Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park

49°22′13″N 121°22′07″W / 49.37028°N 121.36861°W / 49.37028; -121.36861Area159 ha (390 acres)EstablishedMay 15, 1986Governing bodyBC ParksWebsitebcparks.ca/coquihalla-canyon-park/

Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park, popularly called the Othello Tunnels is a provincial park located near Hope, British Columbia focused on the canyon of the Coquihalla River and a decommissioned railway grade, now a walking trail, leading eventually to Coquihalla Pass. Originally part of the Kettle Valley Railway, five tunnels and a series of bridges follow a relatively straight line through the gorge, which is lined with sheer, flat rock cliffs.

History

The park was established by Order-in-Council as the Coquihalla Canyon Recreation Area, then upgraded and renamed with full provincial park status in 1997, at 151.3 hectares (374 acres) in size. It was expanded to its current 159 hectares (390 acres) in 2004.

During the 2021 Southern British Columbia floods, the rising waters of the Coquihalla river combined with debris to cause flooding in at least one tunnel section, and destruction of much of the approach trail from the park’s main access point.^[2] The approach to the tunnels have been closed since, and park authorities are planning for a partial reopening in 2024.^[3]

In the media

The park's rock cliffs and relatively close distance to Vancouver has resulted in many popular movies being filmed there. First Blood, Shoot to Kill, Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog, Cabin in the Woods and War for the Planet of the Apes were all filmed in Coquihalla Canyon.

See also

• Coquihalla River Provincial Park

References

External links

• Touring the Kettle Valley Railway - Othello Tunnels
• Hiking the Othello Tunnels and the Hope-Nicola Valley Trail
• Media related to Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park at Wikimedia Commons