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Home > BC's Trans-Canada Highway > Revelstoke, BC and Lake Louise, AB Itinerary

British Columbia Trans-Canada Highway Route: the #1 between Revelstoke, BC and Lake Louise, AB

Here is the itinerary for the 220 km along the #1 between Revelstoke, BC and Lake Louise, AB:

Revelstoke has a very quaint Main Street shopping district, worth getting off the highway for. Just east of town is Mount Revelstoke National Park, with the 26 km Summit Road to the mountain's top, built by the community during the Great Depression.

Between Revelstoke and Golden is the Selkirk mountain range, famous for its 10 metres of annual snowfall. With the steep mountainsides, avalanches are frequent, though the highway is protected along key avalanche routes by a number of snow sheds (remove sunglasses while inside). In winter, the Canadian military fires 105 mm howitzer shells at the mountain peaks and ridges to trigger small avalanches before the snow accumulates to dangerous levels. Pre-emptive shelling and serious avalanches may close the highway for several hours.

The Rogers Pass section of the Trans-Canada was completed in 1962 and was the location for the official opening of the highway. The Canadian Pacific Railway first built a surface line over the pass in 1885 with 6.5 km of snowsheds. In 1916, the line moved into the 8.5 km Connaught Tunnel, right through Mount Macdonald. A second 14.5 km tunnel built in the 1980s doubled train capacity through the Rogers Pass.

East of Rogers Pass, the highway drops swiftly into the Rocky Mountain Trench, between the Selkirk and Rocky mountain ranges. The Rocky Mountain trench varies in width from 3 to 20 kilometres, and is the Columbia River's basin on its northward journey up to the the Mica Dam, from which point it heads southward. The Trench is caused by a major geological fault, with the Rockies to the east exposing mostly limestone and sediments from the Triassic period, while the Selkirks and Purcell ranges to the west are made up of mostly metamorphic rocks mostly from the Cambrian period.

The area between Donald and Golden was first explored by David Thompson in 1807 on his way to the Pacific. The Columbia River floodplain west of the Trans-Canada Highway is largely marshy, with muskrat lodges, as well as birds like bald eagles, red tailed hawks, osprey, and Canada geese.


From Golden, the Trans-Canada climbs up the Kicking Horse River through a "Montane" eco-zone. The lower elevations have sub-alpine forests of Engelman spruce and alpine fir, and the higher elevations feature Douglas fir, lodgepole pine, and trembling aspen. Along waterways you may notice white spruce, black cottonwood, and western white birch. The highway climbs up the slope, entering Yoho National Park, and crossing the Kicking Horse River several times, and passing two Spiral Tunnels just east of the Continental Divide, which reduce the slope of the railway. Trains pass by every half hour, you won't wait long to observe one part of the train leaving the tunnel the end of it is entering right below (or above) the exiting end. Incidentally, the west side of the Kicking Horse Pass drops 2000 feet (600 meters) more than the east slope.

Down the east slope of the Kicking Horse Pass, the highway drops rapidly to the junction with highway 93, The Icefields Parkway, north to Jasper (definitely worth a 1 or 2 day side trip!). The highway turns right, following the Bow River toward Lake Louse, Banff and eventually Calgary. Lake Louise has two attractions worth seeing: Skiing Louise with great year-round recreation, and Lake Louise itself. The road climbs about 700 ft (200 metres) from the valley, and opens to a splendid view of the lake, a glacier, and the famed Chateau Lake Louise.

Use mouse to drag/move map. Click on "+" or "-" to zoom in or out. "Satellite" shows photo, "Hybrid" combines map & photo.

Next West: Kamloops to Revelstoke

Next East: Lake Louise to Calgary

BC Highways road condition reports for this segment.

Alberta Motor Association road condition reports for this segment.

KM from Start		Highway Point Description	Municipality	GPS and Map Zoom
EB	WB
0	228	Victoria Rd W (S), Laforme Blvd (N) access to downtown	Revelstoke	Map Zoom
0	228	Junction Highway 23 (N) to Revelstoke Dam, Bend St (S)	Revelstoke	Map Zoom
1	227	Junction Summit Rd (N) to Mount Revelstoke's Meadows in the Sky Parkway	Revelstoke	Map Zoom
3	225	Alpine Lane (N) west end	Revelstoke	Map Zoom
3	225	Alpine Lane (N) east end	Revelstoke	Map Zoom
4	224	Townley St (S) east entrance into Revelstoke, Hillcreast Hotel	Revelstoke	Map Zoom
5	223	Oak Drive, Mt MacKenzie B&B, KOA campground	Revelstoke	Map Zoom
7	221	Southwest boundary Mt Revelstoke National Park, Western Welcome Station		Map Zoom
10	218	Greely Rd (S)		Map Zoom
17	211	Parking for Clachnacudainn River view, Apex River Rafting, Thunder Ridge Trail Rides and B & B		Map Zoom
29	199	Giant Cedars Trail (N)		Map Zoom
28	200	Skunk Cabbage Trail		Map Zoom
31	197	West Woolsey Creek Trail (N), Eastern edge of Mt Revelstoke National Park		Map Zoom
35	193	Albert Canyon Rd (S) to view Albert Canyon, Canyon Hot Springs		Map Zoom
35	193	Jumping Creek Rd (S)		Map Zoom
37	191	Rd (N)		Map Zoom
40	188	MacDonald Shed Avalanche Tunnel		Map Zoom
41	187	Twin Shed Avalanche Tunnel		Map Zoom
41	187	Western boundary of Glacier National Park		Map Zoom
42	186	Lanark Shed avalanche tunnel		Map Zoom
54	174	Hemlock Grove Trail (S)		Map Zoom
62	166	Hemlock Grove (N) boardwalk, viewing area		Map Zoom
63	166	Road Turnout with picnic area(S)		Map Zoom
63	165	Loop Brook Rd (s) view to Abbot Ridge		Map Zoom
63	165	Rd (N) to see Illecillewaet River		Map Zoom
64	164	Road divides to east		Map Zoom
65	163	Road to S		Map Zoom
66	162	Road divides to west		Map Zoom
67	161	Illicillewat / Asulkan Trails o E	Rogers Pass	Map Zoom
68	160	Rd to W	Rogers Pass	Map Zoom
69	159	Rogers Pass Visitors Centre, food fuel	Rogers Pass	Map Zoom
70	158	Road turnout (W) Roger Pass	Rogers Pass	Map Zoom
75	154	Road turnout, access to Helmit Cross Country ski trails, ranger station to E	Rogers Pass	Map Zoom
75	153	Tupper 1 Tunnel- west end		Map Zoom
75	153	Tupper 1 Tunnel- east end		Map Zoom
76	152	Tupper 2 Tunnel- west end		Map Zoom
76	152	Tupper 2 Tunnel- east end		Map Zoom
77	151	Tupper timber tunnel		Map Zoom
78	150	Beaver/Copperstain Valley Trail to E		Map Zoom
79	149	Bear Falls Creek Trail to E (1 km walk to waterfall)		Map Zoom
82	146	Bridge over Beaver River		Map Zoom
86	142	Turnoff, Road viewing area to W		Map Zoom
87	141	Rd to W		Map Zoom
89	139	Rd to W, interpretive centre, bathrooms		Map Zoom
96	132	East boundary Glacier National Park, eastern welcome station		Map Zoom
96	132	Road to W to Cupola Creek Trail, truck chain up area		Map Zoom
102	126	Rd to Columbia Arm of Kinbasset Lake (elev 2420, behind Mica Dam)		Map Zoom
105	123	hiking trail to W, Rest area, bathrooms, viewing area to N		Map Zoom
107	121	trail to N & S		Map Zoom
111	117	trail to N		Map Zoom
116	112	trail to SE		Map Zoom
121	107	Wiseman Rd to S		Map Zoom
121	107	Bridge over Columbia River		Map Zoom
124	104	Donald Rd to town of Donald	Donald	Map Zoom
124	104	Marl Creek Provincial Park	Donald	Map Zoom
125	103	Exit (N) Big Bend Hwy to town of Donald	Donald	Map Zoom
127	101	Exit Golden-Donald Upper Rd (N) , Blaeberry River Rd (S)		Map Zoom
131	97	Exit (N) Blaeberry School Rd, Golden-Donald Upper Rd		Map Zoom
136	92	Trail (E) to Blaeberry River		Map Zoom
137	91	Moberly Branch Rd (N)		Map Zoom
138	90	Hartley Rd (E)		Map Zoom
145	83	Alothof Rd (N), Anderson Rd (S) into Golden	Golden	Map Zoom
146	82	Turnaround underpass	Golden	Map Zoom
147	81	11th Avenue Exit (W), Ottoson Rd (E)	Golden	Map Zoom
148	80	11th St N exit (W)	Golden	Map Zoom
149	79	Services on N side	Golden	Map Zoom
150	78	Exit Highway 95 South, into downtown Golden 9Pinewood Inn, Brookside Motel]	Golden	Map Zoom
151	77	Exit Golden-Donald Upper Rd & Lafontaine Rd (N) [Hillside Lodging B&B, Ramada Inn] , Golden View Rd (S)	Golden	Map Zoom
152	76	Exit Golden View Rd (S), Whispering Spruce Campground & RV Park	Golden	Map Zoom
154	74	Rd to North		Map Zoom
157	71	Bridge (new) over Kicking Horse River		Map Zoom
162	66	Bridge over Kicking Horse River		Map Zoom
163	65	Pullout (S)		Map Zoom
164	64	Rd to North		Map Zoom
173	55	Beaverfoot Rd (S)		Map Zoom
167	61	Rest Area (N)		Map Zoom
168	60	Rest area (N)		Map Zoom
168	60	Rd to North		Map Zoom
172	56	Rest area to N (west exit)		Map Zoom
173	55	Rd to South		Map Zoom
173	55	Rest area to N (east exit)		Map Zoom
178	50	Rd to S		Map Zoom
170	58	Road turnoff (N)		Map Zoom
176	52	Yoho National Park western boundary		Map Zoom
178	50	Exit to Trails (S) to Wapta Falls (2.5 km)		Map Zoom
181	47	Exit to trails. Mount Hunter Lookout Trail (N), Chancellor Creek campground		Map Zoom
182	47	Cross Kicking Horse River		Map Zoom
182	46	Exit to trails (E) to Inkpots and Hoodoos, Hoodoo Creek campground		Map Zoom
193	35	Exit to trails (W) and picnic area overlooking Ottertail River		Map Zoom
194	34	Exit (E) to trail along creek		Map Zoom
196	32	Trail (W) to picnic area		Map Zoom
198	30	Exit (W) to Yoho Park Warden Station		Map Zoom
199	29	Trails (E)		Map Zoom
200	28	Cross Kicking Horse River		Map Zoom
200	28	Trail (W) to Natural Bridge 3 km, and Emerald Lake (10 km)		Map Zoom
201	27	Trail (W) to		Map Zoom
202	26	Exit to Field, Emerald lake Lodge	Field	Map Zoom
204	24	Trail (W) to Monarch and Kicking Horse campgrounds		Map Zoom
206	22	West Exit to Takakkaw Falls		Map Zoom
209	19	Trail (S) to Spiral Tunnel viewpoint		Map Zoom
214	14	West exit (N) to Spiral Tunnels viewpoint		Map Zoom
214	14	East exit (N) to Spiral Tunnels viewpoint, view of Yoho River to north		Map Zoom
212	16	Sherbrook Creek crossing		Map Zoom
214	14	Wapta Lake (S), Paget Peak trail		Map Zoom
216	12	Highway 1A east, and road south to Lake O-Hara		Map Zoom
216	12	West Louise Lodge		Map Zoom
218	10	Sink Lake to south of highway		Map Zoom
219	9	Alberta-BC Border (Kicking Horse Pass)		Map Zoom
223	5	Highway Pullout		Map Zoom
226	2	Junction with highway 93		Map Zoom
227	1	Exit (E) Slate Dr, Pipestone Trail	Lake Louise	Map Zoom
228	0	Bow Valley pkwy (E) to Skiing Louise and 1A Bow Valley Pkwy, and Lake Louise Rd (W) to the town and lake	Lake Louise	Map Zoom
KM from Start		Highway Point Description	Municipality	GPS and Map Zoom
EB	WB