Cross the Kicking Horse Pass, the highest point on the Trans-Canada Highway, and stare down onto a spectacular mountain corridor in Yoho National Park. This legendary pass commemorates the route chosen for the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway through the Rocky Mountains in the 1880s. This route opened British Columbia to the rest of Canada by rail. The choice of route was so significant to the history of Canada that Kicking Horse Pass was designated as a National Historic Site in 1971.
The steep grade in Kicking Horse Pass posed a serious challenge for trains. In 1909 spiral tunnels were carved through the mountains to allow for a more gradual grade and increased safety.
See the Spiral Tunnels in action! From the Spiral Tunnels viewpoint on the Trans Canada Highway near Field, BC , watch a Canadian engineering phenomenon in action as trains disappear into one Rocky Mountain tunnel and emerge from another at a different elevation on the steep slopes.
