Nestled amongst the towering snow-covered peaks of the Southern Chilcotin Mountains. The Bridge River Valley consists of many small communities, including Bralorne, Gold Bridge, Gun Creek, Gun Lake, Tyax Lake, and Marshall Lake.  The Bridge River Valley is full of British Columbia history. It has railways, ghost towns, flooded valleys, old mines and trails. Bridge River Valley's claim to fame would be the old gold mines in the valley, and each of the communities has its own special part in the history of Bridge River Valley.

     The Bridge River is confluence with the Fraser entering that stream about six miles upstream from the town of Lillooet.. A double gorge formed by the two rivers, which are forced through narrow banks at this point and so reminiscent of a fountain (in another version of the name, the surname of one of Fraser's men was supposedly du Font, giving the location its name of the Lower Fountains (the Upper Fountains being another few miles upstream on the Fraser, today's community of Fountain The river came to be called the Bridge River due to the location of a bridge across the Fraser at this point, originally a pole-structure built by the native St'at'imc people but replaced at the time of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush in 1858 by a white-run tollbridge.

Commander R.C. Mayne, who was here in 1859, records in Four Years in British Columbia and Vancouver Island: "This river takes its English name from the fact of the Indians having made a bridge across its mouth, which was afterwards pulled down by two enterprising citizens, who constructed another one, for crossing which they charged the miners twenty-five cents". The Indian bridge is noted on Archibald McDonald's map of 1827. BC Place Names G.P.V. and Helen B. Akrigg

    Upstream from Moha the now-dry riverbed runs through the immense gorge of the Bridge River Canyon, which lies immediately downstream from Terzaghi Dam, the principal dam of the Bridge River Power Project. Terzaghi Dam forms Carpenter Lake, the longest and largest of the power project's reservoirs at about 40 kilometres. Just upstream from Gold Bridge, which is at the upper end of Carpenter Lake, is Lajoie Dam, which forms Downton Lake.

     The roads into Bridge River Valley are very beautiful with panoramic views of the various lakes and valleys in all directions. Going into Gold Bridge from Lillooet the road called Hwy 40 follows the lakeshore of Carpenter Lake and is made up of approximately 50% pavement/50% gravel base. Trucks are preferred but if you have a car just take your time - it will make it. Most of the lakes are glacial filled, quite cold and have a vivid aqua blue that is quite stunning with the mountains views behind.

     Although numbering only around 50 habitants, Gold Bridge is the service and supply centre for the upper basin of the Bridge River Valley, which includes Bralorne and  recreation-residential areas at the Gun Lakes, Tyaughton Lake, Marshall Creek and the nearby ghost towns of Brexton, , and Pioneer Mine.

     Bralorne is located 125 km (78 miles) west of Lillooet on the Moha, Bridge River and Lillooet Pioneer Roads (Road 40) and 83 km (52 miles) north of Pemberton on the Hurley River Forest Service Road about 15 km (9 miles) south of Gold Bridge. Very rich in mining exploration, Bralorne is a small community  with 60 people living here. The community is a cast off from the hectic heydays of the gold mining era when the Bralorne-Pioneer Mine was the richest gold mine in Canada and the most productive in British Columbia.

Gun Lake
     At Gold Bridge, take the time to go up and hike around and explore Gun Lake. You will be amazed by the semi-arid climate and conditions that surround this pristine area.