Kw'ikw'iya:la (Coquihalla) in the Halq'emeylem language of the Stó:lō, is a place name meaning "stingy container."

The area retains some remnants of the Kettle Valley Railway which travelled this route from early 1900s until 1961.

Modern use of the pass began in 1986 after construction of the first phase of the Coquihalla Highway (from Hope to Merritt).

It encompasses 5,750 hectares (14,200 acres) of forested mountain slopes stretching from Portia Peak in the southwest to Coquihalla Lakes in the northeast.

The recreation area was established on September 4, 1987, with the goal of protecting the transition zone between the wetter coast and drier southern interior regions of the province.