Words and Photos by Yrene Dee, Lumby (British Columbia, Canada).
Yrene is the founder of BackcountryCanadaTravel.com. She was born in Switzerland, lived and worked on different continents and travelled the world before she settled in Canada. She is an entrepreneur, wilderness nut, and animal lover who prefers off-the-beaten-track places. Follow Yrene on Twitter @backcountrycana, Facebook @ backcountrycanada, and Instagram @backcountrycanadatravel.
The train adventure starts in the small town of Lillooet, a special place surrounded by towering mountains, deep canyons, roaring rivers and crystal clear lakes. This unique piece of heaven situated along the mighty Fraser River captured my heart the first time I was in town. Lillooet is accessible via the famous Sea-to-Sky Highway from Vancouver.
The rich history of Lillooet began with the people of the St’àtäimc Nation that continue to live in the area today. Much later during the British Columbia gold rush of 1860, Lillooet was Mile “0” on the Cariboo Pavilion Road, the first wagon road to be surveyed in BC and the route to the Cariboo gold fields.
When you travel through Lillooet in July and August you will notice the rock shelf in the Fraser River near the town dotted with orange and blue tarpaulins. The site belongs to the Aboriginal people who still come every summer to gather their salmon for the winter as the fish make their way upriver to spawn. You will notice old drying racks scattered around the banks of the river canyon.
The train journey on the Kaoham Shuttle is something you won’t experience anywhere else. For the local people, it remains a vital service in an area where backcountry roads are often impassable. If you’re fortunate enough to get on the ride you will be amazed. The train runs along the edge of Seaton Lake next to impressive rock faces and cliffs and connects passengers between Lillooet and Seton Portage, every day of the week. Most of the passengers travel between the two towns for work, for family visits and for shopping.
The Kaoham Shuttle is not meant to be a tourist attraction and priority to board the train is given to the local people. Therefore, getting a spot on this train is a privilege.
I soon found out that patience and plenty of time were necessary if I wanted to venture on this iconic train journey. At the Lillooet Railway station, I was told to phone the reservation number listed at the door to get on the shuttle the next day, but no one answered my call. Booking ahead doesn’t always seem to work and I waited around until noon when finally the Kaoham Suttle arrived from Seaton.
I was happy to talk to the friendly train driver before he headed back towards Seaton at around 3:30 pm the same day. “I’ve been running the shuttle for sixteen years and would like to retire”, he said, “but no one wants to take over my job”. That made me think and wonder how much longer this train journey will be available. I made sure to let the driver know that I wanted to get on the shuttle the next day, whatever it takes.
Apart from Friday’s, there is only one train run per day, Seaton Portage to Lillooet and back to Seaton, so I had to look for accommodation.
I finally got ahold of the Lil’tem’ Mountain Hotel to find out that it was fully booked by BC Hydro workers but was promised that there was an empty trailer in town I could rent for a night.
The next day at 3:30 pm I boarded the train with a few locals. There wasn’t much space in the tiny passenger train this afternoon. The space next to the driver was filled with packages, groceries and other supplies and was also used by the driver to do his paperwork.
The one car carriage followed the old train tracks along the base of one of the sheerest mountain rock cliffs with a view of the beautiful jade green shimmering lake. The little train puffed through the spectacular backcountry and made a few whistle and photo stops along the way. The driver slowed the train to point out eagles, mountain goats, and even a black bear far in the distance. The final highlight before arrival at Seaton Portage was the 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) hollowed tunnel dug into the base of the mountain. The impressive journey lasted just over an hour.
After arrival in the small town, I stopped in at the Lil’em’Mountain Hotel to get the directions to my trailer accommodation. Later I checked out the Highline Pub & Restaurant, found a small grocery store, and met friendly locals. This tiny community is a piece of heaven in the deep backcountry of British Columbia, a special place to explore.
For a different adventure, I caught a ride with friendly locals back to Lillooet along Mission Road the next morning. The steep gravel road cut into the edge of the mountain took us to the tiny community of Shalalth and past the massive Bridge River Generating Station. From the top of Mission Mountain, the road dropped down to Carpenter Lake with plenty of switchbacks and incredible views. The drive back to Lillooet was a 72 kilometres (45 mi) journey and took as just over two hours.
I know for sure that for the five dollars the train journey cost me I would have never been able to experience a more breathtaking train ride anywhere else. It was worth every second of waiting around at the train station.
If you enjoyed this story and are interested in learning more about backcountry Canada please visit my page backcountrycanadatravel.com. There you will find many guides and insider tips for exploring the Canadian Backcountry.
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Yrene is the founder of BackcountryCanadaTravel.com. She was born in Switzerland, lived and worked on different continents and travelled the world before she settled in Canada. She is an entrepreneur, wilderness nut, and animal lover who prefers off-the-beaten-track places.