Howse Pass
Pass through the Rocky Mountains in Canada
title: "Howse Pass" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["banff-national-park", "mountain-passes-of-alberta", "mountain-passes-of-british-columbia", "national-historic-sites-in-alberta", "national-historic-sites-in-british-columbia"] description: "Pass through the Rocky Mountains in Canada" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howse_Pass" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Pass through the Rocky Mountains in Canada ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox mountain pass"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Howse Pass |
| photo | Howse Pass Canada 1902.jpg |
| photo_caption | A camp in the Howse Pass in 1902 |
| elevation_m | 1539 |
| location | Alberta–British Columbia border, Canada |
| range | Canadian Rockies |
| coordinates | |
| topo | NTS |
| map | Alberta#British Columbia#Canada |
| map_caption | Location in Alberta##Location in British Columbia##Location in Canada |
| embedded | |
| :: |
| name = Howse Pass | photo = Howse Pass Canada 1902.jpg | photo_caption = A camp in the Howse Pass in 1902 | elevation_m = 1539 | elevation_ref = | traversed = | location = Alberta–British Columbia border, Canada | range = Canadian Rockies | coordinates = | topo = NTS | map = Alberta#British Columbia#Canada | map_caption = Location in Alberta##Location in British Columbia##Location in Canada | embedded =
Howse Pass (el. 1539 m) 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
File:Howse Pass 2013.jpg|Howse Pass from below File:Howse Pass.jpg|Howse Pass in August 2025 File:Old Howse Pass Sign.jpg|An informational sign at Howse Pass File:Howse Pass Historic Site Plaque.jpg|The National Historic Sites plaque at Howse Pass
References
References
- {{CRHP. 11480. Howse Pass. 22 January 2012
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