Coquihalla Canyon Provincial 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.
Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park | |
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IUCN category III (natural monument or feature)[1] | |
Othello Tunnels | |
Location | Hope, British Columbia, Canada |
Coordinates | 49°22′13″N 121°22′07″W |
Area | 159 ha (390 acres) |
Established | May 15, 1986 |
Governing body | BC Parks |
Website | Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park |
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.
As of May 2015, the tunnels have reopened after having been closed for over a year due to rockfall concerns.[2]
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
References
- "Protected Planet | Coquihalla Canyon Park". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
- "Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park". BC Parks. Retrieved 2015-05-14.
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