| Yellowhead Pass | |
|---|---|
| National Historic Site of Canada | |
CNR GP9 climbing in the Yellowhead Pass |
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| Province | Alberta British Columbia |
| Elevation | 1,131 m (3,711 ft) |
| Founder | Canadian National Railway Grand Trunk Pacific Railway |
| Yellowhead Pass | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 1,131 m (3,711 ft) [1] |
| Traversed by | Yellowhead Highway & Canadian National Railway |
| Location | |
| Location | Jasper National Park, Alberta / Mount Robson Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada |
| Range | Canadian Rockies |
The Yellowhead Pass is a mountain pass across the Continental Divide of the Canadian Rockies. It is located on the border between the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, and lies within Jasper National Park and Mount Robson Provincial Park.
Due to its modest elevation of 1,131 m (3,711 feet) 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. This proposal was rejected in favour of a more direct and southerly route through the more difficult Kicking Horse Pass, opened in 1886. However, both the Grand Trunk Pacific and Canadian Northern Railways used the Yellowhead Pass for their main lines built circa 1910–1913, and the main line of their successor, the Canadian National Railway, still follows the route. The pass is now also traversed by the Yellowhead Highway.
It is believed that the pass was named for Pierre Bostonais (nicknamed Tête Jaune, French for Yellow Head), 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 the interior of B.C. through the pass in 1820.
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