Athabasca Pass

Athabasca Pass
Athabasca Pass sign.jpg
Elevation 1,753 m (5,751 ft)
Location  Alberta
 British Columbia
Range Rocky Mountains
Coordinates 52°22′35″N 118°11′00″W / 52.37639°N 118.18333°W / 52.37639; -118.18333
Topo map
Official name: Athabasca Pass National Historic Site of Canada
Designated: 1971

Athabasca Pass (el. 1,753 m or 5,751 ft) is a high mountain pass in the Canadian Rockies.[1] It is the headwaters of the Whirlpool River, a tributary of the Athabasca River. In fur-trade days it connected Jasper House on the Athabasca River with Boat Encampment on the Columbia River.

The pass lies between Mount Brown and McGillivray Ridge. It is south of Yellowhead Pass and north of Howse Pass.

Since the first documented crossing by David Thompson and his Native American guide in 1811, the pass became a major point on the fur trade route between Rupert's Land and the Columbia District, used by the York Factory Express.[2][3] The pass was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1971.[4]

References

Coordinates: 52°22′35″N 118°11′00″W / 52.37639°N 118.18333°W / 52.37639; -118.18333

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Last modified on 6 March 2013, at 19:24