Kicking Horse Pass Explained

Kicking Horse Pass
Elevation M:1627
Traversed:Trans-Canada Highway
Location:Banff National Park, Alberta / Yoho National Park, British Columbia, Canada
Coordinates:51.4525°N -116.2858°W
Embedded:
Embed:yes
Designation1:NHSC
Designation1 Offname:Kicking Horse Pass National Historic Site of Canada
Designation1 Date:1971

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

Explorers

First Nations had known and used the pass, but it was first explored by Europeans in 1858 by the Palliser Expedition led by Captain John Palliser. It and the adjacent Kicking Horse River were named after James Hector (Hector's Branch Expeditions, 3 August 1858 – 26 May 1859), was kicked by his horse while attempting rescue of another horse that had gone into the river. Hector was led to the pass by his Stoney Nakoda guide Hector Nimrod.[1]

From Hector's summary, which appears on pages 105–106 of Palliser's diary,

Railway

A National Historic Site of Canada, the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) was constructed between Lake Louise, Alberta and Field, British Columbia using this route in 1884, in preference to the original survey through the more northerly Yellowhead Pass.

The original section of the CPR between the summit of the pass near Wapta Lake and Field was known as "The Big Hill". With a ruling gradient of 4.5% (1 in 23), it was the steepest stretch of main-line railroad in North America.[2]

Owing to frequent accidents and expensive helper engines associated with railroading in the pass, the CPR built the two Spiral Tunnels that opened in 1909, replacing the direct route. Although they add several kilometres, they reduce the ruling grade to a more manageable 2.2% (1 in 46). Accidents still occur, including a major derailment in 2019 that killed three CPR employees.[3]

Road

The pack train trail over the pass, established at the time of the railway, gradually became a wagon road.[4] In 1928, the Golden–Lake Louise highway, which essentially followed the CPR route, was completed.[5]

British Columbia Highway 1, part of the Trans-Canada Highway was built in 1962, following a more northerly placement along the eastern approach. It reaches its highest point at Kicking Horse Pass at an elevation of 1643m (5,390feet).[6]

The original stretch of Highway 1 through the canyon was two lanes wide with sharp corners, uneven grade and a risk of falling rocks. It had twice the provincial average of incidents and accidents.[7] [8] Since the 2000s, 25 kilometres of road have been rebuilt in phases to modern standards, with 4 lanes and the removal of sharp corners.[9] [10] The final phase was completed in August 2024.

The Golden Triangle cycling route includes the pass.[11]

Television

Dave Broadfoot played The Honourable Member for Kicking Horse Pass in the CBC Television satirical series Royal Canadian Air Farce and in his personal standup routines.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: McDougall, John . Opening the Great West: Experiences of a Missionary 1875-1876, with an Introduction by J. Ernest Mix . Glenbow-Alberta Institute . 1970 . Calgary, Alberta . 31–32.
  2. British Columbia Historical News: Twisted Track, North America's Spiral Railroad . Parkin . Tom W. . 1989 . 22 . 3 . 17 (15) . www.library.ubc.ca.
  3. News: News . CBC . Fatal train derailment: A closer look at what happened that tragic day . 6 February 2019 . Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . 6 February 2019.
  4. British Columbia Historical News: Early Travelling in the Columbia–Kootenay Valley. Harris . R.C. . 1993 . 26 . 4 . 10 (8) . www.library.ubc.ca.
  5. Book: Harvey, R.G. . Carving the Western Path . 2006 . 172 . Heritage House Publishing Co . 9781894974172 .
  6. Web site: B.C. Trans-Canada Highway . 16 May 2006 . 15 May 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060515152929/http://www.transcanadahighway.com/BritishColumbia/index.htm . dead .
  7. Web site: Cliffhanger: $451M Upgrade for Treacherous Stretch of Highway 1 in British Columbia Engineering News-Record . 2023-10-27 . www.enr.com . en.
  8. Web site: July 21, 2021 . Four Laning BC Highway 1: Your Questions Answered . December 6, 2022 . TranBC . British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
  9. Web site: How an Indigenous trail through Kicking Horse Canyon grew into a super highway . 2023-10-27 . infotel.ca . en.
  10. Web site: Bullock . Corey . 26 Oct 2023 . Construction nears completion on Kicking Horse Canyon near Golden, B.C. . 27 Oct 2023 . CBC News.
  11. Web site: Bicycling the Golden Triangle. Canada Trails. 29 December 2017.