Observation Peak (Alberta)

Last updated
Observation Peak
Observation Peak AB July 2003.jpg
Observation Peak, July 2003. Visible high point is the false summit.
Highest point
Elevation 3,174 m (10,413 ft) [1] [2] [3]
Prominence 659 m (2,162 ft) [3]
Parent peak Mount Loudon (3221 m) [3]
Listing Mountains of Alberta
Coordinates 51°44′32″N116°28′01″W / 51.74222°N 116.46694°W / 51.74222; -116.46694 [4]
Geography
Canada Alberta relief location map - transverse mercator proj.svg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Observation Peak
Location in Alberta
Observation Peak (Alberta)
Interactive map of Observation Peak
Country Canada
Province Alberta
Protected area Banff National Park
Parent range Front Ranges [3]
Topo map NTS 82N9 Hector Lake [4]
Geology
Rock age Precambrian to Jurassic
Mountain type sedimentary rock
Climbing
First ascent 1895 Bill Peyto and Walter Wilcox [1] [3]
Easiest route easy/moderate scramble [5]

Observation Peak is a 3,174-metre (10,413-foot) mountain summit located in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. The mountain can be seen from the Icefields Parkway near the Bow Summit.

Contents

The peak was named in 1898 by Charles L. Noyes, a Boston clergyman, who upon climbing to the top found it to have the best viewpoint he had ever reached. [3] [1]

The mountain can be scrambled using the western slopes and after reaching the top of the false summit, a 20-minute plod to the northwest leads to the true summit about 100 metres (328 ft) higher. [5]

Geology

Like other mountains in Banff Park, the mountain is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods. [6] Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny. [7]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Observation Peak is located in a subarctic climate with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. [8] Temperatures can drop below −20 °C (−4 °F) with wind chill factors below −30 °C (−22 °F). Precipitation runoff from Observation Peak drains into the Mistaya River, a tributary of the North Saskatchewan River.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Observation Peak". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2012-06-29.
  2. ↑ Bow Lake and Saskatchewan Crossing (Map) (2nd ed.). 1:70,000. Cochrane, AB: Gem Trek Publishing. 2000. ISBN   1-895526-10-8 . Retrieved 2019-06-13.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Observation Peak". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2012-06-29.
  4. 1 2 "Observation Peak". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada . Retrieved 2019-06-13.
  5. 1 2 Kane, Alan (1999). "Observation Peak". Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies . Calgary: Rocky Mountain Books. p. 298. ISBN   0-921102-67-4.
  6. ↑ Belyea, Helen R. (1960). The Story of the Mountains in Banff National Park (PDF). parkscanadahistory.com (Report). Ottawa: Geological Survey of Canada. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-10-02. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  7. ↑ Gadd, Ben (2008). Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias.
  8. ↑ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11 (5): 1633–1644. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi: 10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 . ISSN   1027-5606.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.