Kicking Horse Pass

The climb up to Kicking Horse Pass from the east begins at the border between the two provinces of Alberta and British Columbia.A broad scar down the nearby mountainside marks the track of an avalanche which some years ago thundered down the slope sweeping away an entire forest in its path.Kicking Horse Pass goes over the continental divide and is located within Yoho National Park.The Canadian Pacific Railway line going over the pass used to be known as "The Big Hill" and at one time was the piece main-line railroad in North America. Accidents on the route led to the building of spiral tunnels that lengthened the route but decreased the gradient. There are plaques along the highway discussing the engineering involved in the process of building the railway.The old bridge on the "Big Hill" (the notorious steep section where the height difference is 400 / 1300 ft) was once part of the original CPR track over Kicking Horse Pass.