Kicking Horse Pass
CPR freight in Yoho National Park climbing towards the Kicking Horse Pass
Elevation	1,627 metres (5,338 ft)
Location	Alberta/B.C., Canada
Range	Canadian Rockies
Coordinates	51°27′10″N, 116°17′00″W
Transversed by	Trans-Canada Highway & Canadian Pacific Railway

Kicking Horse Pass is a mountain pass across the Continental Divide of the Canadian Rockies on the Alberta/British Columbia border, and lying within Yoho and Banff National Parks. The pass is of historical significance because the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway was constructed between Lake Louise, Alberta and Field, British Columbia using this route in 1880s, in preference to the originally planned route through the more northerly Yellowhead Pass. A Canadian Pacific Railway freight train eastbound just west of Yoho National Park near the Park Bridge highway bridge, 16 km east of Golden, British Columbia. ... A topographical summit is a point on a surface which is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. ... Motto: Fortis et liber (Latin: Strong and free) Official languages English (see below) Flower   Wild rose Tree Lodgepole Pine Bird Great Horned Owl Capital Edmonton Largest city Calgary Lieutenant-Governor Norman Kwong Premier Ralph Klein (PC) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 28 6 Area Total  - Land  - Water  (% of total... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Official languages English de facto (none stated in law) Flower Pacific dogwood Tree Western Redcedar Bird Stellers Jay Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Parliamentary representation  - House seats  - Senate seats 36 6 Area... The Himalaya as seen from the International Space Station A mountain range is a group of mountains bordered by lowlands or separated from other mountain ranges by passes or rivers. ... Ringrose Peak, Lake OHara, British Columbia, Canada The Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Image File history File links British_Columbia_provincial_highway_1. ... Trans Canada Highway over Canada Map The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins all ten provinces of Canada. ... An eastbound CPR freight at Stoney Creek Bridge in Rogers Pass. ... In a range of hills, or especially of mountains, a pass (also gap, notch, col, saddle, bwlch or bealach) is a lower point that allows easier access through the range. ... A continental divide is a line of elevated terrain which forms a border between two watersheds such that water falling on one side of the line eventually travels to one ocean or body of water, and water on the other side travels to another, generally on the opposite side of... Ringrose Peak, Lake OHara, British Columbia, Canada The Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range. ... Motto: Fortis et liber (Latin: Strong and free) Official languages English (see below) Flower   Wild rose Tree Lodgepole Pine Bird Great Horned Owl Capital Edmonton Largest city Calgary Lieutenant-Governor Norman Kwong Premier Ralph Klein (PC) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 28 6 Area Total  - Land  - Water  (% of total... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Official languages English de facto (none stated in law) Flower Pacific dogwood Tree Western Redcedar Bird Stellers Jay Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Parliamentary representation  - House seats  - Senate seats 36 6 Area... Natural Bridge Yoho National Park is located in the Canadian Rocky Mountains along the western slope of the Continental Divide in southeastern British Columbia. ... Moraine Lake, and the Valley of the Ten Peaks. ... An eastbound CPR freight at Stoney Creek Bridge in Rogers Pass. ... Lake Louise is both an actual lake and a nearby hamlet located in the Canadian province of Alberta in Banff National Park. ... Front entrance to the townsite Field (51° 23′ 48″ N 116° 29′ 9″ W) is a town of approximately 300 people located in the Kicking Horse River valley of southeastern British Columbia, Canada within the confines of Yoho National Park. ... // Development and commercial production of electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered automobile by Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Maybach First commercial production and sales of phonographs and phonograph recordings. ... Canadian National Railways GP9 climbing in the Yellowhead Pass The Yellowhead Pass (elevation 1110 m, lat. ...

The pass was first explored in 1858 by the Palliser Expedition led by Captain John Palliser. The pass and the adjacent Kicking Horse River were given their names after James Hector, a naturalist, geologist, and surgeon who was a member of the expedition, was kicked by his horse while exploring the region. 1858 (MDCCCLVIII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The Palliser Expedition was a British expedition that explored and surveyed the open prairies and rugged wilderness of western Canada from 1857 to 1860. ... John Palliser (January 29, 1817 - August 18, 1887) was an Irish-born Canadian geographer and explorer, and brother of Sir William Palliser. ... The Kicking Horse River is a river located in the Canadian Rockies of southeastern British Columbia, Canada. ... James Hector, circa 1858 Sir James Hector (March 16, 1834–November 06, 1907) was a Scottish geologist, naturalist, and surgeon who accompanied the Palliser Expedition as a surgeon and geologist. ... Table of natural history, 1728 Cyclopaedia Natural history is an umbrella term for what are now usually viewed as several distinct scientific disciplines. ... A geologist is a contributor to the science of geology, studying the physical structure and processes of the Earth and planets of the solar system (see planetary geology). ...

The original route of the CPR between the summit of the pass near Wapta Lake and Field was known as "The Big Hill"; with a ruling gradient of 4.5 percent it was the steepest stretch of main-line railroad in North America. A summit is: A point higher than all the ground immediately surrounding it; see topographical summit. ... Wapta Lake is a glacial lake in the Canadian Rockies of eastern British Columbia, Canada. ... The Big Hill on the Canadian Pacific Railway main line in British Columbia, Canada, was the most difficult piece of track in all of Canada. ... The ruling gradient (or ruling grade) of a section of railway line is the steepest section of that line. ... This is the top-level page of WikiProject trains Rail tracks Rail transport refers to the land transport of passengers and goods along railways or railroads. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ...

Due to frequent accidents and expensive helper engines associated with railroading in the pass, the CPR opened a pair of Spiral Tunnels in 1909 that replaced the direct route. Although these tunnels add several kilometres to the route, the ruling grade was reduced to a more manageable 2.2 percent. CPR 5844 emerges from the lower spiral tunnel, passing under its own train, 1986. ... 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... km redirects here. ...

The Trans-Canada Highway was constructed through the pass in 1962 following essentially the original CPR route. It reaches its highest point at the Kicking Horse Pass with an elevation of 1643 metres.[1] The winding, narrow roadbed in this area is currently being upgraded to improve safety and capacity. [2] Trans Canada Highway over Canada Map The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins all ten provinces of Canada. ...

Divide Creek, a creek that forks onto both sides of the Continental Divide, is located at Kicking Horse Pass. Divide Creek is a short creek near Kicking Horse Pass on the British Columbia/Alberta border. ...

It was made famous by David Broadfoot in the CBC Television series Royal Canadian Air Farce. Broadfoot played The Honourable Member for Kicking Horse Pass in the satrical series David Broadfoot (21 July 1899 - 31 January 1953) was the radio officer on the Princess Victoria which sank disastrously in 1953, and was posthumously awarded the George Cross, the highest award for bravery to British civilians. ... CBC Television is the primary English language television service of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. ... Royal Canadian Air Farce is a Canadian radio and television show, broadcast on CBC Television. ...

External links

• Zoomable map of Kicking Horse Pass showing railway
• 4.5 percent