Hwy 93 crosses the Vermilion River around 31km (19.3 miles) from the Alberta border. Shortly afterward, look out for the Simpson Monument and viewpoint on the left, which commemorates the trailblazing explorer George Simpson, who pioneered the first trail over the mountains to Banff in 1841 and later went on to run the Hudsons Bay Trading Company.
The historic route he followed heads west from here along the Simpson River, and now makes a popular route into the west side of Mt Assiniboine Provincial Park.
Look out for elk, moose and mountain goats at the Mt Wardle Animal Lick , just south of the viewpoint. There’s another animal lick near Hector Gorge , about 17km southwest of the Simpson Monument.
