Route information | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Auxiliary route of Highway 1 | ||||
Maintained by Parks Canada, Alberta Transportation, City of Calgary | ||||
Bow Valley Parkway | ||||
Length | 51 km (32 mi) | |||
West end | Highway 1 (TCH) at Lake Louise | |||
Major intersections | Highway 93 at Castle Junction | |||
East end | Highway 1 (TCH) west of Banff | |||
Bow Valley Trail | ||||
Length | 103 km (64 mi) | |||
West end | Highway 1 (TCH) in Canmore | |||
Major intersections | Highway 1X near Exshaw Highway 40 near Ghost Lake Highway 22 in Cochrane Highway 201 in Calgary | |||
East end | Highway 1 (TCH) in Calgary | |||
Location | ||||
Country | Canada | |||
Province | Alberta | |||
Specialized and rural municipalities | I.D. No. 9, M.D. of Bighorn No. 8, Rocky View County | |||
Major cities | Calgary | |||
Towns | Canmore, Cochrane | |||
Villages | Lake Louise | |||
Highway system | ||||
|
Highway 1A is the designation of two alternate routes off the Alberta portion of Trans-Canada Highway 1. However, it is not the only name used for spurs off Highway 1 - Highway 1X is another such designation. Despite these highways being suffixed routes of Highway 1, they are not part of the Trans-Canada Highway network, and are signed with Alberta's provincial primary highway shields instead of the Trans-Canada shields used for Highway 1. [1]
The Lake Louise to Banff section of the Banff National Park 1A route is also known as the Bow Valley Parkway. [2] It begins at Highway 1 at Lake Louise, generally paralleling it until it meets Highway 1 again approximately 6 km (3.7 mi) west of Banff. It provides more immediate access to attractions in Banff National Park such as Castle Mountain and Johnston Canyon. This spur has a reduced speed limit of 60 km/h (37 mph), and provides opportunities to view wildlife at various times of the year.
Parks Canada introduced planned and marked pullovers along the route to enhance and educate visitors about the region. The Bow Valley Parkway is one of only two parkways between Lake Louise and Banff, and the only one that allows views of the mountain scenery, waterfalls, and various view points of the nearby rivers and creeks. It was the original highway that connected the valley and is advertised as a "year-round scenic heritage experience". [3]
Parks Canada enacted seasonal travel restrictions along the Bow Valley Parkway on a 17 km (11 mi) segment between the Johnston Canyon Campground and the Fireside Picnic Area (adjacent to the Highway 1 eastern junction). From March 1 to June 25, travel is not permitted between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. in order to protect wildlife. Highway 1 can be used as an alternate route. [3]
In 2022, Parks Canada announced a three-year pilot project that would see the 17-km eastern portion of the Parkway, between the eastern junction with the Trans-Canada Highway and Johnson Canyon, closed to all vehicular traffic, except for bicycles, between March 1 and June 25, and from Sept. 1 to 30. [4]
Starting from the west end of Highway 1A. [5] The entire route is in I.D. No. 9 (Banff National Park).
Location | km | mi | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lake Louise | 0.0 | 0.0 | Lake Louise Drive – Chateau Lake Louise, Moraine Lake | Continues west | |
Highway 1 (TCH) / Highway 93 – Banff, Jasper, Golden | Interchange | ||||
| 0.85 | 0.53 | Whitehorn Road – Lake Louise Ski Resort | Hwy 1A branches southeast | |
Castle Junction | 26.8 | 16.7 | To Highway 93 south / Highway 1 (TCH) – Radium Hot Springs | Former Hwy 1B | |
| 33.6 | 20.9 | Johnston Creek Campground | ||
33.6– 50.0 | 20.9– 31.1 | Seasonal travel restriction Closed to all vehicular traffic, except bicycles; March 1 – June 25; Sept. 1-30 [4] | |||
50.3 | 31.3 | Highway 1 (TCH) – Banff, Calgary, Lake Louise | Interchange | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
Bow Valley Trail | |
Length: | 89 km (55 mi) |
West end: | Highway 1 (TCH) in Canmore |
East end: | 12 Mile Coulee Road, Calgary |
The second of the 1A routes, known as the Bow Valley Trail, begins in Canmore, off of the Trans-Canada Highway at exit 91. It formerly began at the Trans-Canada Highway at exit 86 and passed through Canmore; however, ownership of the section was transferred to the Town of Canmore. The roadway still carries the name "Bow Valley Trail". [1]
From exit 91, it heads eastbound, along the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks, until it reaches the Hamlet of Exshaw. From Exshaw, Bow Valley Trail heads to the northeast, past Highway 1X. [1]
Just east of Highway 1X, Bow Valley Trail narrows and the speed limit is reduced to 80 km/h (50 mph) for approximately thirty kilometres as it passes through the Stoney-Nakoda First Nation, where warning signs that there may be livestock and/or pedestrians on the road are posted. Highway 1A passes Mînî Thnî approximately eight kilometres from the eastern boundary of the area; the community is situated just south of the highway. As the Highway leaves the area, it widens and the speed limit increases back to 100 km/h (62 mph). Shortly after resuming its normal speed limit, the highway skirts the north shore of Ghost Lake, a manmade glacier lake that is a popular spot for Calgary's boating and sailing enthusiasts in the summer, as well as ice sailing in the winter. [6] The lake also supplies most of the water power for Calgary through TransAlta Utilities. Highway 1A meets northbound Highway 40 approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) after passing Ghost Lake.
From Highway 40, Bow Valley Trail proceeds towards the east, and then slightly to the southeast, before reaching the Town of Cochrane, where it intersects with Highway 22. There, the highway widens to 4 lanes as it leaves Cochrane and proceeds 18 km (11 mi) southeast until it reaches Calgary, meeting northbound Highway 766 about 6 km (3.7 mi) west of the city limits. Upon reaching the Calgary city limits at 12 Mile Coulee Road, it continues as Crowchild Trail , a major north-south expressway, (although it travels in a southeasterly direction from the city limits to 24 Avenue NW) through the northwest and southwest parts of the city. Within Calgary, it crosses Stoney Trail (Highway 201) as well as a number of major streets, before reuniting with the Trans-Canada Highway (known as 16 Avenue N) near McMahon Stadium and the University of Calgary. The section along Crowchild Trail is maintained by the City of Calgary rather than Alberta Transportation.
Before 1972, this route was the only road to Banff National Park.
Starting from the west end of Highway 1A: [5]
Rural/specialized municipality | Location | km | mi | Destinations | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
M.D. of Bighorn No. 8 | Canmore | −4.7 | −2.9 | Highway 1 (TCH) – Banff, Calgary | Interchange (exit 86 on Hwy 1); former western terminus | |||
0.0 | 0.0 | Highway 1 (TCH) – Banff, Calgary | Interchange (exit 91 on Hwy 1); western terminus | |||||
Exshaw | 14.7 | 9.1 | ||||||
| 21.9 | 13.6 | Highway 1X south – Seebe, Kananaskis Country | |||||
Stoney Nos. 142, 143, and 144 (Stoney Nakoda First Nation) | Mînî Thnî | 43.2 | 26.8 | Mînî Thnî Road | ||||
M.D. of Bighorn No. 8 | No major junctions | |||||||
M.D. of Bighorn No. 8–Rocky View County boundary | Ghost Lake | 54.1 | 33.6 | Crosses Ghost Lake | ||||
Rocky View County | | 58.2 | 36.2 | Highway 40 north (Forestry Trunk Road) – Benchlands, Waiparous, Sundre, Nordegg | ||||
Cochrane | 71.3 | 44.3 | Highway 22 (Cowboy Trail) to Highway 1 (TCH) – Sundre, Bragg Creek | Traffic lights; interchange proposed [7] [8] | ||||
73.9 | 45.9 | Gleneagles Drive | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |||||
76.2 | 47.3 | Gleneagles Drive / Retreat Road (Range Road 40) | Traffic lights | |||||
| 83.6 | 51.9 | Highway 766 north (Lochend Road / Range Road 32) – Madden | |||||
Bearspaw | 87.1 | 54.1 | Bearspaw Road (Range Road 30) | Traffic lights | ||||
City of Calgary | 89.6 | 55.7 | 12 Mile Coulee Road | Calgary city limits; traffic lights; becomes Crowchild Trail | ||||
92.0 | 57.2 | Stoney Trail (Highway 201) | Interchange (exit 41 on Hwy 201) | |||||
94.2 | 58.5 | Nose Hill Drive | Interchange | |||||
96.2 | 59.8 | Sarcee Trail / Silver Springs Gate | Interchange | |||||
97.3 | 60.5 | 53 Street NW | Interchange | |||||
98.6 | 61.3 | Shaganappi Trail | Interchange | |||||
99.3 | 61.7 | Northland Drive | Interchange | |||||
100.1 | 62.2 | Brisebois Drive / 40 Avenue NW | Interchange | |||||
101.0 | 62.8 | Charleswood Drive / 32 Avenue NW | Interchange | |||||
101.2 | 62.9 | 24 Avenue NW | Traffic lights | |||||
101.6 | 63.1 | 23 Avenue NW (to Banff Trail) | Traffic lights; westbound access from Hwy 1 | |||||
102.0 | 63.4 | 16 Avenue NW (Highway 1 (TCH)) – Medicine Hat, Banff | Interchange; eastern terminus | |||||
Crowchild Trail − Calgary City Centre | Continues south | |||||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
|
Icefields Parkway | |
Location | Banff N.P, Jasper N.P. |
Length | 228 km (142 mi) |
Existed | 1940–1959 |
When initially constructed, the Icefields Parkway was designated as Highway 1A between Lake Louise and Jasper. The route was renumbered to Highway 93 in 1959. [9]
Location | Banff National Park |
---|---|
Length | 6 km [10] (3.7 mi) |
Existed | 1962–2000s |
A former section of Highway 1A exists along the former Kicking Horse Trail, the original road between Lake Louise and Golden, British Columbia that opened in 1926. [11] When the Trans-Canada Highway was realigned in 1962, the segment became Highway 1A. [12] It began at British Columbia Highway 1, 3 km (2 mi) west of the Alberta border in Yoho National Park. It meandered eastward through Kicking Horse Pass to Lake Louise, generally paralleling the main Highway 1 and CPR rail line to the south. [1] The section between Lake Louise (townsite) and Lake Louise (lake) is known as Lake Louise Drive, while the remainder of route is now closed to vehicle traffic and is part the Great Divide hiking trail. [13]
17 Avenue SE | |
Location | Calgary, Chestermere |
Length | 14 km [14] (8.7 mi) |
Existed | 1949–2013 |
Highway 1A used to be an alternate route that followed 17 Avenue SE in Calgary and linked with Highway 1 in Chestermere. It began at Highway 2 (Deerfoot Trail) and Blackfoot Trail interchange and continued east along 17 Avenue SE where it passed through the former town of Forest Lawn. It crossed 116 Street SE, entering Chestermere and terminated at the Highway 1 interchange. It was dropped by the province in 2013 and the section within Chestermere was renamed to Chestermere Boulevard. [15] As of 2016, remnant Highway 1A signage still remains on Deerfoot Trail and sections of 17 Avenue SE within Calgary; however, it has been removed along Stoney Trail, through Chestermere, and along the Trans-Canada Highway.
Location | Calgary |
---|---|
Length | 11 km [16] (6.8 mi) |
Existed | 1949–1970s |
The existing Bow Valley Trail / Crowchild Trail section and former 17 Avenue SE section of Highway 1A used to be connected by following a series of streets through inner-city Calgary. From its present terminus, Highway 1A followed 16 Avenue NW east and was cosigned with Highway 1 to 14 Street NW. Highway 1A turned south, and after crossing the Bow River using the Mewata Bridge, and then branches east at its interchange Bow Trail. Highway 1A passed through downtown Calgary on a pair of one-way streets, with eastbound traffic following 9 Avenue S and westbound traffic following 6 Avenue S. East of 6 Street SE, both directions of Highway 1A followed 9 Avenue SE, crossing the Elbow River on the Inglewood Bridge and passing through the community of Inglewood, linking with eastern section of Highway 1A by either using 16 Street SE and Blackfoot Trail, or directly along 17 Avenue SE. [17] This section of Highway 1A was dropped in the 1970s.
Highway 1A | |
---|---|
Old Trans-Canada Highway | |
Location | County of Newell, Cypress County |
Length | 101 km (63 mi) |
A former alignment of the Trans-Canada Highway between Brooks and Medicine Hat, through County of Newell and Cypress County, is locally referred to as Highway 1A. Running parallel to Highway 1, it runs to the south along the Canadian Pacific Railway mainline. The road is paved between Brooks and Highway 875, [18] with long-term plans to pave it to Tilley, [19] as well as some sections around Suffield. [20] Between Tilley and Suffield, the road has both gravel and unimproved sections and serves as a local ranch-access road. [18] [20] Once in Cypress County, it is referred to as the Old Trans-Canada Highway, while in Redcliff and Medicine Hat, it goes by South Railway Avenue and Saamis Drive.
Despite the Highway 1A name, the route is maintained by the local municipalities and is not part of the provincial highway system.
Route information | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Auxiliary route of Highway 1 | ||||
Maintained by Alberta Transportation | ||||
Length | 4.5 km [21] (2.8 mi) | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | Highway 1 (TCH) west of Seebe | |||
North end | Highway 1A east of Exshaw | |||
Location | ||||
Country | Canada | |||
Province | Alberta | |||
Specialized and rural municipalities | Kananaskis I.D., Bighorn No. 8 M.D. | |||
Highway system | ||||
|
Highway 1X is a spur highway between Highway 1 and Highway 1A approximately 7 km (4.3 mi) east of Exshaw near the western edge of the Stoney-Nakoda First Nation. [1] It serves as the only Bow River crossing between Canmore to the west and Mînî Thnî to the east, providing access to First Nations lands and communities in the area. At 4.5 km (2.8 mi) in length, it is one of Alberta's shortest provincial highways. [5]
Highway 1X is the designation of two proposed bypasses around Strathmore and Medicine Hat. [21] The Strathmore bypass, temporarily designated as Highway 1X:12, would bypass the town of Strathmore to the south, bypassing approximately 8 km (5 mi) of existing Highway 1. [21] [22] The project would also feature a realignment of Highway 24 to follow Highway 817 between Carseland and Strathmore. [22] The Medicine Hat bypass, temporarily designated as Highway 1X:20, would bypass the City of Medicine Hat to the south and west, as well as the Town of Redcliff and the Hamlet of Dunmore; bypassing approximately 33 km (21 mi) of existing Highway 1. [21] [23] Both bypasses are currently unfunded with no timeline for construction. Once the bypasses are completed, they would be signed as part of Highway 1.
Rural/specialized municipality | Location | km [5] | mi | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kananaskis Improvement District | | 0.0 | 0.0 | Highway 1 (TCH) – Canmore, Banff, Calgary | Interchange (exit 114 on Hwy 1) |
M.D. of Bighorn No. 8 | Seebe | 2.2 | 1.4 | Crosses the Bow River | |
| 4.5 | 2.8 | Highway 1A (Bow Valley Trail) – Kananaskis, Exshaw, Cochrane | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
The Trans-Canada Highway is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast. The main route spans 7,476 km (4,645 mi) across the country, one of the longest routes of its type in the world. The highway system is recognizable by its distinctive white-on-green maple leaf route markers, although there are small variations in the markers in some provinces.
Banff National Park is Canada's first national park, established in 1885 as Rocky Mountains Park. Located in Alberta's Rocky Mountains, 110–180 kilometres (68–112 mi) west of Calgary, Banff encompasses 6,641 square kilometres (2,564 sq mi) of mountainous terrain, with many glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine landscapes. Provincial forests and Yoho National Park are neighbours to the west, while Kootenay National Park is located to the south and Kananaskis Country to the southeast. The main commercial centre of the park is the town of Banff, in the Bow River valley.
Lake Louise is a hamlet within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. Named after Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, it lies in Alberta's Rockies on the Bow River, 3 km (1.9 mi) northeast of the lake that shares its name. Initially settled in 1884 as an outpost for the Canadian Pacific Railway, Lake Louise sits at an elevation of 1,600 m (5,200 ft), making it Canada's highest community. The nearby lake, framed by mountains, is one of the most famous mountain vistas in the world.
There are many roads in the southwestern part of British Columbia and Vancouver Island that were designated as Highway 1A. These roads were sections of the original 1941 route of Highway 1 before its various re-alignments, and are used today as service routes and frontage roads. The "B.C. Highway 1A" designations were removed from these sections by the province between 2005 and 2010, although signage remains along some of the route and the designation on some maps.
Castle Junction is a locality where the northern extent of the Banff–Windermere Highway intersects with the Trans-Canada Highway, the Bow River, and Bow Valley Parkway in Banff National Park, Alberta. It is named after the nearby Castle Mountain, clearly visible from the junction. The area is also referred to as Castle Mountain; however, the official location is approximately 1.6 km (1.0 mi) southwest of Castle Junction along the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Highway 2 is a major highway in Alberta that stretches from the Canada–United States border through Calgary and Edmonton to Grande Prairie. Running primarily north to south for approximately 1,273 kilometres (791 mi), it is the longest and busiest highway in the province carrying more than 180,000 vehicles per day near Downtown Calgary. The Fort Macleod—Edmonton section forms a portion of the CANAMEX Corridor that links Alaska to Mexico. More than half of Alberta's 4 million residents live in the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor created by Highway 2.
Highway 201, better known by its official names of Stoney Trail and Tsuut'ina Trail, is a 101-kilometre (63 mi) freeway that encircles Calgary, Alberta. It serves as a bypass for the congested routes of 16 Avenue N and Deerfoot Trail through Calgary. At its busiest point near Beddington Trail in north Calgary, the six-lane freeway carried nearly 70,000 vehicles per day in 2023, and forms part of the CANAMEX Corridor which connects Calgary to Edmonton and Interstate 15 in the United States via Highways 2, 3, and 4.
Highway 1 is a major east–west highway in southern Alberta that forms the southern mainline of the Trans-Canada Highway. It runs from the British Columbia border near Lake Louise through Calgary to the Saskatchewan border east of Medicine Hat. It continues as Highway 1 into both provinces. It spans approximately 534 km (332 mi) from Alberta's border with British Columbia in the west to its border with Saskatchewan in the east. Highway 1 is designated as a core route in Canada's National Highway System and is a core part of the developing Alberta Freeway Network.
Alberta Provincial Highway No. 11, commonly referred to as Highway 11 and officially named the David Thompson Highway, is a provincial highway in central Alberta, Canada. It runs for 318 km (198 mi) from Highway 93 at Saskatchewan River Crossing near Mount Sarbach in Banff National Park east to Highway 12 near Nevis. It passes by Nordegg and through Rocky Mountain House, Sylvan Lake and Red Deer along its course. The highway is named after David Thompson, a British-Canadian fur trader, surveyor, and map-maker who explored the area between Rocky Mountain House and Kootenae House through Howse Pass.
Highway 93 is a north–south highway in Alberta, Canada. It is also known as the Banff-Windermere Parkway south of the Trans-Canada Highway and the Icefields Parkway north of the Trans-Canada Highway. It travels through Banff National Park and Jasper National Park and is maintained by Parks Canada for its entire length. It runs from the British Columbia border at Vermilion Pass in the south, where it becomes British Columbia Highway 93, to its terminus at the junction with the Yellowhead Highway at Jasper. The route takes its number from U.S. Route 93, which runs uninterrupted south to central Arizona, and was initially designated as '93' in 1959.
Highway 9 is a highway in south-central Alberta, Canada, which together with Saskatchewan Highway 7 connects Calgary to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan via Drumheller. It is designated as a core route of the National Highway System, forming a portion of an interprovincial corridor. Highway 9 spans approximately 324 km (201 mi) from the Trans-Canada Highway east of Calgary to Alberta's border with Saskatchewan.
Crowchild Trail is a major expressway in western Calgary, Alberta. The segment from the 12 Mile Coulee Road at the edge of the city to 16 Avenue NW is designated as Highway 1A by Alberta Transportation. The road is a critical north–south link in West Calgary for both downtown-bound traffic and travel between the two quadrants of the city it passes through. Although planned to be one single freeway from Glenmore Trail to the city limits, the route is divided by a section of slow-moving arterial road with four signalized intersections between 24 Avenue and Memorial Drive. This separates the freeway in the northwest from the freeway south of the Bow River. Filling the gap and making the whole route a minimum six-lane freeway is planned for construction beyond 2027.
Highway 40 is a south–north highway in western Alberta, Canada. It is also named Bighorn Highway and Kananaskis Trail in Kananaskis Country. Its segmented sections extend from Coleman in the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass northward to the City of Grande Prairie and is currently divided into four sections.
The Lake Louise Ski Resort & Summer Gondola is a ski resort in western Canada, located in Banff National Park near the village of Lake Louise, Alberta. Located 57 km (35 mi) west of Banff, Lake Louise is one of three major ski resorts within Banff National Park.
The city of Calgary, Alberta, has a large transportation network that encompasses a variety of road, rail, air, public transit, and pedestrian infrastructure. Calgary is also a major Canadian transportation centre and a central cargo hub for freight in and out of north-western North America. The city sits at the junction between the "Canamex" highway system and the Trans-Canada Highway.
Alberta's Rockies comprise the Canadian Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada. On the southwestern part of the province along the British Columbia border, the region covers all but the south of Census Division 15.
Sunwapta Pass is a mountain pass in the Canadian Rockies in the province of Alberta. Sunwapta Pass is the low point of the saddle created between Mount Athabasca and Nigel Peak. The pass marks the boundary between Banff and Jasper national parks. The Icefields Parkway travels through Sunwapta Pass 108 km (67 mi) southeast of the town of Jasper and 122 km (76 mi) northwest of the Parkway's junction with the Trans-Canada Highway near Lake Louise. The pass is the second highest point on the Icefields Parkway. Bow Summit in Banff National Park is the highest point on the parkway.
The Banff–Windermere Highway, also known as the Banff-Windermere Parkway, is a 105 km (65 mi) highway which runs through the Canadian Rockies in British Columbia and Alberta in Canada. It runs from Radium Hot Springs, British Columbia to Castle Junction, Alberta, passing through Kootenay National Park and Banff National Park. It is designated as part of British Columbia Highway 93 and Alberta Highway 93.
16 Avenue N is a major road in Calgary, Alberta, that forms a 26.5-kilometre (16.5 mi) segment of Highway 1 and connects Calgary to Banff and Medicine Hat. It is a four to six-lane principal arterial expressway at its extremities, but is an urban arterial road between the Bow River and Bowness Road, and also between Crowchild Trail and Deerfoot Trail. Due to Calgary's quadrant system, it is known as 16 Avenue NW west of Centre Street and 16 Avenue NE to the east.
17 Avenue SE is a major arterial road in east Calgary, Alberta. 17 Avenue SE is the focal point of the International Avenue Business Revitalization Zone (BRZ) and the main roadway through the former town of Forest Lawn. Chestermere Boulevard is a major arterial road and the eastern extension of 17 Avenue SE through Chestermere, Alberta, Canada. The roadway is a former alignment of Highway 1A.