You are driving toward the source of the mighty Fraser River, in the mountains and idefields just west of Jasper. This area is rugged and the area has many outdoor recreation opportunities: boating, fishing, big game hunting, mountain biking, and in the winter: skiing and snowboarding. There is a vibrant indigenous heritage and culture in the region.
The 104 km (1:00 hours) section of the Yellowhead Highway from Tête Jaune Cache, BC to Jasper, AB runs along the upper Fraser River and showcases the rugged interior mountains of northeastern British Columbia.
The Highway 5 passes south through the community of Valemount, on the way to Kamloops. Valemount offers visitors a range of amenities, including accommodations, restaurants, and outdoor recreation opportunities.
As the highway leaves the park, it enters the rural landscapes of British Columbia’s interior. The route passes through small communities and ranches, with the occasional stunning mountain vista. Along the way, travelers can stop at scenic viewpoints and historic sites, such as the Yellowhead Pass National Historic Site.
This east-west stretch of the Yellowhead Highway passes by the south flank of Mount Robson, and offers some stunning views of the 1954 m (12,972 ft) peak which is the highest in Canada’s lower Rockies (as opposed to a Mount Logan (which is 5,959 m or 19,550 ft) in the St Elias Mountains in the Yukon. Continuing eastward, the Yellowhead Highway passes through the Mount Robson Provincial Park, which offers visitors the chance to hike, camp, and enjoy the stunning scenery of the region.
The Yellowhead Highway #16 heads through the stunning landscapes of the Canadian Rockies, and through the Yellowhead Pass, and arrive in Jasper. You see more views of Mount Robson on the Yellowhead heading east to Jasper, and can even see Mount Robson from the 2400m Whistler’s peak at the top of the Jasper Tram, 85 km away!
CAUTION: In recent years, in the summertime, the highway fopr 15 kilometres west of Jasper may have a NO-STOPPING ZONE declared, due to the proliferation of wildlife. The speed limit on this 2 -lane road is 90 km/h and on this busy highway it is DANGEROUS to even think about stopping (or even slowing down) to take a picture of a nearby bear, elk, moose, or other large mammal. Our recommendation is have a passenger turn on the cellphone camera, and switch to video mode, and shoot video as you are passing any animals. Trying to catch animals with a photo is very tricky at highway speed (we have tried to do that)
Icefields Parkway – View of Columbia Glacier and surrounding peaks from Wilcox Pass trail
Travelers can detour south on the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93) to pass by some of the most iconic natural attractions in Jasper National Park, such as Athabasca Falls, Columbia Icefield, and Sunwapta Falls. These sites offer opportunities for hiking, sightseeing, and exploring the beauty of the mountains.
Yellowhead Highway 16 in BC at Witney Lake, just west of the actual Yellowhead Pass
Over the 1920s, there was a rough road built from Jasper to Mount Robson to support the local guides. During the Second World War many Japanese-Canadians were relocated away from the BC coast to internment camps in other areas. Some 1500 Japanese-Canadians, mostly single men were housed in construction camps at Lucerne, Rainbow, Red Pass, Albreda, and Tete Jaune Cache. Over the duration of World War II, they were able to upgrade 30 kilometres of the abandoned railroad grade into a truck road, constructed an additional 40 kilometres of new road over steep grades, and built 19 bridges were built for this stretch of teh highway.
In 1952, the construction of the Trans-Mountain Oil Pipeline between Edmonton and Vancouver began, but the construction damaged most of the previously built road, which was rebuilt by 1969, and fully paved. The Yellowhead Interprovincial Highway was opened in 1970 by BC premier W.A.C Bennett.
In 1969, Highway 16 was extended east from Prince George to Tête Jaune Cache and into the Yellowhead Pass and Jasper, Alberta. It was completed by 1968, though was raised to all-weather standards in 1969.
In 1987, British Columbia and the federal government began a three-year, $36-million cost-shared prject to improve safety on Yellowhead Highway 16 to reduce several steep grades, widen sections of the highways and eliminate a number of sharp curves. About this tim,e the town of Jasper got a bypass, diverting most truck traffic from that town’s Connaught Avenue, which was then re-designated Highway 16X.
In the ’60s and early ’70s, work was completed on the reconstruction of Highway 5 from Kamloops to Tête Jaune Cache.
In 1987, British Columbia and the federal government began a three-year, $36-million cost-shared prject to improve safety on Highway 5. This project reduced several steep grades, widened sections of the highways and eliminated number of sharp curves.
Route Elevation Chart
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Route Itinerary Details
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