Richter Pass is a mountain pass

Mountain pass

A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...

 to the south of the summit of British Columbia highway 3 (the Crowsnest Highway) between Keremeos

Keremeos, British Columbia

Keremeos is a village in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. The name originated from the Similkameen dialect of the Okanagan language word "Keremeyeus" meaning "creek which cuts its way through the flats" referring to Keremeos Creek which flows down from the Upper Benchlands to the...

 (W) and Osoyoos

Osoyoos, British Columbia

Osoyoos is a town in the southern part of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia near the border with Washington state. The town is also adjacent to the Indian Reserve of the Osoyoos Indian Band. The origin of the name Osoyoos was the word suius meaning "narrowing of the waters" in the local...

 (E), linking the Similkameen Valley

Similkameen Country

The Similkameen Country, also referred to as the Similkameen Valley or Similkameen District, but generally referred to simply as The Similkameen or more archaically, Similkameen, is a region roughly coinciding with the basin of the river of the same name in the Southern Interior of British Columbia...

 with the South Okanagan

Okanagan

The Okanagan , also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as Okanagan Country is a region located in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. As of 2009, the region's population is approximately 350,927. The...

 over the southernmost end of the Thompson Plateau

Thompson Plateau

The Thompson Plateau, also known as the Okanagan-Thompson Plateau, forms the southern portion of the Interior Plateau of British Columbia, Canada, lying to the west of Okanagan Lake, south of the Thompson River and to the east of the Fraser River...

. The pass is traversed by Old Richter Pass Road and is ~650 m (2,132.5 ft) in elevation though the name is generally used for the route of Highway 3 as well.

The pass was named in association nearby Richter Mountain, which was named for Francis Xavier Richter

Francis Xavier Richter

Francis Xavier Richter, commonly known as Frank Richter, was a pioneer settler, miner and rancher in 19th century Washington and British Columbia.Born in Friedland, Bohemia, then part of Austria-Hungary, Richter was the son of a textile manufacturer...

, an early cattle rancher and orchardist in the area, who settled in the region during the days of the Colony of British Columbia

Colony of British Columbia

The Colony of British Columbia was a crown colony in British North America from 1858 until 1866. At its creation, it physically constituted approximately half the present day Canadian province of British Columbia, since it did not include the Colony of Vancouver Island, the vast and still largely...

., originally working for the Hudson's Bay Company

Hudson's Bay Company

The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...

 post in Keremeos, taking care of their packhorses. His descendants still own the Richter Ranch, which spans the mountain rangeland in this area.