Big Bar Ferry is a
cable ferry
A cable ferry (including the terms chain ferry, swing ferry, floating bridge, or punt) is a ferry that is guided (and in many cases propelled) across a river or large body of water by cables connected to both shores. Early cable ferries often ...
across the
Fraser River in
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. It is located about north of the town of
Lillooet
Lillooet () is a district municipality in the Squamish-Lillooet region of southwestern British Columbia. The town is on the west shore of the Fraser River immediately north of the Seton River mouth. On BC Highway 99, the locality is by road abo ...
and west of
Clinton.
6 km upstream from the ferry is
French Bar Canyon (sometimes known as Big Bar Canyon), while downstream is
High Bar Canyon (the ferry is located at one of the few places possible for a river crossing accessible by road from both sides in this area).
The ferry connects the dirt ranch road up the west side of the Fraser from Lillooet to
Big Bar and
Kostering, which connect via road to
Jesmond
Jesmond is a suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne, situated to the east of the Town Moor. Jesmond is considered to be one of the most affluent suburbs of Newcastle upon Tyne, with higher average house prices than most other areas of the city.
H ...
and
Big Bar Lake, and beyond to
BC Highway 97.
Description
Technically, the ferry is a
reaction ferry
A reaction ferry is a cable ferry that uses the reaction of the current of a river against a fixed tether to propel the vessel across the water. Such ferries operate faster and more effectively in rivers with strong currents.
Some reaction ferri ...
, which is propelled by the
current
Currents, Current or The Current may refer to:
Science and technology
* Current (fluid), the flow of a liquid or a gas
** Air current, a flow of air
** Ocean current, a current in the ocean
*** Rip current, a kind of water current
** Current (stre ...
of the water. An overhead
cable
Cable may refer to:
Mechanical
* Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof
* Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
is suspended from towers anchored on either bank of the river, and a "traveller" is installed on the cable. The ferry is attached to the traveller by a bridle cable. To operate the ferry, rudders are used to ensure that the pontoons are angled into the current, causing the force of the current to move the ferry across the river.
The ferry operates under contract to the
British Columbia Ministry of Transportation, is free of
toll
Toll may refer to:
Transportation
* Toll (fee) a fee charged for the use of a road or waterway
** Road pricing, the modern practice of charging for road use
** Road toll (historic), the historic practice of charging for road use
** Shadow toll, ...
s, and runs on demand between 0700 and 1900. It carries a maximum of 2 cars and 12 passengers at a time. The crossing is about in length, and takes 10 minutes. At times of low/high water, or ice in the river, the ferry is replaced by an
aerial tramway
An aerial tramway, sky tram, cable car, ropeway, aerial tram, telepherique, or seilbahn is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion. With this form of lift, the grip ...
that carries passengers only.
See also
*
Low Bar Ferry
*
Lytton Ferry
The Lytton Ferry is a cable ferry across the Fraser River in British Columbia, Canada. It is situated about north of Lytton.
Technically, the ferry is a reaction ferry, which is propelled by the current of the water. An overhead cable is su ...
*
List of crossings of the Fraser River
This is a list of bridges, tunnels, and other crossings of the Fraser River in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It includes both functional crossings and historic crossings which no longer exist, and lists them in sequence from the South ...
References
Fraser Canyon
Ferries of British Columbia
Crossings of the Fraser River
Cable ferries in Canada
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