Saskatchewan River Crossing is a
locality in western
Alberta
Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
, Canada. It is located within
Banff National Park
Banff National Park is Canada, Canada's first National Parks of Canada, national park, established in 1885 as Rocky Mountains Park. Located in Alberta's Rockies, Alberta's Rocky Mountains, west of Calgary, Banff encompasses of mountainous ter ...
at the junction of
Highway 93 (Icefields Parkway) and
Highway 11 (David Thompson Highway). It is administered by
Improvement District No. 9.
It was named "The Crossing", when travellers and fur traders used this spot to cross the
North Saskatchewan River
The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with the South Saskatchewan River to make up the Saskatchewan River. Its water flows event ...
on their way to
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
in the 19th century.
Geography
It lies as the confluence of the North Saskatchewan River with
Howse River and
Mistaya River in the
Canadian Rockies
The Canadian Rockies () or Canadian Rocky Mountains, comprising both the Alberta Rockies and the British Columbian Rockies, is the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains. It is the easternmost part of the Canadian Cordillera, w ...
and is the starting point for tours on the
Columbia Icefield and other scenic
hiking
A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time.
"Hi ...
trails.
Mount Wilson, immediately to the north, towers above Saskatchewan Crossing whereas
Mount Murchison is prominent to the southeast, and
Mount Erasmus to the west.
Services
It is the only place offering basic services between
Lake Louise and
Jasper
Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases, is an opaque, impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color; and rarely blue. The common red color is due to ...
, including gasoline, restaurant, and lodging. However, these services are seasonal, and closed during the winter. Gasoline prices have been observed as being 50% more expensive than elsewhere.
Frommer's
- Mountain Adventure in Alberta
See also
* Alberta's Rockies
* Alberta Highway 93
References
Banff National Park
Localities in Improvement District No. 9
Populated places on the North Saskatchewan River
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