Athabasca Pass West Trail

Our Alpine Club section has an agreement to maintain the west side of the Athabasca Pass trail with BC Recreation Sites & Trails from March, 2021 to March, 2026. The east side of the trail is within Jasper National Park, and info on that section can be found on their website including a PDF with info about campsites on the east side. Making a full traverse is difficult because of the Simon Creek crossing on the eastern side. (Photo by Marie Bellefeuille)

Maps and route info:

GPX track

https://arcg.is/1CP0mr0

Basic hiking route is on Gaia GPS app – “Satellite Topo (Meters)” layer. Backroads Mapbooks (available in the paid/Pro layer in the app) has more detailed maps of the forest service roads to access the boat launch and trailhead.

Trail Condition:

The western section of the Athabasca Pass trail was maintained in the fall of 2022 – yellow trail markers and additional footing support and a handrail were added to a log across Jefferey Creek to make a bridge, in addition to clearing the first 12 km or so. That said, the trail receives very little traffic and its ongoing condition is more like a 16km advised bushwack.

Trailhead Access

From Revelstoke, drive north on Route 23 past Mica Dam. Then, the road turns to dirt. Follow logging roads to this point/launch site:

There is a good campsite with a bear hang directly across the lake, with good access to the road. Access to the trailhead is difficult because it requires crossing the Kinbasket Lake (a reservoir of the Columbia River known for changing water levels, cold water temps, and high winds) and travelling an additional 30km of logging roads and/or landing a boat near the Wood River bridge. The shortest crossing is gated and not accessible, as a timber ferry leaves from that point. There is a slightly longer crossing which is indicated on the map above. As of summer 2023, the roads are in great condition and can be ridden on gravel bikes for the most part, with some bushiness for the final 3km or so.

If you are able and willing, it could also be possible to land a boat near the Wood River Bridge (see diagram, courtesy of Trevor Wilson)