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Canadian Rockies Trail Guide

Howse Pass: The disappearing trail

Of a number of trails that have disappeared since the first edition of the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide, Howse Pass may be the most famous. The trail up the Howse River to Howse Pass and the Columbia Valley beyond was first travelled by North West Company fur trader David Thompson in June 1807. Over the next three years, the trail was used as the first transcontinental trade route to the Columbia River.

The trail has had a mixed history since it was abandoned by the North West Company in 1811. When we first hiked it for inclusion in the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide, it was in reasonably good shape—a couple minor creek fords and flooding along the Howse River in the early summer, but regular warden patrols and trail crew visits, plus the occasional horse party, kept a good track in place that was easy to follow. The trail was also part of the proposed Great Divide Trail, so it was fairly popular with long-distance backpackers.

Conway Creek

Conway Creek was a rather minor inconvenience on the hike over Howse Pass in 1993. Brian Patton photo (click to enlarge).

My buddy Mike Kerr and I hiked from the trailhead on B.C.’s Blaeberry River to Banff’s Mistaya Canyon in August 1993. The Parks Canada trail crew had just spent a few days clearing a rough path through the woods near the Howse River flats, so our trip was pretty uneventful. We completed and measured the 39.5-km trail from Cairnes Creek trailhead in British Columbia to the Howse River trailhead on the Icefields Parkway in two days.

I’m willing to be corrected, but I believe that was the last time a trail crew ever worked on the Howse River trail. Things have gone downhill since then. After years without maintenance, Parks Canada deemed the section of trail between the Glacier Lake cutoff and Howse Pass a wilderness route and zoned it for random camping. As a result, the old track has been reclaimed by the bush and obliterated with deadfall.

The BC Forest Service has few resources to care for the trail west of the pass, but it has always been receptive to trail-maintenance assistance from volunteer groups. Not so in Banff National Park. For a number of reasons, too convoluted to discuss here, Banff Park has eschewed volunteer support.

 

Howse Pass today

We’ve left the trail in our trail guide for the most dedicated and experienced wilderness hikers, including a graphic description of the grim realities. And we publish the description in the hope that its historical importance will result in reestablishment some day.

Folks still want to retrace this famous fur trade route and disbelieve that it could be as bad as we say. Nowadays video speaks much louder than the printed word, so here is a wonderful 24-minute production provided by veteran solo backpacker Martin Belanger. Thinking about a trip to Howse Pass,  check out Marty’s “Solo Backpack Hike Howse Pass, Banff National Park, June 2014” first. (Marty provides some great backpacking tips as well.)

13 Comments

  1. Paula D

    I disagree with the video, where the narrator “Isn’t worried about bears here, no need to hang the food”. I’ve also hiked the Howse as part of the GDT. It’s asking for trouble to not hang your food in bear country, (or use a canister if on shorter hikes) no matter how you safe you “feel”.

    I do hope Parks Canada does see the merit in keeping trails such as Howse maintained, many are an important part of our cultural heritage. Hopefully with the increasing popularity of the GDT, and more hikers getting permits, Parks will have the statistics to validate spending a little more money in our back-country. I have been told that many trails are being decommissioned due to having very little use, so choices have been made for the limited funds available.

    Reply
  2. andrew

    In 1987 there was a co-op provincial/federal project to re-establish the Howse Pass trail. I was involved in that, albeit peripherally. I always had hopes of one day hiking the completed route. It was never finished, although, it seems our original signage is still in place at the pass, from what another hiker told me. That is a real part of Canada’s heritage but not one where millions of tourists can take selfies.

    Reply
    • Brian

      A washout at the confluence of Mummery Creek with the Blaeberry River on the west side of the divide has turned this into a 50-km journey. In addition, hikers making their way to Howse Pass on the Blaeberry report that this section of trail is getting overgrown and difficult as well.

  3. Mark Dumont

    Made an attempt to reach Howse Pass last weekend. Perhaps not ideal timing due to hot weather and so the river was running high, but just went to finally find out about the area first hand with a few days a friend happened to have off. Came across two pairs of hikers the same day, doing the GDT. They both had no idea how bad this section was. One pair made use of the river flats and were enjoying the hike, the other pair stuck to the trail and we found them resting, fatigued and a bit despondent. Advised them to use the flats where they could. We never made the pass due to time, heat and perhaps rising water was eliminating river flats choices. The GDT book does not explain just how bad this section is – last published in 2007 – and I’m not sure what other resources GDT hikers use – but it struck me as a safety issue if folks were hiking this trail and unaware of the troubles it offers. That said, I came away thinking that in some ways, it’s almost fun this trail is unmaintained and the valley so difficult to travel as, in using the river flats, it becomes a bit of a puzzle for the experienced backpacker to figure out how to make the pass. And it makes for a quiet valley with very few people. Bushwhacking, at times I looked around and imagined Thompson, Hector and even Stutfield/Outram (on their Forbes trip) travelling up the valley.

    Reply
    • Brian

      I think that David Thompson had it a lot easier on the Howse than current backpackers. His party was on horseback and stayed out on the river flats as much as possible. The current edition of the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide (2011) does state that “some backpackers wade in the river, others bushwhack through trackless forest, all have a wretched time.” And that’s the purpose of our hiking blog and trail updates, which allow us to update trail conditions for readers with older editions or when something significant crops up before the next reprint. I’m glad you found some redeeming moments on your trip. I really enjoy the Howse River flats around the 5-km mark.

  4. Zach B

    Throwing around the idea of a packraft trip down the Howse River. Either up and over from the Howse River to the Blaeberry or the other way around. Any thoughts on if the Howse would make a nice float out to Saskatchewan Crossing for you guys who have hiked up the river?

    Sounds like getting to/from the pass either direction will be a hassle, but potentially easier from the Blaeberry side from the sound of it…

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Brian

      Access from the west via the Blaeberry is a big problem these days. The Forest Service Road is still impassable past Mummery Creek, which means you have a 23-km trek just to reach the pass. And from last report, the 13-km trail leading from Cairnes Creek to the pass is in rough shape. The Lambe Creek bridge may be out (if so, a rough ford).

      The Howse River is very twisty with numerous channels. In the early summer, water levels are high and swift. Late summer into early autumn there would be numerous shallows along with the meandering channels. An experienced pack-rafter or kayaker could certainly float the Howse, but getting upstream far enough to make it worthwhile would be a problem. There is no trail beyond 6 km, so you’d have to work your way upstream on gravel flats (only possible during late summer) if you wanted to “put in” any further up. I do know of canoeists who have floated the North Saskatchewan from The Crossing to Kootenay Plains.

    • GordN

      I think I met you this last weekend! Labour day 2019? Did you make it??

  5. Arunas

    Road construction crews are currently rebuilding the road at Mummery creek – we walked a good portion of the new road after hiking up to the Mummery glacier last week. I’m bit sure how far they will take the construction but it seems likely that the road will reopen by fall

    Reply
    • Dave Higgins

      My son and I were just in to the Blaeberry Valley via dual sport motorcycles on Aug 20-22, and we hiked the DTHT/GDT from Cairnes Creek to Howse Pass and back. This was a reconnaissance visit in preparation for a Great Divide Trail Association work trip scheduled for Aug 30-Sep 3, where a work party under a partnership agreement with the BC Forest Service expects to restore the 8-km section of the trail from Cairnes to Lambe Creek. The trail is indeed in very rough shape due to numerous blowdowns, washouts along the Blaeberry, and a lot of willow and alder overgrowth throughout. This is in stark contrast to my previous visit (a thru-hike in 1981), when the trail was almost completely open and in very good condition.
      On our recon visit this week we also improved temporary log crossings of both Cairnes and Lambe Creeks. The GDTA hopes to work with the BC authorities to install permanent footbridges on these two streams over the next couple of years, resources permitting.
      As for the access road, it is currently being repaired by a forest company and re-routed in 3 places to allow vehicle access to within 5km of Cairnes Creek. As that last 5km is becoming overgrown and more natural (i.e. trail-like), my view is that it should be left as-is for the enjoyment of GDT thru-hikers and others who appreciate quality hiking opportunities.

  6. Dan Durston

    Hi Brian,

    As you are probably aware, interest in the Great Divide Trail has increased a lot lately and there is substantial renewed interest in maintaining and improving the route, as shown by Dave Higgin’s comment above (who is involved in maintaining the David Thompson Heritage Trail – they cleared 8km last weekend).

    I’m writing to note that the Great Divide Trail is re-routing in the Howse Valley for 2019 with a new route that relies much more on the floodplain rather than the deadfall strewn trail. This route can be viewed at the link below if you check the box for “alternates” but will soon become the official route. Other than a few rough areas, there is a lot of spectacular walking on the open floodplain, so anyone headed into the Howse would do well to follow this new route rather than the derelict trail. Myself and others have been involved in developing the new route, and it’s quite enjoyable. Even more of the floodplain is walk-able late summer, but this is a route that should work anytime of the year.

    https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1WnKzkKgFPUXSLdXD8BRL9UuiBAM&ll=51.86180299646252%2C-116.78036833975472&z=13

    Reply
    • Brian

      Thanks for this Dan. I’ve been in contact with Dave Higgins and Brad Vaillancourt over the past two weeks and am currently working on a review of Dustin Lynx’s 3rd edition of Hiking Canada’s Great Divide Trail, the GDT Association’s website, and the Atlas app. The Howse Valley is a crucial link in the trail, and the work that’s currently going forward should go a long way towards making it an enjoyable jaunt.

  7. Laurent Tourville-Blanchet

    Trail update, July 10th, 2022.
    With the high volume of snow received over the winter, the spring meltdown is spectacular this year on the Howse floodplain. I just came back from a trip where I hiked to the warden cabin using the Glacier trailhead, crossing the Howse just below the red chairs, a kilometer past the North Sask bridge (using a packraft). From there I joined the trail and had to follow it, along with a game trail found by my friend Dan with the GDT Association. Usually, a few sections would be hiked on the floodplain but the river was wild and swift. For the entire 20km, I saw trees, both dead and alive, pass by in the water. There was no way out on the plain like I’ve done a few times in the past. The trail is absolutely brutal. My hiking tights got ripped, and the constant juniper bushes (sometimes chin height) brushing on my legs has left my ankle area swollen and bloody after the intense 8-hour hike to reach the horse camp just 3km shy of the cabin. I paddled down the river the next day in an astonishing 2 hours, only paddling to avoid trees as the river flow was carrying me. I witness massive bank erosion with tall trees on a 45 degree angle, about to get uprooted and carried away.

    All this to say that if you plan on hiking up the Howse this year, the floodplain might look quite different. Comparing the satellite imagery from last year and this year, the river keeps changing its course and eroding the banks on each side a little more every year.

    I’m hopeful that the GDT hikers will somewhat prevent this trail from completely disappearing, but I don’t think it’ll be accessible for too long still.

    Reply

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