Icefields Parkway Region Mountains
• A WorldWeb.com Travel Guide to Mountains in Icefields Parkway Region, Alberta.
Mount Alberta
One of the tallest peaks in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, Mount Alberta rises 3,619 m (11,874 ft) in height. The mountain’s summit is a long, flat, wall-like face carved with precipices and permanently draped with snow. An extremely difficult mountain to climb, this majestic mountain remained the last major Rocky Mountain to be scaled until the first ascent was made in 1925 by the Japanese Alpine Club.
Snow Dome
Snow Dome is a mountain that is located on the Continental Divide. The mountain, whose summit is covered entirely by the Columbia Icefield, is known as a hydrological apex, one of two in the world. Water from this hydrological apex feeds three of the world’s ocean (the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic) through various river systems.
Mount Woolley
Mount Woolley is located in the Sunwapta River Range, approximately 79 km (49 mi) from the town of Jasper. The mountain, which is 3,405-m-tall (11,171 ft), can be seen from Highway 93 N.
Mount Chephren
A famous view along the scenic drive of the Icefields Parkway, Mount Chephren is a 3,266-m-tall (10,716 ft) mountain that overlooks the highway. Known as a classic horn peak, the mountain also towers over the turquoise-coloured Lower Waterfowl Lake.
Sunwapta Peak
This glacier-covered peak is located in the Sunwapta River Valley, and is visible from the Icefields Parkway. A prominent mountain, it stands 3,315 m (10,875 ft) high and is the tallest peak seen to the east of the parkway. The word Sunwapta is Stoney for "turbulent river."
The Twins
The Twins refers to North Twin Peak, South Twin Peak and Twins Tower, which are located in the upper Athabasca River Valley on the northeastern end of the Columbia Icefield. Twins Tower is a jutting peak that rises 3,627 m (11,900 ft), and is known for difficult climbing. North and South Twin Peaks are adjacent peaks with North Twin being the taller of the two at 3,684 m (12,087 ft) high.
Mount Hector
A 3,394-m-tall (11,136 ft) mountain, this towering peak is visible from Highway 1 and Highway 93N. The mountain is home to Hector Glacier, a glacier that caused destruction to the Molar Creek valley in 1938 when a large chunk broke off.
Mount Columbia
The highest peak on the Continental Divide, Mount Columbia rises 3,747 m (12,294 ft) into the sky. Named after the Columbia River, this mountain is visible from Highway 93N and rests on northern end of the Columbia Icefield. The mountain is just inside the border that separates Alberta from BC.
Mount Balfour
Shared by Alberta and British Columbia, this mountain is found on the Continental Divide and directly on the Waputik Icefield. The mountain is 3,272 m (10,735 ft) tall, and was named after the dean of medicine from the University of Edinburgh.
Poboktan Mountain
Poboktan Mountain rises 3,320 m (10,893 ft) and is located west of Brazeau Lake. The word Poboktan is Stoney for owl.
Mount Christie
Mount Christie is best viewed from the Icefields Parkway, just north of Ranger Creek. Standing 3,103 m (10,181 ft) high, the mountain is in the Athabasca River Valley and is also visible from Highway 93N.
Observation Peak
Located about 9 km (5.6 mi) northeast of Bow Lake and visible from Highway 93, Observation Peak is a 3,174-m-tall (10,414 ft) mountain that was first ascended in 1895. It was named so because, at the time, it was considered to have one of the best viewpoints of the area.
Castleguard Mountain
Officially named in 1918, this mountain gained its name due to its castle-like appearance as well as the fact that it seemed to guard the southern end of the Columbia Icefield. The mountain stands approximately 3,090 m (10,138 ft) high, and is also home to the Castleguard Glacier, a major glacier of the Columbia Icefield.
Mount Fryatt
Mount Fryatt is found 39 km south of Jasper and just west of the Athabasca River. The mountain was named in honour of Captain Charles Algernon Fryatt who was captured by German soldiers during World War I and executed for carrying Allied Troops aboard his merchant ship, the Brussels.
Mount Athabasca
This mountain can be found sitting between the Athabasca and Saskatchewan Glaciers, on the Banff and Jasper National Parks border. Covered in glacial ice, the mountain rises 3,491 m (11,454 ft) and is extremely popular for climbing. It was from climbing this mountain that the Columbia Icefield was discovered.
Howse Peak
Looming directly above Chephren Lake, this 3,290-m-tall (10,794 ft) mountain is a prominent feature in the Mistaya River Valley. Named after a Hudson's Bay Company trader, the mountain is primarily made up of black limestone and reddish-coloured dolomite.
Dolomite Peak
This mountain, officially named in 1897, received its name because it resembled something out of the Dolomite Range in the Italian Alps. The mountain is also composed of a mixture of dolomite (a rock that is rare in the Canadian Rockies) and limestone. It rises 2,782 m (9,128 ft) and is easily visible from Highway 93.
Cirrus Mountain
Overlooking the Icefields Parkway, this mountain is best known as the home of the Weeping Wall, a wide and slim series of waterfalls that tumbles down the mountain's eastern face. Standing 3,270 m (10,729 ft) high, the mountain was named so because of the cirrus clouds that form at such a high altitude.
Year Round Tours
Icefields Parkway Motel
Icefields Parkway Lodge
Travel Packages
