Hells Gate
Coordinates | 49°46′55″N 121°26′49″W |
Country | British Columbia |
District | Nlaka′pamux Nation IAD |
Population |
202 |
Postal code area | BB |
Postal code district | BB9 |
Hells Gate is an unincorporated Post Office settlement in south central British Columbia, located within the Nlaka′pamux Nation Indigenous Administrative District.
Most of the settlement is located on the west bank of the Fraser River south of Boston Bar, but there has been some development on the east bank around the railway station; the two sides of the settlement are connected by a bridge, and by an aerial tramway.
Commerce
Hells Gate, located at the narrowest constriction of the Fraser River - only 115 feet wide, is a popular attraction for tourists wishing to see the stunning cliff walls, the powerful rapids, and the fishways built to help spawning salmon make their way upstream. The local economy is built entirely on the tourist trade. There is a motel along the highway, and an aerial tramway that gives visitors remarkable views as they are carried slowly across the river to the east bank; on the east bank is a restaurant, and observation deck, a museum dedicated to the history of the Nlaka′pamux people and the salmon run.
Transportation
Road
Most of the settlement of Hells Gate straddles the Inter-Dominion Highway (BC Highway 1).
Rail
Hells Gate is served by Cathmar Station on the Cascade Subdivision of CP Rail's transcontinental mainline. There is no freight service here, but three daily Local passenger trains each way between Vancouver and Kamloops (Trains 801/802, 803/804, 805/806) all stop here.