alexandra bridge provincial park

Of BC gold rush starts here. This bridge and nearby Hotel hold a lot of meaning to me as this was my introduction as a kid to BC and "Cowboy" history of western Canada. The walk way down to the bridge is the dirt road I traveled with my parents in 1958. The nearby Alexandra Hotel and grave yard are the real deal! Shame it is going down hill. Speaking of which - if you have mobility issues the hill back up to the parking lot is pretty steep ... imagine it in a 1948 Nash. ;-)

Stop and walk for ten minutes to an historical Canadian site. We like to walk across bridges....George Washington, Golden Gate, Brooklyn....so I had to walk across this one which was pictured on the cover of the local tourist magazine.Once this bridge was used to travel along the Fraser Valley. Now it is part of the Fraser River Valley history! We parked our car, walked down the old highway, waited for the train to pass (which had many tar sand cars)' and then saw this splendid bridge that wanted to be walked across! This was a neat experience and a pleasant break in a long scenic ride.

Through the urging of a friend, I recently went on a little bit of an excursion to the Alexandra Bridge. I'm surprised I'd never been to this bridge since I've lived in this area my whole life. The bridge itself and history surrounding it is mind boggling. To imagine this bridge has survived all of these years and think of people using it as a main throughway on the Cariboo Wagon Trail blows my mind. The bridge itself is impressive to cross (so long as you're not afraid of heights as you can see through the grates to the mighty river below). The hike up the bridge itself might be too much for those who aren't in great shape, not to say it's hard just a bit of an incline. The minimal effort required to see the bridge will reward you with some beautiful views and a glimpse at the actual original Cariboo Wagon trail to the left at the far end of the bridge. A great place for kids they will enjoy the novelty of the scenery even if they don't care about the history.