Bow Valley Trail
| Highway 1A | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bow Valley Trail, Crowchild Trail | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by Alberta Transportation | ||||
| Length: | 89 km (55 mi) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end: | Hwy 1 in Canmore | |||
| Hwy 40 Hwy 22 Hwy 201 |
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| East end: | 12 Mile Coulee Road, west Calgary limits | |||
| Location | ||||
| Specialized and rural municipalities: |
Bighorn No. 8 M.D., Rocky View County | |||
| Major cities: | Calgary | |||
| Towns: | Canmore, Cochrane | |||
| Highway system | ||||
Provincial highways in Alberta
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The second of the 1A routes, known as the Bow Valley Trail, begins in Canmore, off of the Trans-Canada Highway at exit 91. It extends west into Canmore, carrying "Bow Valley Trail" as the name of the street, while it is not a highway itself. This extension through Canmore rejoins the Trans-Canada Highway at exit 86.
From exit 91, it heads eastbound, along the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks, until it reaches the Hamlet of Exshaw. From Exshaw, Bow Valley Trail heads to the northeast, past Highway 1X and Highway 40.
Just east of Highway 1X, Bow Valley Trail narrows and the speed limit is reduced to 80 km/h (50 mph) for approximately thirty kilometres as it passes through the Stoney Indian Reserve, where warning signs that there may be livestock and/or pedestrians on the road are posted. As the highway leaves the reserve, it widens and the speed limit increases back to 100 km/h (62 mph), as it skirts the north shore of Ghost Lake, a manmade glacier lake that is a popular spot for Calgary's boating and sailing enthusiasts in the summer, as well as ice sailing in the winter. The lake also supplies most of the water power for Calgary through TransAlta Utilities.
From Highway 40, Bow Valley Trail proceeds towards the east, and then slightly to the southeast, before reaching the Town of Cochrane, where it intersects with Highway 22. There, the highway proceeds a short distance to the southeast. The highway widens to 4 lanes just west of Highway 766 until it reaches Calgary, where it continues as Crowchild Trail, a major north-south expressway, (although it travels in a southeasterly direction from the city limits to 24 Avenue NW) through the northwest and southwest parts of the city. While within the Calgary city limits, it crosses Stoney Trail (Highway 201) as well as a number of major streets, before reuniting with the Trans-Canada Highway (known as 16 Avenue North in Calgary) near McMahon Stadium and the University of Calgary. Although Crowchild Trail extends into Calgary, it does not carry a highway designation because it is maintained by the City of Calgary rather than Alberta Transportation.
Read more about this topic: Alberta Highway 1A
Famous quotes containing the words bow, valley and/or trail:
“We are like horses who hurt themselves as soon as they pull on their bits—and we bow our heads. We even lose consciousness of the situation, we just submit. Any re-awakening of thought is then painful.”
—Simone Weil (1909–1943)
“As I went forth early on a still and frosty morning, the trees looked like airy creatures of darkness caught napping; on this side huddled together, with their gray hairs streaming, in a secluded valley which the sun had not penetrated; on that, hurrying off in Indian file along some watercourse, while the shrubs and grasses, like elves and fairies of the night, sought to hide their diminished heads in the snow.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“In one notable instance, where the United States Army and a hundred years of persuasion failed, a highway has succeeded. The Seminole Indians surrendered to the Tamiami Trail. From the Everglades the remnants of this race emerged, soon after the trail was built, to set up their palm-thatched villages along the road and to hoist tribal flags as a lure to passing motorists.”
—For the State of Florida, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)