If you ever drive Prince George to Vancouver, chances are you are going to pass Hell’s Gate. It is not what you expect either. It is not firey hot or red or even the home of scary demons. It does have an amazing amount of power though and when standing on top of it you can feel it below your feet.
The Hell’s Gate I am referring to of course is the narrow part of the Fraser River. The Fraser River flows through this gorge and as it does it gets narrower, gains speed and depth, making it a force to be recon with.
Because of this significance with the gorge and the history of the rain line and salmon run this spot has been turned into a mini tourist attraction. A Tram from the highway was built that suspends into the gorge across the river. At the bottom of the tram a little site has been build for visitors. There is a fudge factory, Salmon history as well has more information on the river itself and the rail line. Once a person is down they can also walk across a bridge at the bottom to feel the river below them.
It is early in the tourism season and the tram was not that busy. Only 5 or 6 other people were also down in the gorge at the same time as I was. For me, it was just interesting to go down the tram and take in the power of the river through the canyon. It was interesting to know that in 1948 the water level of the river was at its highest of something like 250 feet, which managed to wipe of the old bridge that was crossing the river. The current level of the river while we were down was about 180 feet, which was higher than normal.
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