Howse Pass Trail

The Howse Pass Trail is a 42.8-kilometre (26.6-mile) one-way point-to-point backcountry route from Great Divide Trail access point d16 on the Icefields Parkway to Blaeberry Forestry Road near Cairnes Creek in British Columbia. It climbs through Banff’s Howse River corridor, crosses Howse Pass on the Continental Divide, then descends into the Blaeberry drainage. Plan at least two days and arrange transport between the remote ends. A 1993 crossing was measured at 39.5 kilometres, so treat the current mapped line as an estimate, not survey precision.

From Highway 93, the route follows established trail toward the Glacier Lake junction. Beyond that junction, it enters an unmaintained wilderness section where the old tread is heavily choked with blowdowns. The mapped Great Divide route uses the Howse River floodplain, with multiple side channels to ford and stretches where the river has shifted. Expect wet feet and route-finding rather than a continuous path; water level and the river’s current channels can change which line works.

Howse Pass sits at about 1,539 metres on the boundary between Alberta and British Columbia. It was a Ktunaxa travel route to bison country east of the Rockies. David Thompson crossed west in 1807 while establishing the first fur-trade post in the Columbia basin, and the pass was later designated a National Historic Site. A plaque and older wooden marker at the pass recall that history. The route continues west from the pass through rough, overgrown country toward Cairnes Creek; this is a wilderness crossing, not a maintained pass viewpoint walk.

There are no resupply services along the crossing. Random camping in Banff is restricted to designated backcountry areas and requires a Parks Canada permit; plan overnight stops before setting out. This point-to-point route needs a vehicle shuttle or pickup. Confirm that both end accesses are usable and that your party has current navigation, river-crossing and backcountry skills before committing.