Coquihalla Canyon & Quintette Tunnels hike (Difficulty rating C6)

Look for spring birds and flowers on a hike along the old Kettle Valley Rail trail and the Hope-Nicola Valley trail to the Othello (Quintette) Tunnels at Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park near Hope. The majority of this hike is on a flat railbed, but there will be one steep climb of about 240m to a low divide where we will look for trilliums, calypso orchids, wild ginger and other spring flowers. We will make a loop trip through the tunnels and return to the trailhead. Pack lunch and water, wear hiking boots with good tread and pack rain gear. Rating C6. Carpool at Franklin and Penticton at 0700 or meet at Memorial Park in Hope (corner of 8th Avenue and Wallace Street – directions); please contact the leader beforehand if you intend to meet us there. Contact Bill Kinkaid.