126 miles north of Prince George; 68 miles south of Dawson Creek
Here the great barrier of the Rocky Mountains is breached by the lowest highway pass. Once the remote route of the trapper, it now links the commerce of the north and markets of the south. The John Hart Highway was completed in 1952 and followed by the P.G.E. in 1958. Gas and oil lines also take advantage of this convenient natural feature.
Pine Pass, wholly contained in British Columbia, is the most northern and lowest of six highway passes through the Rockies. Five highways connect BC with Alberta and each of these routes utilizes its own pass through the mountains.
Pine Pass contains the John Hart Highway that connects Prince George to Dawson Creek, as well as the Pacific Great Eastern Railway. Two hundred miles to the southeast, Yellowhead Pass (elevation 3,711 feet) is shared by the Yellowhead Highway (Tete Jaune Cache to Jasper) and the Canadian National Railway.
One hundred miles to the south, the Kicking Horse Pass (elevation 5,320 feet) provides a route for both the Golden to Banff highway and the Canadian Pacific Railway main line. Still further south, Vermilion Pass (elevation 5,376 feet) and Sinclair Pass (elevation 4,875 feet) provide access for the Radium Hot Springs - Banff highway. The southernmost pass is the Crowsnest (elevation 4,453 feet) which provides access for the Fernie to Lethbridge highway and the southern branch of the Canadian Pacific Railway. These six passes are the only land routes from BC to eastern Canada.
