.All Trips / Alberta / Central Canada / North America / Pic of the Week

“Pic of the Week”. June 14, 2013. Crowsnest Mountain, Alberta

2013-Feb-012 Crowsnest Pass, Crowsnest Mountain

Alberta has many beautiful drives, one of my favorites being Highway 3 through the Crowsnest Pass in the extreme southwest corner of the province, just east of British Columbia.  The area has a colorful western history.  It was one of the first major train routes across the continental divide and in the early days of rail travel many steam trains from the United States diverted into Canada to make the relatively easy climb through the Crowsnest Pass before heading south into the USA.  The area is dotted with lots of abandoned mines; you’ll find the remains of a huge rock-slide (Frank Slide), and many beautiful Rocky Mountain peaks.

The grandest and most beautiful peak in the region is Crowsnest Mountain (2785m, 9138 ft), a very distinctive massif characterized by large cliffs on all its faces.  It’s a popular mountain with climbers despite the loose rock (scree) and vertical challenges.  The mountain is said to have been named by the local Cree Indians because of the ravens that nest on it, but who knows if that’s true?

(Click on thumbnail to enlarge, then right arrow to advance slideshow)

 

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