Hector Lake

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Hector Lake
Hector Lake, Pulput Peak, Et al.jpg
Hector Lake, Pulpit Peak, Vulture Col, etc. as seen from an Icefields Parkway turnout
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Hector Lake
Location Banff National Park, Alberta's Rockies
Coordinates 51°35′08″N116°21′35″W / 51.58556°N 116.35972°W / 51.58556; -116.35972 Coordinates: 51°35′08″N116°21′35″W / 51.58556°N 116.35972°W / 51.58556; -116.35972 [1]
Type Glacial
Primary inflows Balfour Creek (Waputik Icefield)
Primary outflows Bow River
Basin  countries Canada
Max. length5.3 km (3.3 mi)
Max. width1.2 km (0.75 mi)
Surface area5.23 km2 (2.02 sq mi)
Surface elevation1,800 m (5,900 ft)

Hector Lake is a small glacial lake in western Alberta, Canada. It is located on the Bow River, in the Waputik Range of the Canadian Rockies.

It is named after James Hector, a geologist and naturalist with the Palliser Expedition.

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Hector Lake location in Banff National Park
Hector Lake and Waputik Range as seen from the Icefields Parkway Hector Lake+Waputik range.JPG
Hector Lake and Waputik Range as seen from the Icefields Parkway

The lake is formed in a valley of the Waputik Range, north of the Waputik Icefield, between Pulpit Peak, Mount Balfour, Crowfoot Mountain and Bow Peak. Hector Glacier and Mount Hector rise on the opposite side of the Bow River.

Hector Lake is one of the lakes that line the Icefields Parkway in Banff National Park and Jasper National Park, other such lakes being Bow Lake, Lake Louise, Peyto Lake, Mistaya Lake, Waterfowl Lakes, Chephren Lake and Sunwapta Lake.

Hector Lake is the second lake from the headwaters of Bow River, the first one being Bow Lake, and has a total area of 5.23 km2 (2.02 sq mi).

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Pulpit Peak is a 2,720-metre (8,920-foot) mountain summit located one km south of Hector Lake in Banff National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. Its nearest higher peak is Lilliput Mountain, 3.6 km (2.2 mi) to the southwest. Pulpit Peak is situated east of the Waputik Icefield, and is a member of the Waputik Mountains. Pulpit Peak can be seen from the Icefields Parkway towering 900 metres (2,950 ft) above Hector Lake.

References

  1. "Hector Lake". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada . Retrieved 2019-06-08.