Yellowhead Pass

Last updated

Yellowhead Pass
CNR Yellowhead.jpg
CNR GP9 in the Yellowhead Pass
Location Alberta, British Columbia, Canada
Coordinates 52°53′33″N118°27′50″W / 52.89250°N 118.46389°W / 52.89250; -118.46389
Elevation1,131 m (3,711 ft)
Founder Canadian Northern Railway
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
Original use Mountain pass
Governing body Parks Canada
Yellowhead Pass
Elevation 1,131 m (3,711 ft) [1]
Traversed by Yellowhead Highway and Canadian National Railway; Via Rail's Canadian , Via's Jasper – Prince Rupert train and the Jasper section of the Rocky Mountaineer using CN tracks
Location Jasper National Park, Alberta / Mount Robson Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada
Range Canadian Rockies
Topo map NTS 83D16 Jasper

The Yellowhead Pass is a mountain pass across the Continental Divide of the Americas in the Canadian Rockies. It is on the provincial boundary between the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, and lies within Jasper National Park and Mount Robson Provincial Park.

Contents

Topological map of the proposed, never-built Canadian Pacific Railway line from East Selkirk to Kamloops, passing through the Yellowhead Pass. Yellowhead Pass gscmcm 0748 e 1901 mn01.pdf
Topological map of the proposed, never-built Canadian Pacific Railway line from East Selkirk to Kamloops, passing through the Yellowhead Pass.

Due to its modest elevation of 1,131 m (3,711 ft) and its gradual approaches, the pass was recommended by Sir Sandford Fleming as a route across the Rocky Mountains for the planned Canadian Pacific Railway. The proposal was rejected in favour of a more direct and southerly route, through the more difficult Kicking Horse Pass, which was opened in 1886. Later the Grand Trunk Pacific and Canadian Northern Railways used the Yellowhead Pass for their main lines, built c. 1910–1913, and the main line of their successor, the Canadian National Railway, still follows the route. Via Rail's premier passenger train, the Canadian ; the Jasper – Prince Rupert train; and the Jasper section of the Rocky Mountaineer use the Yellowhead Pass, which is now used also by the Yellowhead Highway.

It is believed that the pass was named for Pierre Bostonais (nicknamed Tête Jaune , French for "yellow head", because of his blond hair), an Iroquois-Métis trapper employed as a guide by the Hudson's Bay Company. Bostonais led one of the first expeditions for the company to what is now the interior of British Columbia through the pass in 1820.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jasper National Park</span> National park in Alberta, Canada

Jasper National Park, in Alberta, Canada, is the largest national park within Alberta's Rocky Mountains, spanning 11,000 km2 (4,200 sq mi). It was established as Jasper Forest Park in 1907, renamed as a national park in 1930, and declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1984. Its location is north of Banff National Park and west of Edmonton. The park contains the glaciers of the Columbia Icefield, springs, lakes, waterfalls and mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Robson</span> Mountain in British Columbia, Canada

Mount Robson is the most prominent mountain in North America's Rocky Mountain range; it is also the highest point in the Canadian Rockies. The mountain is located entirely within Mount Robson Provincial Park of British Columbia, and is part of the Rainbow Range. Mount Robson is the second highest peak entirely in British Columbia, behind Mount Waddington in the Coast Range. The south face of Mount Robson is clearly visible from the Yellowhead Highway, and is commonly photographed along this route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Rockies</span> Mountain range in Canada

The Canadian Rockies or Canadian Rocky Mountains, comprising both the Alberta Rockies and the British Columbian Rockies, is the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains. It is the easternmost part of the Canadian Cordillera, which is the northern segment of the North American Cordillera, the expansive system of interconnected mountain ranges between the Interior Plains and the Pacific Coast that runs northwest–southeast from central Alaska to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Robson Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in British Columbia, Canada

Mount Robson Provincial Park is a provincial park in the Canadian Rockies with an area of 2,249 km2. The park is located entirely within British Columbia, bordering Jasper National Park in Alberta. The B.C. legislature created the park in 1913, the same year as the first ascent of Mount Robson by a party led by Conrad Kain. It is the second oldest park in the provincial system. The park is named for Mount Robson, which has the highest point in the Canadian Rockies and is located entirely within the park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellowhead Highway</span> Highway in Canada

The Yellowhead Highway is a major interprovincial highway in Western Canada that runs from Winnipeg to Graham Island off the coast of British Columbia via Saskatoon and Edmonton. It stretches across the four western Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba and is part of the Trans-Canada Highway system and the larger National Highway System, but should not be confused with the more southerly, originally-designated Trans-Canada Highway. The highway was officially opened in 1970. Beginning in 1990, the green and white Trans-Canada logo is used to designate the roadway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crowsnest Pass</span> Mountain pass in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada

Crowsnest Pass is a low mountain pass across the Continental Divide of the Canadian Rockies on the Alberta–British Columbia border.

<i>The Canadian</i> Train service between Toronto and Vancouver, Canada

The Canadian is a transcontinental passenger train operated by Via Rail with service between Union Station in Toronto, Ontario, and Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kicking Horse Pass</span> Mountain pass in Canada, between Alberta and British Columbia

Kicking Horse Pass is a high mountain pass across the Continental Divide of the Americas of the Canadian Rockies on the Alberta–British Columbia border, and lying within Yoho and Banff national parks. Divide Creek forks onto both sides of the Continental Divide.

Alberta Provincial Highway No. 16, commonly referred to as Highway 16, is a major east–west highway in central Alberta, Canada, connecting Jasper to Lloydminster via Edmonton. It forms a portion of the Yellowhead Highway, a major interprovincial route of the Trans-Canada Highway system that stretches from Masset, British Columbia, to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, near Winnipeg. Highway 16 spans approximately 634 km (394 mi) from Alberta's border with British Columbia in the west to its border with Saskatchewan in the east. As of 2010, all but less than 96 km (60 mi) of the route was divided, with a minimum of two lanes in each direction. It is designated a core route in Canada's National Highway System.

Wapiti Pass is a mountain pass in the Northern Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. It lies immediately east of Wapiti Lake Provincial Park, at the headwaters of the Wapiti River, northeast of Prince George and west of Monkman Provincial Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athabasca Pass</span> Mountain pass in Jasper National Park

Athabasca Pass is a high mountain pass in the Canadian Rockies on the border between Alberta and British Columbia. In fur trade days it connected Jasper House on the Athabasca River with Boat Encampment on the Columbia River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberta Highway 93</span> Provincial highway in Banff and Jasper national parks in Alberta, Canada

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Jasper Ranges</span> Mountain ranges in Alberta and British Columbia

The South Jasper Ranges are mountain ranges of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada.

Pierre Bostonais or Pierre Hastination, better known as Tête Jaune, was an Iroquois (Haudenosaunee)-Métis trapper, fur trader, and explorer who worked for the North West Company and Hudson's Bay Company during the 18th and 19th centuries. His nickname means 'yellow head' in French and was given to him because of his blond hair. The name Bostonais refers to his probable American origin: First Nations people applied that name to American traders.

Simpson Pass, el. 2,107 m (6,913 ft), is a mountain pass on the border between the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, in the area of the Ball Range. It is the prominence col for Mount Ball on the Continental Divide in the vicinity of Sunshine Village ski resort. Simpson River and Simpson Pass are named after Sir George Simpson who first explored the area in 1841.

Jarvis Pass is a mountain pass in Kakwa Provincial Park in the Northern Rockies of British Columbia, Canada, located to the north of Kakwa Lake, on the British Columbia-Alberta boundary, and therefore is on the Continental Divide. It was one of the many passes surveyed as a route for the Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1870s.

Carcajou Pass is a mountain pass on the Continental Divide and British Columbia–Alberta boundary at the north end of Mount Robson Provincial Park. On the Alberta side lies the northwestern part of Jasper National Park. Carcajou is the French word for "wolverine".

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.

Fortress Pass is a mountain pass that crosses the continental divide in the Canadian Rockies, south of Jasper, Alberta. At 1,335 metres (4,380 ft), Fortress Pass is one of the lowest passes to cross the Canadian Rockies that is not traversed by a road. In addition to being at a low elevation, Fortress Pass is also relatively gentle, with almost no elevation difference between water bodies on either side.

Tonquin Pass, 1948 m (6393 ft), is a mountain pass in the Canadian Rockies, linking Tonquin Valley in Jasper National Park, Alberta, to Mount Robson Provincial Park and adjoining areas of British Columbia. It is at the headwaters of Tonquin Creek, which flows into British Columbia. Located on the interprovincial boundary, it is on the Continental Divide.

References