of cycling back toward the tunnels from Britton Creek Rest Area; most of the KVR is at a 2.2 percent grade, and starting here means more coasting than pedalling. The trail will take you across the Coquihalla River, past Bridal Veil Falls and signs indicating former stations with names like Romeo, Iago and Portia (the chief engineer, Andrew McCulloch, read Shakespeare by lamplight during construction of the pass). The scenery along the trail is beautiful, and the terrain is challenging in places; 55 kilometres takes longer than you think it will because reading the historical markers along the way is irresistible (“this former bridge collapsed with a train engine, killing the engineer and leaving a second engine dangling at the top”).

Andrew McCulloch couldn’t have imagined that his railway would be made redundant just decades after it was completed, but he’d be pleased to know that the route he cut is still alive, well-trod and worth following, even uphill.

editor’s choice

SPOKESWOMEN

North shore riding is legendary around the world, but with its single-track, steep and rocky slopes—and wet, did we mention wet?—newbies find the trails more than a little intimidating. In 1996, Spokeswomen in Whistler set up mountain bike camps to challenge women of all ability levels to overcome their fears and amp up their skills, from beginners quaking in their stylish shorts, to advanced riders ready to try out more challenging trails—even jumping. (Men looking to learn the ropes can track down a graduate of the program for a little after-school training.) Camps take place weekends in the summer through to September. 1-866-218-9690, spokeswomen.com