Description of Historic Place

Abbot Pass Refuge Cabin is a high altitude alpine shelter in Abbot Pass, a col between Mounts Lefroy and Victoria on the continental divide on the border between Banff and Yoho National Parks. Its simple rectangular form and unadorned stone construction speaks to the rigors of its high altitude setting. The cabin is operated by the Alpine Club of Canada as a shelter for mountaineers.

Heritage Value

Abbot Pass Refuge Cabin was declared a National Historic Site in 1992 because
- it is constructed in the rustic design tradition,
- it is associated with outdoor recreation in the national park.

The heritage value of this site resides in its physical expression of rustic design as well as in its traditional use by visitors to the park. Built under the sponsorship of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1922, it was acquired by the Parks Branch in 1968 and restored in 1973. Since 1985, the hut has been maintained and operated by the Alpine Club of Canada.

Source: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, November 1992 Minutes; Commemorative Integrity Statement, January 2002

Character-Defining Elements

Elements which characterize the heritage value of this building include:
- its picturesque siting in a barren and remote mountain pass above the tree line;
- its simple massing as one-and-a-half-storey rectangle under a pitched roof;
- its balanced articulation of central door with flanking windows, apex window, regularly articulated side windows,
- the limited number and relatively small size of openings;
- its use of local, split stone in load-bearing wall construction technology;
- its use of wooden roof framing, shingles, and prefabricated doors and windows;
- the functional layout of the interior with a kitchen/dining and sleeping areas, reflecting its use as a mountain shelter;
- the harmony of the building with its setting (the similar hues of building stone and surrounding rock, the building's siting, nestled in the contours of the surrounding terrain);
- its viewplanes along Abbot Pass and to trails from Banff and Yoho National Parks;
- its use as a shelter by the public, particularly mountaineers.