The purpose of the expedition was to explore three main areas: the land between Lake Superior and Red River, Red River to the Rocky Mountains, and the land beyond the Rocky Mountains towards the Pacific Ocean along the coast. The route between Lake Superior and Red River connected trading posts and was used by the Hudson's Bay Company for some travel. The route had been used frequently by the company using canoe for trading fur before 1821. While the pass had not been originally part of the expedition, John Ball wanted a neutral perspective of the company's route and determine if it could be used by travelers and for transporting goods as a connecting route between the west and the rest of Canada. Palliser and his party also examined a route called White Fish River to see where the Kaministikwia River connected to the main river and determine if it could be used for transportation purposes or as another possible pass from Canada to the prairies. Palliser had seen waterways being used for transportation in Mississippi and Missouri and saw the potential for connecting Red River to the rest of Canada.