Researched route, Rogers Pass
Rogers Pass
A summer trail turned ski track, switchbacking up to treeline under Avalanche Crest's long west face at Rogers Pass. Parks Canada posts it open or closed each morning.
Avalanche Crest, to treeline, climbs from the Illecillewaet Valley lot to a bench at treeline under the crest's long west face, in Glacier National Park between Revelstoke and Golden. It's about 9.4 km there and back, with the bench about 711 m above the lot. The first 1.2 km is a gentle railway grade. Then you're on the Avalanche Crest summer trail, where trip reports put the winter track, in long switchbacks across slopes our terrain data reads at 30 degrees and more. The trail is inside Parks Canada's West Rogers Winter Restricted Area, which opens only on days Parks Canada posts it open, and everyone needs a Winter Permit. Our route ends at treeline. The crest above is avalanche terrain with a long record in Avalanche Canada reports, and trip reports ski its west face in runs of 700 m and more down to the highway. Where you go from the bench is your call. We built this route from research and haven't skied it ourselves.
We built this route from our own extensive research. All resources are cited on the dashboard. We haven't skied it ourselves, the routes illustrated may not be the best line choice, use your own judgement when planning. Remember you are still responsible for your own tour.
Last checked October 20, 2026.
| Distance | about 9.4 km round trip, 4.7 km to the bench |
| Elevation gain | about 733 m on our line, counting the small dips; the bench is about 711 m above the lot |
| Slope angles | under 20 degrees on the grade; on the trail the line reads 29 to 38 degrees under much of its length, with slopes beside it up to 42 degrees; terrain data reads low |
| Trailhead | 1,202 m on terrain data (a January 2021 trip report gives the same figure for its start) |
| The bench | 1,913 m on terrain data |
| Nearest town | Between Revelstoke and Golden |
| Pass required | A Winter Permit and a national park pass for each person, and a printed Winter Parking Permit for each car |
| Skied by us | Not yet |
The usual start is the Illecillewaet Valley lot, on the north shoulder of the Trans-Canada, roughly 3.5 km west of the Rogers Pass Centre. The Alpine Club of Canada describes a plowed lot about half a kilometre west of the turn to the Illecillewaet Campground, and a January 2021 trip report calls it the Asulkan parking. Parks Canada lists it as unrestricted winter parking, so it stays open on days the restricted areas are closed.
Overnight parking is only for people staying at a hut or camping in the backcountry outside the restricted areas, with a booking or backcountry permit and a free overnight parking permit from Parks Canada. The lot is close to the foot of the face, and trip reports finish their runs within about 100 m of it. We haven't seen the highway shoulder ourselves, so look for signs when you get there, and check DriveBC for highway closures before you go.
From November 15 until Parks Canada ends its highway avalanche control for the winter, the Winter Permit System runs in Glacier National Park. Everyone going past the parking lot needs their own Winter Permit, photo ID and a national park pass, in the unrestricted areas too. Going without one can cost you up to $25,000. Camping and any overnight stay aren't allowed in a restricted area.
Annual and daily permits both start with Parks Canada's online quiz. You apply for an annual permit online, and it can take a week or more to come by email. Daily permits are sold only at Summit Station at the pass, only for that day, and can't be used overnight. The Rogers Pass Centre is closed for the 2026-27 season, so Summit Station is where you buy permits and park passes. It opens at 7:30 am Pacific time, an hour behind Alberta. Each car needs the Winter Parking Permit that comes with the permit, printed and on the dashboard, with a plate that matches the car.
A permit alone doesn't get you up the trail. Parks Canada's 2025 boundary file puts it inside the West Rogers Winter Restricted Area from about 2.9 km on, and for shorter stretches nearer the lot, where the boundary runs ragged beside the highway. The Uptrack reports a bright yellow artillery sign at the trailhead, where the Avalanche Crest trail leaves the grade. Parks Canada opens or keeps West Rogers closed each day around its artillery avalanche control for the highway and railway, and the status goes up at about 7:30 am. A closed day closes the trail and the face, whatever the weather.
We checked these rules on Parks Canada's pages on 2026-10-28, which were last updated 2026-10-15. Parks Canada still links its 2025 boundary file, so that's the one we checked the line against, and the restrictions order posted at the trailheads rules over any map. The boundaries aren't marked on the ground, so carry Parks Canada's map, and read the current pages before you go.
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