Yellowhead Pass

Yellowhead Pass is a mountain pass across the Continental Divide in the Canadian Rockies, rising 3,711 ft (1,131 m) above sea level—the second lowest highway pass over the Canadian Continental Divide. Located within Jasper National Park and Mount Robson Provincial Park, Yellowhead Pass has been an important transportation route through the Rocky Mountains since the mid-1820s and was named a national historic site in 1971. 
Yellowhead Pass is believed to be named for a fair-haired Métis-Iroquois trapper named Pierre Bostonais (his nickname was ‘yellow head’--‘Tête Jaune,’ in French), who led one of the first expeditions through the pass in 1825. Yellowhead Pass continues to be a major national transportation corridor for both goods and people and is one of the most scenic routes in the Cariboo and Canadian Rockies, providing spectacular views of Mount Robson, Mount Fitzwilliam and the Fraser River Valley.

Practical Info

From Jasper, take Highway #16 west; the commemorative plaque for Yellowhead Pass is located on the north side of the highway at kilometer 9.5. The plaque is in a large vehicle pullout with a good view of Yellowhead Pass to the west.