SOUTHWESTERN BRITISH COLUMBIA - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 343

and free wireless Internet. Panini, wraps, sandwiches, and soups are all under $10. For
something a little more substantial, wander down Wallace Street to the corner of 3rd Av-
enue, where Joe's Restaurant (293 Wallace St., 604/860-0822, 11am-9pm daily, $14-24)
serves up creative cooking in a contemporary space, with the patio providing the perfect
place to dine on a summer's day. Out on the highway, Home Restaurant (665 Old Hope-
Princeton Way, 604/869-5558, 7am-10pm daily, $8-15) has been dishing up simple, inex-
pensive meals for weary travelers for over 60 years.
Information and Services
Right downtown, the friendly staff at Hope Visitor Centre (919 Water Ave., 604/869-2021,
9am-5pm daily, with extended summer hours of 8am-8pm) can help you decide which of
the routes to take out of Hope, but might also convince you to stay in town a little longer.
FRASER RIVER CANYON
From Hope, the old Trans-Canada Highway runs north along the west bank of the fast-
flowing Fraser River. Although the Coquihalla Highway is a much shorter option for those
heading for Kamloops and beyond, the old highway offers many interesting stops and is by
far the preferred route for those not in a hurry. Head north through downtown Hope, cross
the Fraser River, take the first right, and you're on your way.
The first worthwhile stop is tiny Emory Creek Provincial Park, 15 kilometers (9.3
miles) from Hope. Stopping at this quiet riverside park, it's hard to believe that 130 years
ago it was the site of Emory City, complete with saloons, a brewery, a large sawmill, and
all the other businesses of a bustling frontier gold town. The city had virtually disappeared
by the 1890s, and today no hint of its short-lived presence remains. Wander along riverside
trails, try some fishing, or stay at one of the wooded campsites ($21).
Yale
This small town of 200 has quite a history. It started off as one of the many Hudson's Bay
Company posts, then became a transportation center at the head of the navigable lower
section of the Fraser River. Enormous Lady Franklin Rock blocked the upriver section to
steamer traffic, so all goods heading for the interior had to be carried from this point by
wagon train along the Cariboo Wagon Road. By 1858, Yale was a flourishing Gold-Rush
town of 20,000, filled with tents, shacks, bars, gambling joints, and shops. But when the
gold ran out, in the 1890s, so did most of the population, and Yale dwindled to the small
forestry and service center it has been ever since. To find out more about Yale's past, visit