Located at the southern tip of Alberta, only a 2 1/2 hour drive from Calgary, the Crowsnest Pass is a great mountain get-away to explore the outdoors and take in a dose of Albertan history. The discovery of coal and the completion of the railroad created five historic coal-mining communities that now make up the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass - Bellevue, Hillcrest, Frank, Blairmore and Coleman, all located within a 10 mile radius.
The area's majestic mountain tops, green forest, rivers, streams and lakes create natural grandeur and fantastic opportunities for summer activities such as mountain climbing, hiking, biking and fishing. The winter months bring snowmobile heaven with over 1,200 km of scenic trails on old logging and coal haul roads. Cross country skiing trails are abundant in the area and downhill skiiing/snowboarding can be enjoyed at Pass Powderkeg in Blairmore, Fernie Ski Resort (hour drive) and Castle Mountain Resort (45 min. drive).
Witness the destructive power of nature at Frank Slide - On April 29, 1903, at 4:10 am, 82 million tonnes of limestone crashed from the summit of Turtle Mountain and buried a portion of the sleeping town of Frank. The bustling town was home to approximately 600 people in 1903. Only 23 of the estimated 100 individuals who lived in the path of the slide survived - mostly children. You'll want to stop at the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre to learn about that catastrophic day.
Experience a tour of the Bellevue Western Canadian Collieries Mine - with a miner's helmet and lamp follow the corridors taken by the coal miners as they worked the mine from 1903 to 1961. As you walk underground through a portion of the old mine, a guide explains the techniques of turn of the century underground mining and points out mine artifacts and workings of the mine including a coal seam, a coal room and a loading chute. Canada's worst mining disaster occurred on June 19, 1914 when a blast at the Hillcrest Mine killed 189 men. On December 9, 1910 the Western Canadian Collieries mine in Bellevue was the site of another tragedy. An explosion caused by methane gas killed 30 men.
An important time in the area's history was during the era of prohibition in Alberta, 1916 - 1924. Rum Runner Days takes place during the third weekend in July for residents to celebrate the bootleg business of yesteryear. The festivities include a variety of events for all age groups and the Blairmore Fire Department's Thunder in the Valley fireworks display.
