The abandoned Hell's Gate road tunnel. Hell's Gate is a name for a narrow section of the Fraser River. There is an aerial tram at that location today (see video card embedded in my video if you are curious about the Tram).
Prior to the modern tunnel and bridge system build in the 1960's travel through the inland mountain valleys were very slow and dangerous in British Columbia. This was especially true for the Fraser Canyon. Early travelers in the 19th century who traveled the Caribou trail had to contend with rickidy bridges and wooden trestles constructed on the walls of the Fraser Canyon. Later, much of the Caribou trail was replaced with a rough road, prone to land slides and doted with hastily competed tunnels that would often leak. I always wondered what happened to some of these old tunnels and as a kid, I remember seeing the old Hell's Gate tunnel off the highway, which is now hidden due to forest overgrowth during the last 60 years of disuse.
So I finally got off my butt and pulled over and hiked the few short minutes up to see the old Hell's Gate Tunnel. I believe this is a picture of what it looked like during sometime during the 20s and 30s. So let's see what it looks like today:
The modern concrete lined Hell's Gate tunnel was completed in 1960. Behind the Hell's Gate is the Ferrabee Tunnel which completed the entire modern tunnel system in 1964.
In the meantime folks, stay safe and keep your wheels on the ground!
