Yellowhead Highway

Trans-Canada Highway in Canada
Yellowhead
map
Basic data
Operator:
Start of the street:	Masset ( 54 ° 4 ′  N , 131 ° 48 ′  W )
End of street:	Winnipeg ( 49 ° 53 ′  N , 97 ° 10 ′  W )
Overall length:	2960 km
Province / Territory :	British Columbia Alberta Saskatchewan Manitoba  Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap map

Highway 16, called the Yellowhead Highway , is next to the Trans-Canada Highway and the Crowsnest Highway one of the roads leading to the Pacific for the development of western Canada . In all the provinces that the road touches, it is listed as Highway 16.

The Yellowhead Highway crosses the coastal mountains in the valley of the Skeena River

history

The Canadian west was opened up in the 18th century through the first research trips initiated by the Hudson's Bay Company , with the crossing of the Rocky Mountains being of particular importance. It is assumed that the today as Yellowhead Pass known transition to settled here indigenous peoples served for a long time as a trade route and was also used in these early expeditions, but until the construction of the railway line of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway between Edmonton and Prince Rupert led to develop the area. The access routes used as part of the construction of the railway initially formed a primitive possibility of use by motor vehicles, the expansion of the traffic route began in the context of the Second World War and the associated need to strengthen the connection to northwestern Canada and Alaska. Japanese-Canadians interned during the war were also used in the construction. The highway was not opened until 1970, named after a trapper called Tête Jaune († 1827, English Yellow Head ) , who belonged to the Iroquois nation .

course

The highway begins in Winnipeg ( Manitoba ) and runs for 2687 kilometers to Prince Rupert ( British Columbia ). A 101-kilometer section on Graham Island is also referred to as part of the Yellowhead Highway. The most touristic part of the road is the 1445 kilometer section from Edmonton to Prince Rupert.

The route of the transcontinental passenger train The Canadian runs from Winnipeg essentially along the highway to Tête Jaune Cache in British Columbia, where it branches off to the southwest towards Vancouver .

Manitoba

About 330 kilometers of the highway run through the province of Manitoba.

The eastern end point is the intersection between Portage Avenue and Main Street in Winnipeg, the section to Portage la Prairie (59 kilometers) it shares with the Trans-Canada Highway 1. From here it runs in a north-westerly direction towards the border with the province of Saskatchewan which is reached at Harrowby. Before that, Minnedosa is touched , making it an ideal starting point for a detour to the Riding Mountain National Park .

Saskatchewan

→ see also: Saskatchewan Highway 16

The section of the Yellowhead Highway in Saskatchewan has a length of about 685 kilometers. The border with Manitoba is reached near Marchwell, in the further course the cities of Yorkton , Saskatoon , North Battleford and Lloydminster - where the border with Alberta is also located - are crossed. The road continues largely in a north-westerly direction and opens up, as in Manitoba, the intensely agricultural prairie .

Alberta

→ see also: Alberta Highway 16

Edmonton, Alberta

After the road has reached the province of Alberta in Lloydminster, it runs more than 250 kilometers north-west to the provincial capital, Edmonton , and then initially west to Edson to turn and then the valley of the Athabasca River in the southwest of Jasper to consequences. The highway runs west from here to Yellowhead Pass, where British Columbia is reached. The total length of the highway in this province is about 640 kilometers. At Obed - before the transition into the valley of the Athabasca River - the highest point of the highway is reached; the Obed Summit has a height of 1164 meters, the Yellowhead Pass - at which the main chain of the Rocky Mountains is crossed - is only 1146 meters high.

On this section of the route, some important connecting roads depart from or cross the Yellowhead Highway:

1. East Access Route (Highway 43) to connect to the Alaska Highway from Great Falls ( Montana ) to Dawson Creek (British Columbia) in Stony Plain
2. Bighorn Route (Highway 40) for connection to the Alaska Highway from Highwood House (Alberta) to Grande Prairie (Alberta) at Entrance
3. Icefields Parkway (Highway 93) from Jasper, Alberta to Lake Louise (Alberta) in Jasper

The road gives access to numerous nature reserves:

1. Vermilion Provincial Park
2. Elk Island National Park
3. Wabamun Lake Provincial Park
4. Pembina River Provincial Park
5. Sundance Provincial Park
6. Obed Lake Provincial Park
7. William A. Switzer Provincial Park
8. Jasper National Park

Furthermore, the Yellowhead Pass is designated as a National Historic Site , near the Elk Island National Park is the important Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village .

British Columbia

→ see also: British Columbia Highway 16

Mount Robson

Mainland

The Yellowhead Highway develops its length of around 1070 kilometers on the mainland of British Columbia the central area of ​​this province and at the same time offers access to the north of the province or to Alaska , the Northwest Territories and the Yukon Territory through a few crossing or exiting roads .

Due to the geographical conditions, the road largely follows river valleys, whereby the valleys of the Fraser River and the Skeena River are of particular interest from a tourist point of view.

British Columbia is reached at Yellowhead Pass, the highway runs via Tête Jaune Cache , Prince George , Vanderhoof , Smithers and Terrace to Prince Rupert on Kaien Island on Chatham Sound . The western end of the Yellowhead Highway on this island just off the mainland is at the entrance to the ferry terminal about three miles south of downtown Prince Rupert.

In British Columbia, some major highways cross or exit the Yellowhead Highway:

1. Yellowhead Highway 5 (Highway 5) - see below
2. West Access Route (Highway 97) to connect to the Alaska Highway from Seattle ( Washington ) to Dawson Creek in Prince George
3. Highway 27 from Vanderhoof to Fort St. James in Vanderhoof
4. Cassiar Highway (Highway 37) from Kitimat to Upper Liard (Yukon Territory) in Terrace or Kitwanga

The following nature reserves are passed in British Columbia:

1. Mount Robson Provincial Park
2. West Twin Provincial Park
3. Ancient Forest / Chun T'oh Whudujut Provincial Park
4. Sugarbowl-Grizzly Den Provincial Park and Protected Area
5. Purden Lake Provincial Park
6. Kitwanga Mountain Provincial Park
7. Seven Sisters Provincial Park

Graham Island

On Graham Island, part of Haida Gwaii , the Yellowhead Highway runs from Skidegate Landing - the pier for the BC Ferries company from Prince Rupert - to Masset . The 101-kilometer route runs along the western edge of Naikoon Provincial Park .

Yellowhead Highway 5

→ See also: British Columbia Highway 5

The Yellowhead Highway 5 - also called Yellowhead Highway South - is a connection between Yellowhead Highway 16 and Trans-Canada Highway 1 in Kamloops (British Columbia) beginning in Tête Jaune Junction . The section known as the Coquihalla Highway between Kamloops and the confluence with the Crowsnest Highway at the Nicolum River Provincial Park seven kilometers east of Hope (British Columbia) is officially carried under this name. The highway has a length of about 711 kilometers and opens up some nature reserves in the west of the province such as Wells Gray Provincial Park .

literature

• Jeff Waugh: Jasper and Mt. Robson - History: The Yellowhead Highway. In: JasperNationalPark.com: Jasper's Official Site. Retrieved July 5, 2008 . 

Web links

Commons : Yellowhead Highway  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Yellowhead Highway Association (English)