Conquering the Pacific Northwest: Roads Bending to the Wilderness

Making tracks for Golden, where we had hotel reservations, we backtracked toward British Columbia. Along the Trans-Canada Highway in the Banff National Park area immense efforts have been made to ensure the safety of the wildlife in the areas around the highway as well as to expedite human movement. This has been accomplished in many ways, but impossible to miss are the 50-meter wide wildlife overpasses crossing above the highway. While some may argue it is charming to come face to face with a moose or goats on the side of the highway, it poses risks to both animal and human safety. If you’re interested in how interactions between wildlife and vehicles have been mitigated in the region, check out this report on the twinning of the TCH in Banff.

Another highlight of this stretch of the TCH is Castle Mountain, also known as Mount Eisenhower. Castle Mountain was named because its castle-like appearance, though from 1946 through 1979 the mountain was known as Mount Eisenhower in honor of his contributions as a general in World War II. Political pressure is ultimately what led to the restoration of the original name, even though mountains had been named for British generals. However, one of the towers on the mountain still retains the Eisenhower name.

Castle Mountain from the Trans Canada Highway

Into British Columbia we challenged the notorious Kicking Horse Pass. This pass will likely never see twinning, as the section through Banff has, due to the extreme geometry of the pass and the laws of physics. Despite the treacherousness of the pass it was determined the best route for the Canadian Pacific Railway to span the Continental Divide in the 1880s. The grades of the railroad through the pass were as great as 4.5-percent, the steepest in North America. A set of spiral tunnels (link to a YouTube video) was constructed and then opened in 1909 to help mitigate the severity of the pass and a viewpoint is accessible from the highway where we were wowed by a long freight train doing gymnastics in and out of the tunnels. Naturally, it was on one of the hairpin curves of a most treacherous section of the highway we had our closest encounter with wildlife. An entire family of mountain goats had found a place of their fancy on a steep hillside on a narrow shoulder of the highway. They literally stopped traffic!

A family of goats, even a little baby up in the left-hand side chowing down on some brush

Despite the efforts to improve safety on the pass, as my dad could attest to the state of the road over several decades before, there are still opportunities to test the constitution of even the best drivers. While on a downgrade we were unable to see signage indicating the end of a passing lane due to the density of semi-trucks. The lane ending caught us by surprise and we briefly traveled in the opposing lane in order to safely pass a truck, acknowledging that with such a steep grade on the road cutting off a semi is a potentially deadly decision.

Yet we made it into Golden in one piece. The highway passed high above the valley, surrounded by newer businesses and chains, but true Golden was in the valley of the swift-moving Kicking Horse River. Electing to stay at another local motel we found ourselves in the valley. We explored the town and found their park, which featured an impressive covered pedestrian bridge. The Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge is the longest free-standing timber frame bridge in Canada and was built by volunteers from around the world!

After a hearty dinner at the Pantry, a family dining chain, we turned toward the hotel where we attempted to catch our breath and relax after taking in some of the most impressive sights in the world along with excellent examples of how our will to build roads must bend to nature. Despite being halfway through the intense road trip, there were still two more days to go. Although by the end of the next day, we would be back in familiar territory—if I didn’t injure myself too badly.