Highway 3 comes very close to the Similkameen where Chopaka Road heads generally west off the highway and almost immediately crosses the river. This is a pretty old bridge, possibly getting close to 100 years of age, as it is a timber truss bridge, with a wood plank deck. It rests on wood pilings on either side of the river, as well. At a guess, I'd say that the bridge is about 200 feet in length, including the plank approaches.
This being a lesser used rural road, one may pull over and off the road at the east end of the bridge with no problem.
It was a pretty warm day when we spied this bridge and stopped for a photo op. What should we discover but a nice sized sand bar on the far side of the river. Apparently the locals had discovered it long before we had and had been using it as a beach for some time. It's really a nice beach, with fine sand and the coooool river in which to dip whenever the heat becomes a little too much. There were at least a dozen adults and kids availing themselves of the beach and the river when we stopped. There's even a good sized parking area for the beach on the west side of the river.
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