# Alberta Highway 33

Highway 33, officially named Grizzly Trail, is a north–south highway in west–central Alberta, Canada.
Highway 33 begins at Highway 43 near the hamlet of Gunn and travels north to the town of Barrhead. North of Barrhead, Highway 33 turns northwest, crossing the Athabasca River at Fort Assiniboine, before reaching the town of Swan Hills. Highway 33 continues north from Swan Hills to Highway 2 east of Kinuso. Highway 33 is about 219 kilometres (136 mi) in length.

## History

Highway 33 follows the original Klondike Trail, which was advertised by Edmonton merchants as the shortest route to the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush, from the Athabasca River at Pruden's Crossing, near Fort Assiniboine, through present-day Swan Hills and along the Swan River to north to present-day Kinuso. The trail followed a very difficult and dangerous route and by 1901-02 use of the trail declined, soon after it was abandoned altogether in favour of other routes to the Peace River area.
Highway 33 originally started as short highway that connected Highway 43, 7 km (4 mi) south of Onoway, to Alberta Beach. In the 1970s, Highway 33 was extended north to Barrhead from Gunn, resulting in an 8 km (5 mi) gap between Alberta Beach and Gunn. Highway 18, which ran between Barrhead and Swan Hills, was renumbered to Highway 33 and the highway was extended north to Kinuso. In c. 1985, the original section to Alberta Beach became part of Highway 633. Highway 33 in Alberta is officially known as "Grizzly Trail" as after Fort Assinaboine, it passes directly through the middle of the primary habitat of the Swan Hills grizzly bear.

## Points of interest

Approximately 1/2 way along Highway 33, following it 111 km from either end will place you at or near the geographical center of Alberta.

## Major intersections

From south to north:
| Rural/specialized municipality | Location | km | mi | Destinations | Notes |
| Lac Ste. Anne County | ​ | −18.7 | −11.6 | Highway 43 – Grande Prairie, Edmonton | South of Onoway; former eastern terminus |
| Lac Ste. Anne County | ​ | −10.6 | −6.6 | Highway 633 west – Darwell | Former Hwy 634 |
| Lac Ste. Anne County | Alberta Beach | −8.1 | −5.0 | | Former western terminus |
| 8 km (5 mi) gap ||||||
| Lac Ste. Anne County | ​ | 0.0 | 0.0 | Highway 43 – Edmonton, Whitecourt, Grande Prairie | East of Gunn |
| Lac Ste. Anne County | Rich Valley | 13.5 | 8.4 | | |
| Lac Ste. Anne County | Birch Cove | 25.8 | 16.0 | | |
| County of Barrhead No. 11 | ​ | 28.0 | 17.4 | Highway 651 east – Legal | |
| County of Barrhead No. 11 | ​ | 30.0 | 18.6 | Crosses the Pembina River | Crosses the Pembina River |
| County of Barrhead No. 11 | ​ | 31.9 | 19.8 | Highway 654 west | South end of Hwy 654 concurrency |
| County of Barrhead No. 11 | ​ | 38.3 | 23.8 | Highway 654 east – Manola | North end of Hwy 654 concurrency |
| County of Barrhead No. 11 | Barrhead | 44.8 | 27.8 | Highway 18 west (53 Avenue) – Mayerthorpe | South end of Hwy 18 concurrency |
| County of Barrhead No. 11 | ​ | 48.0 | 29.8 | Highway 18 east – Westlock | Hwy 33 branches west; north end of Hwy 18 concurrency |
| County of Barrhead No. 11 | Camp Creek | 66.9 | 41.6 | | |
| County of Barrhead No. 11 | ​ | 79.7 | 49.5 | Highway 763 south – Tiger Lilly | |
| ↑ / ↓ | ​ | 82.3 | 51.1 | Crosses the Athabasca River | Crosses the Athabasca River |
| Woodlands County | Fort Assiniboine | 83.9 | 52.1 | Highway 661 east – Dapp | Hwy 33 branches northwest |
| Woodlands County | ​ | 91.1 | 56.6 | Highway 658 west – Goose Lake, Blue Ridge | |
| Big Lakes County | Swan Hills | 145.2 | 90.2 | Highway 32 south – Whitecourt | Hwy 33 branches north |
| Big Lakes County | ​ | 218.6 | 135.8 | Highway 2 – Peace River, Slave Lake, Edmonton | East of Kinuso |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Closed/former Concurrency terminus ||||||

## Photos

* Highway 33 north of Swan Hills
* Junction sign on Highway 43