June 6, 1866: I can’t imagine how Mr. Fraser and his men made it through such a place… one look down was dizzying…
HELL'S GATE PUTTING THE “AWE” IN AWESOME
“Surely this is the gate of hell,” Simon Fraser wrote after his party crossed “where no man ought to venture” in 1808 with the help of the local Nlaka’pamux people. Here, the towering rock walls of the Fraser River plunge toward each other, forcing the waters through a passage only 110 feet wide. Today, the Hell’s Gate Airtram allows you to glide safely where Fraser feared to tread.
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Three Fun Facts about Hell's Gate
Railway blasting in 1913 triggered a rock slide that partly blocked the river and reduced salmon runs. Elaborate fish ladders were later constructed to restore the runs.
An aerial tram takes you to the west bank where an interpretive centre, restaurant and other attractions center on “The Wall,” depicting Simon Fraser’s pervious passage.
After years of strange goingson, Hell’s Gate Airtram called in the experts and confirmed the attraction is haunted by a host of friendly ghosts.
