"Lytton, Canada's hot spot in the Fraser Canyon." Lytton by Darby2

Lytton Travel Guide: 5 reviews and 14 photos

Upper Fraser Canyon, near Lillooet - Lytton

The little town of Lytton lies about 110 km north of Hope in the scenic Fraser Canyon.

Summertime temperatures here can reach more than 40C as the town bakes in the sunshine. It's a divisional point for the highway. The Trans-Canada Highway #1 heads east towards Spences Bridge along the banks of the scenic Thompson River ands its canyon, and Kamloops, while the Cariboo highway heads north towards Lillooet and Pavilion.

It also marks the junction where the Thompson River joins the Fraser.

One of the most wonderful side trips in the Lytton area is up a logging road to the beautiful Botanie Valley, specially in the early summer where a host of wildflowers blankets the hillsides. The fragrance is overpowering. In addition there is an abundance of wildlife too, including bears, wolves, bighorn sheep, ospreys.

Visit the Lytton Picture Gallery here

Siska Bridges

Siska bridges

Siska marks the crossover point for Canada's two major railways. CP Rail and CN Rail follow the Thompson River to Kamloops. From there, CP goes east through to Revelstoke and the Kicking Horse Pass while CN goes north to Blue River, Valemount and the Yellowhead Pass.

Photo by Richard Forrest

Hell's Gate

Hell's Gate, Fraser River

Downstream, 42km south from Lytton, and 6 km north of Boston Bar, the mighty Fraser squeezes through the 110 foot wide gorge at Hells Gate.

The Trans Canada Highway follows the canyon, mostly on the east side and passes through a number of tunnels, including Yale Tunnel, Saddle Rock Tunnel, Ferrabee Tunnel, China Bar Tunnel (which is more than 1200' long and is curved) and Hells Gate Tunnel.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Spectacular scenery and wildlife
Cons:The heat, in midsummer.

Intro Updated Nov 11, 2004
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Reviews (3)

Hell's Gate, as it appears today Things to Do (2)

The best time to view the Hell's Gate rapids is probably in the early summer...May or June, when the water is highest.... more travel advice

Blasting to clear the river, 1915 - Lytton

Hell's Gate...the greatest rapid on the... Things to Do (2)

Hell's Gate has been described as one of the greatest gorges in Canada. The mighty Fraser River narrows to a mere 110... more travel advice

Keeping her head above water... - Lytton

Rosie the cow swims through Hell's... Off The Beaten Path (1)

This really happened!!! When a blind cow went missing from the Rosebank Ranch, owner Liz Allen figured the beast had... more travel advice

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Comments (6)

hunterV Nov 16, 2008 at 9:24 AM Report Abuse

Hi, Dave! Thanks for the story! The pictures are very impressive (the name too~!)
angiebabe Sep 8, 2007 at 3:22 AM Report Abuse

Hi DarbyDave - you could publish a little book about Rosie the cow. like a lot of us VTers - at least she didnt get lost amongst the Dutch canals tangled in a windmill and end up floating on a barge into Amsterdam, but she did have a hec of an adventure!
pepples46 Sep 4, 2006 at 1:56 PM Report Abuse

ah I see what you mean muffin, quite right, Hanmer here in NZ has similare gorges to offer, great nature, good stuff..could you imagine, me old bones dangling on a rope LOL, no way!
janetanne Mar 20, 2006 at 5:39 PM Report Abuse

Wonder if Rosie's milk was turned into butter after that shaking jaunt down the river? What a story!
BerniShand Mar 13, 2005 at 4:08 PM Report Abuse

that Rosie really is a lucky cow.... do you get many beasts into extreme sports in Canada ?
Dumpymotel Nov 18, 2004 at 4:02 PM Report Abuse

Poor ROSIE I wonder if a sighted cow could make the same trip... or would it freak them out if they saw what they were going through.