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Trans Canada Trail in the Upper Elk Valley: The Elk Valley Trail from Elkford to the Alberta Border via Elk Pass, 76 km
Distance

DISTANCE

76km
GPS

GPS DOWNLOADS

Distance

MAP

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About the Journey

Travelling north from Elkford, the Trans Canada Trail is now designated, travelling west to the Wapiti ski hill, then north to Round Prairie. From the northern limit of town (at “Crossing Creek” or “Round Prairie” depending on who you ask) the route is designated and ready to take you north to Alberta; it simply follows the Elk Valley Highway.

The road continues to Elk Lakes Provincial Park, and once in the park, travellers can follow the powerline trail as it continues north through the park, reaching the Alberta border and continental divide. From here, the trail is being developed by our Albertan friends and will continue to Banff through “Kananaskis country” in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park.

Many of the road connections used in this area are Forest Service Roads, maintained by the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations. Visit their Roads and Bridge Works page if unsure about the current status of a road along your route.




Staging Areas:

GPS INFORMATION:

  • KML/KMZ files can be opened in Google Earth, and many smartphone apps.
  • GPX files can be opened by most GPS software apps when KMZ cannot. Note, GPX files do not contain custom colours and icons that we use on our maps; all tracks and icons will appear the same colour and styles. We recommend using KMZ instead of GPX if possible.

The files below include data for only this specific area. For all of our Trans Canada Trail data for the entire province (including features, campsites and alternate routes), download our BC.kmz master file (1.2 MB)

Visit our GPS & Navigation page for instructions of how to use your smartphone as a GPS device (even when outside of data coverage) or how to import data to your Garmin unit.


GPS DOWNLOAD (KMZ FILE)
GPS DOWNLOAD (GPX FILE)
DOWNLOAD INFORMATION SHEET

Staging Areas:

Washrooms:

Outhouses can be found at the various campsites along the way.

Route Highlights:

The route into Elk Pass is a remote and challenging journey, and travellers should be self sufficient and be prepared to turn back if necessary due to the topography, lack of roads and possibility of washed out bridges. Be sure to check in with the Elkford visitor centre for updates about road and trail conditions. Spring floods create closures from time to time. Two alternate routes to Alberta are:

  • East from Sparwood on Highway 3 over Crowsnest Pass. North on Highway 40 (Alberta) will bring you to Upper Kananaskis Lake, just north of Elk Pass
  • Detour the entire Elk Valley using Highway 93 from Cranbrook north to the Bow Valley and Trans Canada Highway. The Bow Valley parkway will provide some respite from the busy TCH traffic but is better used in the morning or evening when traffic is lower. There is no shoulder – consider riding when the sun is at your back (westbound in morning, eastbound in evening) so passing drivers will have better visibility

DOWNLOAD INFORMATION SHEET

Shopping:

Provisions available in Elkford.

Accomodations:

There are no formal accommodations along this portion of the route, except for within the city of Elkford. Numerous campsites are available north of Elkford at designated provincial forestry recreation sites marked on our maps.

Transportation: