From the crossovers at KC Junction (MP 36.7), the junction with the single track, OCS Windermere sub. at a wye on the west side, the double track, CTC, CP transcontinental main line turns eastward at the crossovers at Golden (MP 35.0), past Hill (MP 34.0), where it bridges over the Kicking Horse River to its south bank, a tunnel, Cloister, where double track ends and it bridges back to the north bank, and the two Cloister Tunnels, then heads curvily southeast, past the 9,000 ft. siding at Glenogle (MP 28.1), a bridge back to the south side of the river, Cory Bros Tunnel, the 9,032 ft. siding at Palliser (MP 22.4), Palliser Tunnel, and a bridge back to the north side of the river, to the 9,468 ft. siding at Leanchoil (MP 16.9), and curvily north up the Kicking Horse River valley, with its spectacular mountain scenery, high snow-covered peaks on either side, with the occasional long vista up a side valley, past Leanchoil (1st), with the river now alongside to the east, a detector at MP 14.2, Misko, a turn curvily north-northeast, bridging across the river again, past the 8,188 ft. siding at Ottertail (MP 8.2), a diversion from the original right-of-way to run further northwest than that line, past Ottertail (1st) and Emerald, a large bend to follow the river, and rejoining the original r-o-w, to Field (MP 0.0/136.6), where there is another yard, on the southeast side of the line.
East of Field, the line runs curvily northeast, into Yoho Valley, a box canyon, the eastward exit of which, after the line passes Mt. Stephen Tunnel, the diversion from the original r-o-w up the mountain (see below), another tunnel, and the 5,921 ft. siding at Cathedral (MP 132.4), uses two spiral tunnels to gain the necessary altitude at a reasonable grade. (The first line over Kicking Horse Pass used no such tunnels, but had grades of over 4.5% along its route, compared to the 2.4% on the line through the spiral tunnels.)
At the upper end of the canyon, the line first curves 288° counter-clockwise in a spiral tunnel through Mount Catherine, crossing over itself within the tunnel, exits that traveling south, then turns west along the south side of the canyon above its arrival route, past a place where the original r-o-w crossed the present r-o-w, and Yoho (MP 129.8), and curves south into the second tunnel which then spirals 260° clockwise through Mount Ogden to exit onto the canyon side above its entrance heading northeast again, past the 5,856 ft. siding at Partridge (MP 128.0), a bridge over the river, the return of the original r-o-w on the north side, another bridge over the river, Wapta Lake on the north side, Hector at the end of the lake, Stephen (MP 123.0), where double track starts, Sink Lake on the south side, another lake on the south side, and Stephen (1st).
Crossing the Continental Divide and provincial border from British Columbia into Alberta (at the summit), the line descends gently, turning north past crossovers at Divide (MP 121.5), and east, south on a section where the two tracks separate, east, bridging over the Bow River, southeast, south following the east bank of the river as the tracks come back together, and southeast into Lake Louise (MP 116.2), where single track resumes and there was once a 3ft. 6 inch gauge tramway southwest and up to Chateau Lake Louise.
The entire route from Golden to Lake Louise (and east of Banff) is contained within Canada’s National Parks, Yoho NP to the west of the Continental Divide, and Banff NP to the east.