Rogers Pass National Historic Site of Canada

Self-guiding Tours

Loop Brook Trail: historic trestle pillars under a mantle of snow
© Parks Canada / Lynn Hardstaff / 1982

Visitors should stop at the Rogers Pass Discovery Centre for an overview of the national historic site. Our exhibit hall and theatre offer a wealth of background information on the site before you head out on your own. Our staff can provide updates on facility and weather conditions.

There are four self-guiding interpretive trails in the national historic site:

• Abandoned Rails Trail links the Rogers Pass Discovery Centre and the summit of Rogers Pass on 1.2 km of the old rail line. This trail is suitable for visitors using wheelchairs.
• 1885 Trail is a 3.8 km section of converted rail line connecting the Glacier House area near Illecillewaet Campground to Loop Brook Campground.
• Glacier House Trail is a .5 km loop spur trail on the 1885 Trail. You can stroll through the ruins of one of Canadian Pacific's first great railway hotels.
• Loop Brook Trail is a 1.6 km loop trail showcasing the stone trestle pillars that once carried the railway high above the valley. This trail encircles Loop Brook Campground.

Several picnic areas also offer great opportunities to experience historic aspects of Rogers Pass:

• Mount Sir Donald Picnic Area offers great views of its namesake mountain, and the seemingly impenetrable Selkirk Mountains barrier that confronted Major A.B. Rogers when he first passed this point in 1882.
• Illecillewaet Picnic Area sits beneath a panoramic view of the "Great Glacier" and the Asulkan Glacier. It is located at the entrance to Illecillewaet Campground, just below the historic 1885 rail line.
• Summit of Rogers Pass Picnic Area is the site of the monument to the completion of the Trans-Canada Highway and the 1962 ceremony presided over by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. This picnic area is also the western trailhead for the Abandoned Rails Trail, and is close to the site of the 1910 avalanche disaster that ultimately led to the abandonment of the rail line.
• Snowsheds Picnic Area is located in one of the most spectacular settings in the Canadian mountain national parks. Tucked between the towering cliffs of Mount Macdonald and Mount Tupper, this picnic area is located at the gates of the Selkirk Mountains. You can see a collapsed century-old railway snowshed from your picnic table. (Accessible to eastbound traffic only)
• Rogers Pass East Picnic Area is situated on the eastern slopes of the pass, near the entrance to the 1917 Connaught Tunnel. You can still catch a glimpse of eastbound trains gliding downhill on the tracks below. (Accessible to westbound traffic only)