Highwood Pass is a

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human a ...

Kananaskis Country Kananaskis Country is a multi-use area west of Calgary, Alberta, Canada in the foothills and front ranges of the Canadian Rockies. The area is named for the Kananaskis River, which was named by John Palliser in 1858 after a Cree acquaintance. Cove ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It lies west of

Mount Rae Mount Rae is a mountain located on the east side of Highway 40 between Elbow Pass and the Ptarmigan Cirque in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta. Mount Rae was named after John Rae, explorer of Northern Canada, in 1859. Due to its relatively ...

and

Mount Arethusa Mount Arethusa is a mountain located in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. It is located alongside Alberta Highway 40, Highway 40, immediately east of the Highwood Pass parking lot in Kananaskis Country, and is a part of the Misty Range of ...

of the

Misty Range The Misty Range is a mountain range of the Canadian Rockies located east of the Bighorn Highway within Kananaskis Country, Canada. It is a sub-range of the High Rock Range in the Southern Continental Ranges. This range includes the following ...

, south of the

Elbow Pass Elbow Pass is the mountain pass between the Highwood and Elbow areas in Kananaskis Country, Alberta, Canada. It contains Elbow Lake which is the headwaters of the Elbow River. The pass is formed between Mount Rae of the Misty Range and Gap M ...

. It lies within the

Peter Lougheed Provincial Park Peter Lougheed Provincial Park is a provincial park located in Alberta, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the A ...

Alberta Highway 40 Alberta Provincial Highway No. 40, commonly referred to as Highway 40, is a south-north highway in western Alberta, Canada. It is also named Bighorn Highway and Kananaskis Trail in Kananaskis Country. Its segmented sections extend fro ...

. The

Highwood River The Highwood River is a tributary of the Bow River in southwestern Alberta, Canada. Course The Highwood originates in the Canadian Rockies in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, in the Highwood Pass below Mount Arethusa. It flows south and is par ...

originates in the pass. Kananaskis Trail runs through the pass, and offers access to a multitude of camping grounds and recreational areas.

Tourism

Highwood Pass is the highest paved pass in Canada. The pass is closed each year from December 1 to June 14 due to very high snowfall and to protect wildlife. For a small portion of June, the snow is melted but the road remains closed, making this a popular destination for road cyclists. During the summer, it is popular among drivers as well, said to be one of the most scenic drives in Canada.

References

External links

*Peakfinder
Highwood Pass
Kananaskis Improvement District Mountain passes of Alberta {{AlbertaRockies-geo-stub