4 x things to do in Hope, Canada

I arrived in the little town of Hope in British Colombia after a long day of driving along the fruits valleys of the highway 3 in the south. The sun was just settling in on the gorgeous mountains that surround the town and the trees on the hills were painted in all kinds of autumny colours.  

Hope is like a little peninsula surrounded by the Fraser river. It’s a great place to stop and stretch your legs if you’re on your way to the Rockies (or the other way around to Vancouver, just like me :)). With something like 6000 inhabitants, the town is pretty small and it has a bit of a transit vibe. You’ll see many motels and in general most people won’t stay longer than the time span of a cup of coffee or a quick overnight stay.

Even though I didn’t really like Hope after sunset because of this motel kind of vibe, I must say that by day the town actually has this whole other – and very charming – outlook.  

There’s even lots to do in case you want to prolong your stay! Here’s where to go:

1. The ‘Art Walk’

If you have little time, just drive around for a bit. Hope is famous for its impressive chainsaw wood carvings (think of sculptures, statues and benches), which are displayed on basically every corner throughout town. Especially on the south side of Memorial Park you can see a lot of these.

From small to huge, the carvings are impressive and each one is intricately carved. I thought that the craftsmanship that has gone into these pieces of work for sure is amazing.

Need a bit of energy in between the sculpture spotting? Right across Memorial Park, you’ll find the Blue Moose Coffee House. It’s great spot to get your daily dose of caffeine and a hotspot among both locals and tourists! 

My favourite carving was the Police Dog memorial. Unfortunately there wasn’t something like an explanation next to the statue, so I asked a local about the story. ↓

Apparently Chip the German Shepherd was killed by a guy who didn’t pay his gas tab, nearby Hope. The guy fled, Chip chased him down to the woods alongside his partner and got stabbed in his belly when he was able to hold on to the guy. Even though severely hurt he was still able to defend his boss. Chip died shortly afterwards. 

?

Such an unnecessary end for this police dog right. 

2. Othello Tunnels

Moving on to a story that’s a little less sad.

In the early 1900s, the Canadian Pacific Railway decided a route was necessary to link the Kootenay Region with the British Columbian coast by rail. Impressively enough, this railway had to be built over three mountain ranges. Three!! I can’t grasp that as a Dutch person. 

This required some awesome engineering and the railway through the Coquihalla Gorge apparently was no exception. In 1914 a straight line of five tunnels were built through the solid granite of the gorge. This piece of the railway is known now as the Othello Tunnels.

So okay… why Othello you might be wondering? I had to look it up. Apparently the name Othello is derived from the love of the chief engineer Andrew McCullough for Shakespeare. Being an avid reader apparently he even liked to read Shakespeare’s works at night to the workers of the project. Oh those pre-Netflix days.. He also used other characters such as Lear, Portia, Romeo & Juliet to name other stations of the railway. 

The Tunnels are now abandoned, but still spectacular to behold. Not only because they give an insight to the ingenuity and dedication of all the workers involved, but also because because there are some drop-dead gorgeous views along the trail.

As the tunnels are insanely dark, it’s also a liiiittle spooky to walk around. It’ll certainly be a bit of an adventure for kids. So bring a flashlight (or your phone obviously) in case you want to know where the heck you’re walking.

When you’re walking out of the tunnels again, the green and mossy scenery around you is just amazing. The river in the gorge is so wild and with a bit of luck you might even see some salmon migrating up the rushing stream to spawn. Also, I’m not necessarily a Rambo fan, but for those who are… apparently this is the place where they shot the scene when Rambo is hanging on the cliff. Just so you know :). 

The greatest thing about this place is perhaps that you can just walk right in. There’s no need to sign up or pay any admission fees. 

The complete circuit is something like 7 km / 4.4 miles with a LOT of switchbacks and elevation gain that brings you around the backside of the tunnels. However if you’re not in the mood for a tough hike I’d advise you just to admire the first tunnels and its surroundings. It’s enough beauty to behold anyway.

All in all the tunnels are a very impressive and easy stop along the way, so don’t miss out on it if you’re driving highway 1!

3. Kawkawa Lake

On the way from Hope to the Othello Tunnels you’ll drive along the Kawkawa Lake. I just want to include this lake in this list, as I think this is just a perfect setting for a picnic break. 

When I visited the area begin October, the surrounding pieces of forest were all drenched in the gorgeous colours of autumn. Moreover the lake itself was very peaceful. 

Look at this second picture for example ↓ It almost looks like some magic gateway right?! I ended up at a parking lot though ?

Worth the tiny detour!

4. Bridal Falls

So technically, this waterfall is quite a bit outside of Hope (I think something like a 20-minute drive). However, as it’s located right along the highway 1 between Vancouver and Hope, there’s a fat chance you’ll cross this area at some point anyway. 

Although you can even see the falls from the highway for a sec, the place is absolutely worth a break, if only to stretch the legs. There’s ample parking space in summer, but in case they’ve closed the parking lot (as I experienced begin October), you can also park the car right outside the lot. It requires something like a 15-minute hike (up unfortunately) to the falls. The trail is gorgeous and spread out along a dense forest, with trees covered in moss. 

The waterfall indeed resembles something like a veil draped along the rocks. And it’s big! There’s a person for scale standing at the base of the fall! ↓

So enjoy, hope you’ll enjoy Hope! Here’s where to find those spots in and around the town ↓