Farewell to Abbot Pass Hut

As a member of the Alpine Club of Canada’s Mountain Culture Committee, I had the opportunity to write a historic hut plaque that was posted inside Abbot Pass Hut. Scroll down to find the PDF.

For anyone who has been there in its 100-year history, Abbot Pass Hut is a remarkable place. For anyone who hasn’t been, a quick glimpse of its location might make you do a double-take. Perched upon an inhospitable heap of stone piles between Mts. Lefroy and Victoria on the border of Banff and Yoho national parks, Abbot Pass Hut had been keeping mountaineers warm and safe since its construction in 1922 until soil erosion began to cause some concerns.

Aerial of Abbot Pass Hut. Photo by Paul Zizka.

The slope on which it was built has been eroding for several years and the hut was closed for inspection back in 2018 when it was deemed to be unsafe for the public.

Sadly, according to the Alpine Club of Canada in a press release today, “Parks Canada announced today that they have made the difficult decision to dismantle and substantially remove the Abbot Pass Hut….. While Parks Canada previously believed the hut could be saved in place, geotechnical assessments in 2021 found higher levels of slope erosion and new evidence, including cracks in the masonry, that reveal the entire hut has been impacted.”

Me at Abbot Pass Hut back in 2017. Photo by Paul Zizka.

Abbott Pass Hut at night. Photo by Paul Zizka.

As a member of the Alpine Club of Canada’s Mountain Culture Committee, I had the opportunity to write a historic hut plaque in 2013 that was posted inside Abbot Pass Hut, which describes its origins and history. I’m not sure what will become of the plaque but I do hope it will make its way to the ACC’s Clubhouse in Canmore, Alberta.

I’ve got a copy here if you’d like to read about the history of Abbot Pass Hut:

Here’s to my own fond memories of this spectacular hut. The question of whether or not it will ever be replaced remains to be answered.