Here are three trip itineraries to help you enjoy more of the beautiful sights and sounds of British Columbia.
These routes highlight many of the things to see and do in the beautiful Fraser Canyon.
According to travel writers from around the world one of the most memorable experiences about traveling the Fraser Canyon are the seven tunnels!
The construction of the Trans Canada Highway was known for its many hazards. Cliff hanging sections of road had been made safer over time and better bridges were installed but the road essentially remained unchanged. It was decided that a series of tunnels through the rock bluffs would straighten the road and greatly increase its safety.
Saddle Rock tunnel, named for the large saddle shaped rock in the nearby Fraser River is 480 feet long by 35 feet wide by 20 feet high. The construction cost at the time was one dollar per linear foot.
The longest tunnel of the seven is China Bar tunnel at China Bar bluff named for the old mining area on the Fraser River, twelve kilometres below Lytton. As one of the longest highway tunnels in North America it was a colossal engineering feat. China Bar tunnel required the removal of 100,000 cubic yards of rock and the insertion of 20,000 cubic yards of concrete liner. Total cost was estimated at five million dollars. Independent contractors started from either end following the engineered curves and complex design and met in the middle with less than half an inch deviation of grade and alignment !
The last tunnel to be built was the Yale Tunnel completed in 1963.
Since the construction of the seven tunnels and the fact that the Fraser Canyon is more popular today with cyclists, special warning lights have been installed in two of the longer tunnels to alert vehicle traffic when cyclists are present.
The Fraser Canyon is the most popular route for cyclists, motorcyclists, weekenders, Rv’ers and day-trippers. Whatever your mode of transportation or reason for travel, this historic route follows you right in the footsteps of famous explorers such as Simon Fraser and David Thompson.