Crowsnest Highway

The Crowsnest Highway, also known as the Interprovincial or, in British Columbia, the Southern Trans-Provincial, is an east-west highway, 1,161 km (721 mi) in length, through the southern parts of British Columbia and Alberta, providing the shortest highway connection between British Columbia's Lower Mainland and southeast Alberta. It is designated a core route in Canada's National Highway System,^[1] and is designated as Highway 3 for its entire length.

The highway, which is mostly two lanes, was officially established in 1932, mainly following a mid-19th century gold rush trail originally traced out by an engineer named Edgar Dewdney. It takes its name from the Crowsnest Pass, the location at which the highway crosses the Continental Divide between British Columbia and Alberta.

In British Columbia, the first segment of the highway between the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 5A is locally known as the Hope-Princeton Highway. In Alberta, the highway forms concurrencies with both the Red Coat Trail and the CANAMEX Corridor from Highway 2 west of Fort Macleod to Highway 4 at the eastern limits of Lethbridge.

Route description

British Columbia

The Crowsnest Highway's total length in British Columbia is 837 km (520 mi), and its total length within Alberta is 324 km (201 mi).^[2] The Crowsnest Highway's western terminus is at Hope, where it branches off from Highway 1. The highway goes east for 7 km (4.3 mi) to its junction with Highway 5, then through Allison Pass and Manning Provincial Park for 127 km (79 mi) towards the Town of Princeton. There are several significant ascents in this stretch between Hope and Princeton. The first is the steep climb to the Hope Slide, followed later by the remainder of the climb up to Allison Pass at an elevation of 1,342m (4,473 ft). After the summit of Allison Pass, the road descends for 40 km (25 mi) before beginning another long climb up Sunday Summit (1,284m, 4,280 ft). Soon after Sunday Summit is the descent into Princeton, where Highway 5A begins.

After Princeton, the Crowsnest goes southeast for 67 km (42 mi), through Hedley, to the Village of Keremeos, where a junction with a length of highway designated as 3A is located, leading towards Penticton and Highway 97. Another 46 km (29 mi) southeast, and the Crowsnest reaches the Town of Osoyoos and a junction with Highway 97. The highway then proceeds to hug the Canada-U.S. border east through a stretch of switchbacks known as Anarchist Mountain, which is also the name of the upland rural community beyond the summit.

52 km (32 mi) east of Osoyoos, the Crowsnest reaches its junction with Highway 33 at Rock Creek, then the highway heads east for 70 km (43 mi) to its junction with Highway 41 at a location called Carson, just west of Grand Forks. Another 26 km (16 mi) east, passing through Grand Forks en route, the Crowsnest meets Highway 395 at the southern end of Christina Lake.

Further east from Christina Lake, the Crowsnest travels for 47 km (29 mi) through Bonanza Pass to its junction with Highway 3B at Nancy Greene Lake, which is the cutoff to the ski town of Rossland. It is another 26 km (16 mi) east to the junction with Highway 22 at Castlegar, and another 2 km (1.2 mi) east to a junction with another stretch of Highway designated as 3A, also within Castlegar. Leaving Castlegar, the Crowsnest reaches its eastern junction with Highway 3B 26 km (16 mi) east. Highway 6 converges with the Crowsnest at Salmo, 11 km (6.8 mi) east of the 3B junction, and the two highways proceed south for 14 km (8.7 mi) to the Burnt Flat Junction, where Highway 6 diverges south.

East of Burnt Flat, the Crowsnest heads through the Kootenay Pass on a stretch known as the Kootenay Skyway, or Salmo-Creston Skyway. 67 km (42 mi) east of Burnt Flat, the Crowsnest reaches the Town of Creston, just past junctions with Highway 21 and Highway 3A. 40 km (25 mi) later, south of Yahk, Highway 95 merges onto the Crowsnest. The two highways share a common alignment for 72 km (45 mi) northeast along the Moyie River to a junction with Highway 95A at Cranbrook. Another 6 km (3.7 mi) east, Highway 95 diverges north from the Crowsnest and Highway 93 merges onto the Crowsnest from the north. Highway 93 and the Crowsnest share a common alignment for the next 53 km (33 mi) southeast to Elko, where Highway 93 diverges south. 31 km (19 mi) north of Elko, the Crowsnest reaches Fernie, then it goes north another 30 km (19 mi) to its junction with Highway 43 at Sparwood, and another 19 km (12 mi) east, the highway reaches the boundary with Alberta at Crowsnest Pass.

Alberta

The Alberta portion of the Crowsnest Highway is designated Alberta Provincial Highway No. 3.^[3] Once into Alberta, the Crowsnest Highway goes east 16 km (9.9 mi) to the Bighorn Highway at Coleman, then 26 km (16 mi) east to its junction with Highway 22, another 20 km (12 mi) to its junction with Highway 6, then another 44 km (27 mi) to its junction with Highway 2 north, then proceeding 5 km (3.1 mi) east into the Town of Fort Macleod and the Crowsnest's junction with Highway 2 south. After Fort Macleod, the Crowsnest goes 27 km (17 mi) east, crossing the Oldman River, to Highway 3A southeast of Monarch, which feeds Highway 23.

The highway reaches the first access (Westview Drive W) to the City of Lethbridge 13 km (8.1 mi) later. At this point, the Crowsnest's only freeway segment begins. 2 km (1.2 mi) later, Highway 25 (University Drive W) branches to the north before crossing the Oldman River for the second time. The freeway segment ends at Mayor Magrath Drive, which branches as Highway 5 to the south. The highway intersects Highway 4 at the eastern limits of Lethbridge.

45 km (28 mi) east of Lethbridge, the Crowsnest reaches the Town of Taber. Within Taber, Highway 36 runs concurrently with the highway for 3 km (1.9 mi). Upon dropping the concurrency, the Crowsnest ends 113 km (70 mi) later at the Trans-Canada Highway in the City of Medicine Hat.

Major intersections

British Columbia

The following is a list of exits along the expressway and freeway portions of British Columbia Highway 3 (Crowsnest Highway).

Hope to Princeton

Castlegar

Cranbrook

Alberta

The following is a list of major intersections along Alberta Highway 3 (Crowsnest Highway) from west to east.^[2][4]

See also

• Dewdney Trail
• Kettle Valley Railway (southern mainline of the CPR)

References

External links

• Crowsnest Highway tour
• 2010 Provincial Highways 1 - 216 Series Progress Chart (map, 8 MB) by Alberta Transportation.