The Eagle Pass was chosen as the route of both the Canadian Pacific Railway and later the Trans-Canada Highway over the Monashees; westbound traffic is continually downhill from here to the Pacific coast. The line over the Eagle Pass was the last section of the CPR to be completed, with the last spike driven at a location known as Craigellachie in 1885.
The pass was discovered by Walter Moberly in his role as Assistant Surveyor General of British Columbia in 1865.
The nearest city to Eagle Pass is Revelstoke, 11 km to the east.