Cayoosh Pass facts for kids

Cayoosh Pass is a mountain pass located in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. A mountain pass is like a low point or a natural path through a mountain range. This pass is 1,275 meters (about 4,183 feet) high. It sits just west of Duffey Lake along BC Highway 99. This highway connects the towns of Lillooet and Pemberton. The pass is formed by the beginnings of two creeks: Cayoosh Creek flows east towards the Fraser River, and Joffre Creek flows west towards Lillooet Lake.

Exploring Cayoosh Pass

Cayoosh Pass and the valleys around Cayoosh and Joffre Creeks mark the southern edge of the Cayoosh Range. This area has been known for a very long time by the St'at'imc and Lil'wat peoples. These are Indigenous groups whose traditional lands include this pass.

Early Explorations

The first non-Indigenous person to travel through Cayoosh Pass was James Duffey. He was also known as "Sapper Duffy." He was a military engineer from the Royal Engineers. In 1859–1860, he explored this route. He was checking out the Douglas Road, an important early travel route. Sapper Duffey reported that Cayoosh Pass was too steep for wagons. So, the idea of building a road there was put on hold for many years.

Building the Highway

In the 1970s, new engineering methods made it possible to build roads in difficult mountain areas. Many logging roads were built around Pemberton. These roads eventually crossed the pass and went into the valleys south of Duffey Lake. By the late 1970s, logging roads from the Lillooet side connected with those from the Pemberton side.

This route through Cayoosh Pass was eventually chosen for extending Highway 99 north from Pemberton. Other possible routes were considered. One was through Railroad Pass and the Hurley River. Another option followed Anderson and Seton Lakes, which is where the railway runs. But the Cayoosh Pass route was picked for the highway.