Pemberton Pass
Encyclopedia
Pemberton Pass, 505 m also formerly known as Mosquito Pass, is the lowest point on the divide between the Lillooet
and Fraser River
drainages, located at Birken, British Columbia
, Canada
, in the principal valley connecting and between Pemberton
and Lillooet
. The pass is a steep-sided but flat-bottomed valley (or "thalweg
") adjacent to Mount Birkenhead and forming a divide between Poole Creek, a tributary of the Birkenhead River
, which joins the Lillooet at Lillooet Lake
, and the Gates River
which flows northeast from Gates Lake aka Birken Lake), at the summit of the pass (also known historically as Summit Lake or Gates Lake), which flows to the Fraser via Anderson and Seton Lake
s and the Seton River
.
This pass was historically important in the founding of British Columbia during the Fraser River Gold Rush when it was a key link in what was known as the Lakes Route or Douglas Road
. In that context it was also known as the Pemberton Portage or Long Portage (Seton Portage, at the lower end of Anderson Lake, was the Short Portage). The wagon road constructed in those times continued in use locally despite the route's general abandonment and isolation after the building of the Cariboo Road
farther to the east via the Fraser Canyon
, and its road grade remains essentially the same today as the route of the unnumbered route from Mount Currie
, on BC Highway 99
to D'Arcy
/Nequatque, at the head of Anderson Lake. Also using the valley is the route of the railway, originally constructed as the Pacific Great Eastern but today part of the Canadian National Railway
conglomerate.
Lillooet River
The Lillooet River is a major river of the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia. It begins at Silt Lake, on the southern edge of the Lillooet Crown Icecap about 80 kilometres northwest of Pemberton and about 85 kilometres northwest of Whistler...
and Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
drainages, located at Birken, British Columbia
Birken, British Columbia
Birken is an unincorporated community, located at Birken Lake in the Gates Valley of the Lillooet Country in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, approximately midway in the route known as the Long Portage or Pemberton Pass, which connects the Pemberton Valley to the Fraser Canyon via...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, in the principal valley connecting and between Pemberton
Pemberton, British Columbia
Pemberton is a village north of Whistler in the Pemberton Valley of British Columbia in Canada, with a population of 2,192. Until the 1960s the village could be accessed only by train but that changed when Highway 99 was built through Whistler and Pemberton.-Climate:The climate of Pemberton is...
and Lillooet
Lillooet, British Columbia
Lillooet is a community on the Fraser River in western Canada, about up the British Columbia Railway line from Vancouver. Situated at an intersection of deep gorges in the lee of the Coast Mountains, it has a dry climate- of precipitation is recorded annually at the town's weather station,...
. The pass is a steep-sided but flat-bottomed valley (or "thalweg
Thalweg
Thalweg in geography and fluvial geomorphology signifies the deepest continuous inline within a valley or watercourse system.-Hydrology:In hydrological and fluvial landforms, the thalweg is a line drawn to join the lowest points along the entire length of a stream bed or valley in its downward...
") adjacent to Mount Birkenhead and forming a divide between Poole Creek, a tributary of the Birkenhead River
Birkenhead River
The Birkenhead River, formerly known as the Portage River, the Pole River and the Mosquito River, is a major tributary of the Lillooet River, which via Harrison Lake and the Harrison River is one of the major tributaries of the lower Fraser River...
, which joins the Lillooet at Lillooet Lake
Lillooet Lake
Lillooet Lake is a lake in British Columbia, Canada about 25 km in length and about 33.5 square kilometres in area. It is about 95 km downstream from the source of the Lillooet River, which resumes its course after leaving Little Lillooet Lake, aka Tenas Lake...
, and the Gates River
Gates River
The Gates River is a short river in the Lillooet Country of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Approximately 14.5 km in length, it flows generally northeast from the outlet of Birken Lake to its mouth at the head of Anderson Lake...
which flows northeast from Gates Lake aka Birken Lake), at the summit of the pass (also known historically as Summit Lake or Gates Lake), which flows to the Fraser via Anderson and Seton Lake
Seton Lake
Seton Lake is a freshwater fjord draining east via the Seton River into the Fraser River at the town of Lillooet, British Columbia, about 22 km long and 243 m in elevation and 26.2 square kilometres in area...
s and the Seton River
Seton River
The Seton River is a tributary of the Fraser River in the Canadian province of British Columbia.-Course:The Seton River originates at the foot of Anderson Lake and runs initially for only 3km to the head of Seton Lake...
.
This pass was historically important in the founding of British Columbia during the Fraser River Gold Rush when it was a key link in what was known as the Lakes Route or Douglas Road
Douglas Road
The Douglas Road, aka the Lillooet Trail, Harrison Trail or Lakes Route, was a goldrush-era transportation route from the British Columbia Coast to the Interior...
. In that context it was also known as the Pemberton Portage or Long Portage (Seton Portage, at the lower end of Anderson Lake, was the Short Portage). The wagon road constructed in those times continued in use locally despite the route's general abandonment and isolation after the building of the Cariboo Road
Cariboo Road
The Cariboo Road was a project initiated in 1860 by the colonial Governor of British Columbia, James Douglas...
farther to the east via the Fraser Canyon
Fraser Canyon
The Fraser Canyon is an 84 km landform of the Fraser River where it descends rapidly through narrow rock gorges in the Coast Mountains en route from the Interior Plateau of British Columbia to the Fraser Valley...
, and its road grade remains essentially the same today as the route of the unnumbered route from Mount Currie
Mount Currie, British Columbia
Mount Currie is a small community in British Columbia, 164 kilometres north-west of Vancouver and 40 kilometres north-west of Whistler along Highway 99....
, on BC Highway 99
British Columbia provincial highway 99
Highway 99, also known as the Sea to Sky Highway, the Squamish Highway, Route 99, or Whistler Highway, is the major north-south artery running through the Greater Vancouver area of British Columbia from the U.S. border, up Howe Sound through the Sea to Sky Country to Lillooet, and connecting to...
to D'Arcy
D'Arcy, British Columbia
D'Arcy is an unincorporated community in the Canadian province of British Columbia, approximately 150 kilometres northeast of the city of Vancouver...
/Nequatque, at the head of Anderson Lake. Also using the valley is the route of the railway, originally constructed as the Pacific Great Eastern but today part of the Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
conglomerate.