Everything about The Canadian Rockies totally explained
The
Canadian Rockies comprise the
Canadian segment of the
North American
Rocky Mountains range. The southern end in
Alberta and
British Columbia borders
Idaho and
Montana of the
USA. The northern end is at the
Liard Plain in
British Columbia.
Contrary to popular misconception, the Rockies don't extend into the
Yukon or
Alaska, or into central British Columbia. North of the
Liard River, the
Mackenzie Mountains, which are not part of the Rockies, form a portion of the border between the Yukon and the
Northwest Territories. The mountain ranges to the west of the
Rocky Mountain Trench in southern British Columbia are called the
Columbia Mountains and are not considered to be part of the Rockies.
Geology
The Canadian Rockies are the easternmost part of the
Canadian Cordillera, the collective name for the mountains of
Western Canada. They form part of the
American Cordillera, an essentially continuous sequence of mountain ranges that runs all the way from Alaska to the very tip of South America. The Cordillera in turn are the eastern part of the
Pacific Ring of Fire that runs all the way around the
Pacific Ocean.
The Canadian Rockies are bounded on the east by the
Canadian Prairies, on the west by the
Rocky Mountain Trench, and on the north by the
Liard River. The southern boundary is somewhat arbitrary since the mountain trend continues on into the United States, but could be considered to be
Marias Pass in
Montana, which separates them from the geologically different American Rockies.
The Canadian Rockies are distinct from the American Rockies in that they're older mountains, they were primarily formed by overthrusting whereas the American Rockies were primarily formed by uplifting, and they're almost exclusively sedimentary rock, whereas the American Rockies are cored with granite. Their physical appearance is different because the Canadian Rockies have been very heavily glaciated, resulting in sharply pointed mountains separated by wide, U-shaped valleys gouged by glaciers, whereas the American Rockies are more rounded with river-carved V-shaped valleys between them.
Parks
Five national parks are located within the Canadian Rockies, four of which interlock and make up the
Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage site. These four parks are
Banff,
Jasper,
Kootenay and
Yoho. The national park not included in the World Heritage Site is
Waterton, which doesn't interlock with the others (it lies farther south, along the international boundary). The World Heritage site also includes three British Columbia provincial parks that adjoin the four national parks:
Hamber,
Mount Assiniboine and
Mount Robson. Together, all these national and provincial parks were declared a single
UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984 for the unique mountain landscapes found there, comprising peaks,
glaciers, lakes, waterfalls,
canyons and limestone caves as well as
fossils (for example the
Burgess Shale, once a World Heritage Site in its own right, is now part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site). Numerous other provincial parks are located in the Canadian Rockies.
Throughout the Rockies, and especially in the national parks, the
Alpine Club of Canada maintains a series of alpine huts for use by
mountaineers and adventurers.
Highest peaks
| Mountain/Peak |
etres |
feet |
notes |
| Mount Robson |
3,954 |
12,972 |
Highest point in the Canadian Rockies |
| Mount Columbia |
3,747 |
12,293 |
highest point in Alberta |
| North Twin Peak |
3,684 |
12,087 |
|
| Mount Clemenceau |
3,658 |
12,001 |
|
| Mount Alberta |
3,619 |
11,873 |
Most difficult +11,000 climbing objective |
| Mount Assiniboine |
3,618 |
11,871 |
Highest point in the Southern Rockies |
| Mount Forbes |
3,612 |
11,850 |
|
| South Twin Peak |
3,566 |
11,700 |
|
| Mount Temple |
3,543 |
11,624 |
highest point near Lake Louise |
| Mount Bryce |
3,507 |
11,506 |
|
| Mount Kitchener |
3,505 |
11,500 |
|
| Mount Hungabee |
3,492 |
11,456 |
|
| Mount Brazeau |
3,470 |
11,385 |
|
| Mount Athabasca |
3,491 |
11,453 |
|
| Snow Dome |
3,456 |
11,339 |
|
| Mount Andromeda |
3,450 |
11,319 |
|
| Mount Joffre |
3,449 |
11,316 |
|
| Mount Edith Cavell |
3,363 |
11,033 |
|
Mount Robson is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, but not the highest in British Columbia, since there are higher mountains in the
Pacific Coast Ranges and
Saint Elias Range. However, Mount Robson is particularly impressive because it stands out on the
continental divide towering over
Yellowhead Pass, one of the lowest passes in the Canadian Rockies, and is close to the
Yellowhead Highway. Its base is only 985 m above sea level, meaning it has a total vertical relief of 2969 m or nearly 10,000 feet. In addition, it rises the 3 km to its summit in a distance of only 4 km from its base at Kinney Lake. Climbing Mount Robson is a challenge suitable for experienced and well-prepared mountaineers, and usually requires a week on the mountain.
Mount Columbia is the second-highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, and is the highest mountain in Alberta. There is a non-technical route to the top involving only kicking steps in the snow, but the approach is across the
Columbia Icefield and requires glacier travel and crevasse rescue knowledge. It is normally done in two days, with a night at high camp, but some strong skiers have done from the highway it in a day. On the other hand, many others have been stuck in their tents for days waiting for the weather to clear. From the same high camp as for Mount Columbia, it's possible to ascend a number of other high peaks in the area, including North Twin, South Twin, Kitchener, Stutfield and Snow Dome.
Snow Dome isn't an impressive peak by Rockies standards, but it has the distinction of being the hydrological apex of North America. Water flows off Snow Dome into three different watersheds, into the
Pacific Ocean,
Arctic Ocean, and
Atlantic Ocean via
Hudson Bay. It is the easiest and most popular ascent on the Columbia Icefield, a gentle ski to the top from Columbia high camp, but glacier travel is required.
For
scrambling up peaks of the Canadian Rockies, check out
Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies. Note that of the mountains listed above, only
Mount Temple has an established scrambling route. All other mountains (including other routes up Mount Temple), require more
mountaineering skills and experience. Despite the fact that it's only a moderate scramble, even Mount Temple shouldn't be attempted by novices. According to the Alpine Club of Canada, more people have died on Mount Temple than any other Canadian mountain, including seven youths in an unsupervised American school group in 1955. The upper slopes are usually covered with snow and there's a glacier on top. Scramblers on Mount Temple should carry an ice axe and enough clothing to survive a freezing night on the mountain if a storm hits and prevents them from descending.
For hikers and
backpackers,
The Canadian Rockies Trail Guide is the original and definitive reference guide book.
Contrary to popular misconception, the Canadian Rockies are not the highest mountain ranges in Canada. Both the
Saint Elias Mountains (highest point in Canada
Mount Logan at 5959 metres) and the
Coast Mountains (highest point
Mount Waddington at 4,016 metres) have higher summits.
Mountain ranges
The Canadian Rockies are subdivided into numerous
mountain ranges:
The Rockies and The Canadian Pacific Railway
The
Canadian Pacific Railway was founded to provide a link from the province of British Columbia to the eastern provinces. The main difficulty in providing such a link were the Rockies themselves: treacherous mountain passes, fast rivers and sheer drops made for a difficult railway construction process. The following articles describe in detail the political and technical feats involved:
Canadian Pacific Survey
Big Hill
Field Hill
Kicking Horse Pass
Spiral TunnelsFurther Information
Get more info on 'Canadian Rockies'.
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