Plan your visit

Some Parks Canada places have begun a safe, gradual reopening of some outdoor areas and services, including camping. Visitors are encouraged to plan ahead and be well-prepared for their visit. Details here.

The Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains was an imposing transportation barrier for early travellers. Indigenous people used this northern low elevation route as did the fur traders of the early 1800s who called it Leather Pass in reference to the moose, buffalo and cow hides that were transported west.

The pass and historic site is named after the fair-haired Metis-Iroquois trapper Pierre Bostonais and those who established the rugged path.

By 1915 two railways travelled through the pass. Due to lack of business, the two railways went bankrupt and in 1917, they were amalgamated into the Canadian National Railway. In 1960 a magnificent highway opened the scenic route we drive between Jasper and Vancouver.