Howse Pass

Howse Pass
A camp in the Howse Pass in 1902
Howse Pass Location within Alberta Howse Pass Location within British Columbia Howse Pass Location within Canada
Elevation	1,539 m (5,049 ft)
Third Approach
Location	Alberta–British Columbia border, Canada
Range	Canadian Rockies
Coordinates	51°48′N 116°45′W
Topo map	NTS 82N15 Mistaya Lake
National Historic Site of Canada
Official name	Howse Pass National Historic Site of Canada
Designated	1978

Howse Pass (el. 1,539 m or 5,049 ft) is a pass through the Rocky Mountains in Canada. The pass is located in Banff National Park, between Mount Conway and Howse Peak. From here waters flow east via Conway Creek, Howse River, North Saskatchewan River to Lake Winnipeg and Hudson Bay. To the west it drains by the Blaeberry River to the Columbia River and on to the Pacific Ocean.

The pass was used by First Nations people such as the Kootenay to the west and Peigan to the east. In 1806 two men from Rocky Mountain House cut a rough road from the Howse River toward the pass. In June 1807 David Thompson crossed it to the Columbia River. It was named for Joseph Howse, a Hudson's Bay Company factor who crossed it later, in 1809. The pass was not much used, Athabasca Pass being preferred.

Howse Pass is lower than many other passes in this range and it was considered for the Canadian Pacific's route, but Kicking Horse Pass was chosen instead. There has been some talk of building a road through the pass from Saskatchewan River Crossing to Golden, British Columbia, but this would involve cutting through the national park.

The pass was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1978.

Gallery

• 
  Howse Pass from below
• 
  Howse Pass in August 2025
• 
  An informational sign at Howse Pass
• 
  The National Historic Sites plaque at Howse Pass

See also

• List of Rocky Mountain passes on the continental divide

External links

• Media related to Howse Pass at Wikimedia Commons
• The Vanishing Trail - The Great Divide Trail Association
• Parks Canada - Howse Pass National Historic Site
• "Howse Pass". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
• "Howse Pass". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.