Highwood Pass | |
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Elevation | 2,206 m (7,238 ft) [1] [2] |
Traversed by | Kananaskis Trail |
Location | Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada |
Range | Misty Range |
Coordinates | 50°35′58″N114°59′16″W / 50.59944°N 114.98778°W [3] |
Highwood Pass is a mountain pass in Kananaskis Country, Alberta, Canada. It lies west of Mount Rae and Mount Arethusa of the Misty Range, south of Elbow Pass. It lies within the Peter Lougheed Provincial Park on Alberta Highway 40. The Highwood River originates in the pass.
Kananaskis Trail runs through the pass, and offers access to a multitude of campgrounds and recreational areas.
Highwood Pass is the highest paved pass in Canada. The pass is closed each year from December 1 to June 14 due to very high snowfall and to protect wildlife. [4] For a small portion of June, the snow is melted but the road remains closed, making this a popular destination for road cyclists. During the summer, it is popular among drivers as well, said to be one of the most scenic drives in Canada.
Kananaskis Country is a multi-use area west of Calgary, Alberta, Canada in the foothills and front ranges of the Canadian Rockies. The area is named for the Kananaskis River, which was named by John Palliser in 1858 after a Cree acquaintance. Covering an area of approximately 4,000 km2 (1,500 sq mi), Kananaskis Country was formed by the Alberta Government in 1978 to provide an assortment of land uses and designations. Land uses include resource extraction activities, recreation, power generation, and residential communities. Land designations include public land and protected areas.
Canmore is a town in Alberta, Canada, located approximately 81 kilometres (50 mi) west of Calgary near the southeast boundary of Banff National Park. It is located in the Bow Valley within Alberta's Rocky Mountains. The town shares a border with Kananaskis Country to the west and south and the Municipal District of Bighorn No. 8 to the north and east. With a population of 14,798 in 2020, Canmore is the ninth-largest town in Alberta.
Peter Lougheed Provincial Park is in Kananaskis Country about 90 kilometres (56 mi) west of Calgary, along the Kananaskis Trail in Alberta, Canada.
Alberta Provincial Highway No. 40, commonly referred to as 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.
Spray Valley Provincial Park is a provincial park located east of the Rocky Mountains, along the Spray River in western Alberta, Canada.
The Highwood River is a tributary of the Bow River in southwestern Alberta, Canada.
The High Rock Range is a mountain range of the Canadian Rockies in southwestern Alberta and southeastern British Columbia, Canada.
Mount Arethusa is a mountain located in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada.
Storm Mountain is a mountain in Alberta's Rockies, Canada.
Mount Tyrwhitt is a mountain in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada located between Highway 40 and Elk Pass in the Elk Range of the Canadian Rockies, west of the Highwood Pass parking lot in Kananaskis Country and south east of Upper Kananaskis Lake. Located on the Continental Divide, it is also therefore on the border between British Columbia and Alberta which follows the Divide in this area.
Elbow Pass is the mountain pass between the Highwood and Elbow areas in Kananaskis Country, Alberta, Canada. It contains Elbow Lake which is the headwaters of the Elbow River.
Elbow Lake is a lake located in the Elbow Pass north of the Highwood pass in Kananaskis Country in Alberta, Canada. Elbow Lake lies at an elevation of 2,120 m (6,960 ft) and is the headwater of the Elbow River.
Kootenay Pass, known locally as "the Salmo–Creston" is a mountain pass in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. The pass summit divides the drainage basin of the Pend d'Oreille River on the west from that of Kootenay River/Kootenay Lake to the east. It is used by the Crowsnest Highway to transverse the Selkirks, connecting the communities of Salmo and Creston. At its opening the highway route was also dubbed the Kootenay Skyway.
Elk Pass is a high mountain pass in the Canadian Rockies, traversing the continental divide. It connects the Elk Valley in the province of British Columbia with the Kananaskis Valley in Alberta.
Mount Robertson is a mountain in the Canadian Rockies, standing astride the British Columbia-Alberta boundary between Palliser Pass and North Kananaskis Pass. The British Columbia side of the pass is in Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park. The mountain is named for Sir William Robertson (1860–1933), 1st Baronet, Chief of the Imperial General Staff from 1916 to 1918 during the First World War.
Mount Kidd is a 2,958-metre (9,705-foot) double-summit massif centrally located in Kananaskis Country in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. Mount Kidd is situated within Spray Valley Provincial Park, and its nearest higher neighbor is Mount Sparrowhawk, 7.0 km (4.3 mi) to the northwest. Mount Kidd is a landmark that can be seen from Highway 40 in the Kananaskis Village area, and from the Kananaskis Country Golf Course which lies at the eastern base of the mountain.
Gap Mountain is a 2,675-metre (8,776-foot) mountain summit located at the southern end of the Opal Range in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. The nearest higher neighbor is Elpoca Mountain, 2.0 km (1.2 mi) to the east. Gap Mountain is situated 5.0 km south of Mount Wintour, within Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. Gap Mountain is a conspicuous peak seen from Alberta Highway 40 at Highwood Pass. It is a popular climbing destination because it offers interesting, exposed scrambling on its eastern flanks with excellent summit views of Kananaskis Country.
Don Getty Wildland Provincial Park is a wildland provincial park in Kananaskis Country, Alberta, Canada. It was created on 24 July 2001 and has an area of 62,775 hectares. The park was named for the 11th premier of Alberta, Don Getty. The park was designated as part of the Special Places 2000: Alberta’s Natural Heritage initiative.
Mount Head is a 2,782-metre (9,127-foot) mountain summit located in Alberta, Canada.