[1] It is the highest point on the section of highway between the cities of Hope and Princeton.

It is located in the middle of Manning Park, at the divide between the Skagit & Similkameen River drainages (and thus the watersheds of the Salish Sea and the Columbia River), as well as on the boundary between the Fraser Valley and Okanagan-Similkameen Regional Districts, approximately 12 km (7 mi) west of the Manning Resort and 54 km (34 mi) from Hope.

Cyclists and motorists alike find this stretch of road difficult because of the steep grades and high altitudes.

On the way from Hope to Allison Pass, one must ascend the 7% (1 in 14) grades up to the Hope Slide before one can start up to Allison Pass, leaving many trucks waiting at the side of the road for their engines to cool down.

The pass was named after John Fall Allison, a rancher living in Princeton.