East of Burnt Flat, Highway 3 heads into the Selkirk Mountains and passes through the Kootenay Pass, at it is the highest point on the Crowsnest Highway, on a stretch known as the Kootenay Skyway, or Salmo-Creston Skyway. east of Burnt Flat, Highway 3 reaches the town of Creston in the Kootenay River valley, just past junctions with Highway 21 and Highway 3A. East of Creston, Highway 3 passes through the Purcell Mountains and later, intersects Highway 95 near Yahk. The two highways share a common alignment for northeast along the Moyie River, crossing into the Regional District of East Kootenay along the way, to a junction with Highway 95A in the city of Cranbrook. Another east is the interchange with the Highway 93 / Highway 95 concurrency, where Highway 95 diverges north and Highway 93 merges onto the Highway 3 from the north. Highway 93 and Highway 3 share a common alignment for the next , passing through the Rocky Mountain Trench, crosses the Kootenay River, and enters the Rocky Mountains, where at Elko Highway 93 diverges south. From Elko, Highway 3 follows the Elk River for to Fernie, then it goes north another to its junction with Highway 43 at Sparwood. East of Sparwood, Highway 3 leaves the Elk River valley and travels for another east to Crowsnest Pass () on the Continental Divide, and crosses into Alberta.