The Crowsnest – A Southern B.C./Alberta Mountain Pass

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 Author: Bob Kenyon

Crowsnest Mountain

The Crowsnest Pass provides an excellent southern route between Alberta and British Columbia, with great outdoors opportunities for camping, hiking, backpacking, cycling, horseback riding and other adventure tourism activities. The pass is also well known for its glimpses of the dangerous soft rock (limestone) coal mining history.

The Crowsnest Pass developed as a major coal supply area for early twentieth century railroad and industry and eastern coking coal, for the steel industry, with great outdoors opportunities and glimpses of its dangerous past. Throughout the area, travelers will find abandoned mine site tours and related interpretive centres.

The pass also contains the site of one of the world’s biggest rock slides (Frank: 1903) and Canada’s worst mining disaster (Hillcrest: 1914). Legend has it that the legendary “Lost Lemon Mine”, is also in the vicinity of the Crowsnest Pass.

The majority of the Crowsnest Pass is in Alberta and is traveled by the #3 highway, which runs through a variety of mountain ranges comprised of the Livingstone, Flathead and High Rock Ranges. Though not like the densely compact ranges, of the northern Canadian Rockies, these limestone ranges offer excellent scenery, as well as trekking opportunities. It’s two major peaks are Turtle Mountain and the ancient volcanic peak of Crowsnest Mountain, both of which can be hiked and/or scrambled.

Travelers into the back country of the Crowsnest Pass must be aware that this is wild country. Back country trails and campgrounds are much more rustic that those accessed from the highway, or in the National Parks.

Back country travelers must also be appropriately equipped with rain proof clothing, lightweight packs, tents, sleeping bags and cooking supplies. Many of things listed, above are available at our Ya’Gotta Adventure Travel Store.

Maps, compass use, food storage/disposal and and bear avoidance skills are mandatory! For those that are prepared…a fabulous trip is in order.

A must stop in the pass is the Frank Slide Interpretative Centre, at the site of the one of the most devastating rock slides in the world, which all but eliminated the town of Frank (1903) and killed 70 people. The centre offers static displays and presentations about the dangers of limestone rock coal mining and the causes of the slide. There are also trails, which can take visitors though the slide area.

From Alberta the Pass is accessed from the #2 highway by going west from Fort MacLeod. For an excellent historical tour, about the Northwest Mounted Police (Now the world famous Royal Canadian Mounted Police), be sure to visit The Fort Museum of The Northwest Mounted Police. If you go into Fort McLeod, make sure you check out the historical Empress Theatre. It’s the oldest theatre, in Alberta and has operated since 1912.

While in this part of southern Alberta, look for the red wagon wheels, that mark the traces, 130-year old wagon ruts, of the original Macleod Trail. The trail was originally an aboriginal trail. When used by ranchers, settlers, whisky trades and the Northwest Mounted Police it  ran from Fort Benton in Montana up through Canada via Fort MacLeod and Fort Calgary.

If you travel this route, be sure to visit the ancient aboriginal buffalo killing site of Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. It’s a fabulous UNESCO World Heritage Site and give yourself time to go through the site!

Looking West – Top of Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
Photo: Bob Kenyon

As an archaeological site, known around the world, Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump preserves the remarkable history of the Plains People through the millenniums millennia. Because of their excellent understanding of the regional topography and bison behaviour, the native people were able to hunt bison by stampeding them over a cliff. They then carved up the carcasses and dragged the pieces to be butchered and processed in the butchering camp set up on the flats beyond the cliffs.

The interpretive centre, is built into the cliffs, so not to destroy the view of the cliffs. From the entrance, of the centre visitors go up in time and history of the site. You eventually arrive outside, at the top. Stay on the marked path and don’t go over, into the grasslands, as it it is a sacred Aboriginal site.

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