Othello Tunnels

The Othello Tunnels consist of five railway passages carved through solid granite within Coquihala Canyon near the Coquihala River. They cut through mountain terrain and form a remarkable section of the historic rail line through the region.

Canadian Pacific Railway constructed these tunnels between 1913 and 1916 to link British Columbia's coast with the Kootenay region through mountain passages. The project established a vital trade connection between distant parts of the province.

The chief engineer Andrew McCullough named several stations along the railway after Shakespearean characters, including Othello, Lear, and Portia. These names remain part of the landscape today and reflect the literary touches that were woven into the rail line.

Access is through a 3.5-kilometer round trip trail that opens from April to October. Bring a flashlight, as the tunnels are quite dark and require light to navigate safely through certain sections.

The construction cost five times more per mile than typical railway projects of that era. This costly undertaking shows the extreme challenges engineers faced in piercing through such difficult mountain terrain.