Hope to Cheam Fishing Camp
Hope to Cheam Fishing Village
The Beating Heart of the Fraser
Hope → Cheam Fishing Village
Every kilometre of the Fraser’s 1,375 km is remarkable—but between Hope and Mission is the beating Heart of the Fraser.
After forcing its way through the walls of the Fraser Canyon, the current begins to ease at Hope. As the water slows, gravel carried from the mountains to the east settles out, forming vast sandbars, islands, and braided channels. This is the heart of the Fraser’s salmon corridor—where up to 17 million salmon spawn each year. Main channels surge steadily downstream, while quiet side channels and oxbows become nurseries for juvenile fish, aquatic plants, and waterfowl.
The journey begins at the Hope boat launch, framed by dramatic peaks where the Coast Mountains meet the Cascades. Here, the clear waters of the Coquihalla River join the silty Fraser—an active feeding seam where salmon hold and river otters are often spotted hunting.
Drift beneath the historic Fraser-Hope Bridge, originally built in 1916 by the Kettle Valley Railway. Paddle past Welqámex Island, home to the remains of a large Stó:lō village with archaeological findings dating back over 4,000 years—evidence of a river that has sustained people for millennia.
Downstream, the Fraser widens and braids spectacularly between F.H. Barber Provincial Park and Herrling Island—one of the finest examples of the river’s dynamic gravel-bar ecosystem. You’ll pass Silver Creek, Floods, Chawathil, Hunter Creek, Ruby Creek, Shxw’ōwhámél, and Laidlaw—each tied to the river’s story.
Under the watchful profile of Mount Cheam, the journey concludes at Cheam Fishing Village and Campground, where traditional fishing sites line the shore. Here, dip nets and fishing platforms speak to an enduring relationship between salmon, river, and community.
Paddlers are welcome to enjoy a Salmon BBQ in the evening to hear presentations and learn more about the Fraser River Challenge.
Why this stretch is special:
Paddle the Fraser just as it emerges from the canyon and begins to braid and slow
Travel one of the world’s greatest salmon migration corridors
Vast gravel bars, islands, side channels, and oxbow habitats teeming with life
Pass ancient Stó:lō village sites and culturally significant river landscapes
Finish at Cheam Fishing Village, with a Salmon BBQ
This is the Fraser at full strength—broad, braided, alive with fish and birds, and rich with human history. A journey through the river’s most vital corridor, where ecology, culture, and current converge.
Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group
Nłeʔkepmx Tmíxʷ (Nlaka’pamux)
S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō)
Stz’uminus
Chawathil
Cheam
Hope
Hunter Creek
Laidlaw
Peters Band
Popkum
Ruby Creek
Seabird Island
Silver Creek
Shxw'Ow'Hamel
