The Tonquin Valley is located in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada, next to the border of the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, an area which is also the continental divide, running along the peaks of the South Jasper Range (including The Ramparts subrange) which rise above Amethyst Lake. Tonquin Creek drains Moat Lake and flows west into Mount Robson Provincial Park in British Columbia, and empties into the Fraser River. The Astoria River drains south and east into the Athabasca River.
The Tonquin Valley leads to Tonquin Pass which cradles the Amythyst Lakes at its crest beneath the 1,000-metre (3,300 ft) Precambrian quartzite wall of the Ramparts. [1] The valley was named after the Pacific Fur Company ship Tonquin , destroyed in Clayoquot Sound in 1811.
Within the valley there is the scenic Amethyst Lake and Moat Lake. It is a popular destination for back-country hikers, ski touring and horseback trips to the two outfitters camps on the shores of Amethyst Lake. There are also a number of backcountry campgrounds and an Alpine Club of Canada hut.
The 1928 High Trip of the Sierra Club took place in this area. Among those who participated was photographer Ansel Adams and Sierra Club director William Colby.
Two trails into the valley are utilized by outfitters, skiers and hikers alike. There is the Portal Creek access, and the Astoria River access trails. Unbeknownst to many is the older and unused access via the Meadow Creek trail. This trail is considered impassable as it has not been maintained for decades. Some portions of the current trail are visible in Google Earth.
The valley is a frequent locale for grizzly bears, cougars and elk during the summer months as well as mountain caribou, and other Rocky Mountain Wildlife. The lakes are home to an introduced, and stable populations of rainbow trout and brook trout.
Jasper National Park, in Alberta, Canada, is the largest national park within Alberta's Rocky Mountains, spanning 11,000 km2 (4,200 sq mi). It was established as Jasper Forest Park in 1907, renamed as a national park in 1930, and declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1984. Its location is north of Banff National Park and west of Edmonton. The park contains the glaciers of the Columbia Icefield, springs, lakes, waterfalls and mountains.
The Ansel Adams Wilderness is a wilderness area in the Sierra Nevada of California, United States. The wilderness spans 231,533 acres (93,698 ha); 33.9% of the territory lies in the Inyo National Forest, 65.8% is in the Sierra National Forest, and the remaining 0.3% covers nearly all of Devils Postpile National Monument. Yosemite National Park lies to the north and northwest, while the John Muir Wilderness lies to the south.
The Canadian Rockies or Canadian Rocky Mountains, comprising both the Alberta Rockies and the British Columbian Rockies, is the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains. It is the easternmost part of the Canadian Cordillera, which is the northern segment of the North American Cordillera, the expansive system of interconnected mountain ranges between the Interior Plains and the Pacific Coast that runs northwest–southeast from central Alaska to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico.
Mount Edith Cavell is a mountain in the Athabasca River and Astoria River valleys of Jasper National Park, and the most prominent peak entirely within Alberta.
The Stanley Mitchell hut is an alpine hut located at an altitude of 2,060 metres (6,759 ft) in the Little Yoho Valley in Yoho National Park, British Columbia, Canada. It sits in a small meadow not far from the base of a mountain called The President. It serves as a base for hiking, scrambling, ski-touring and climbing the nearby mountains. The hut is maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada.
The Elk Lakes cabin is an alpine hut located between the French and Italian Military Groups in the Canadian Rockies. It resides near the Continental Divide in Elk Lakes Provincial Park, British Columbia. It is 62 km south of the Trans-Canada Highway in Kananaskis Country, Alberta and 104 km north of Sparwood, British Columbia. The area has hiking trails, and provides access to mountaineering objectives. In winter, ice climbs and skiing terrain with much powder abound. Elk Lakes terrain is similar to that near the Elizabeth Parker hut. The hut is maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada.
The Abbot Pass hut was an alpine hut located at an altitude of 2,925 metres (9,596 ft) in Abbot Pass in the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada. It was nestled between Mount Victoria and Mount Lefroy, straddling the Great Divide, which, in this region, defines the boundary between Banff National Park in Alberta and Yoho National Park in British Columbia. While close to the border, the hut lay entirely in Banff National Park, and was the second-highest permanently habitable structure in Canada. The hut was maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada.
The Fay hut was an alpine hut located above Prospectors Valley in Kootenay National Park, British Columbia. Although the higher Neil Colgan hut superseded it as a base for climbs in the Valley of the Ten Peaks area, it still served as a convenient base for hikers and skiers doing day trips in the area, and as an overnight stop for mountaineers continuing on to the Neil Colgan hut. A new hut was built in 2005 to replace the original Fay hut, which was destroyed by a forest fire in 2003. The Fay hut was maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada (ACC).
The Bill Putnam hut is an alpine hut located in the Adamant Range of the Selkirk mountains in British Columbia. It is set on a knoll at the edge of a high mountain meadow and provides access to a great array of mountaineering objectives, but is best known for its spectacular skiing terrain. The hut is maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada.
The Astoria River is a short river in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. It is an early tributary of the Athabasca River.
The Skyline Trail is a hiking trail in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. It is known for its views, with much of the hike being located above the tree line. It is also known for challenging weather conditions above the tree line, which can be a problem for hikers, who can lose sight of trails.
The Bow Hut is an alpine hut located at an elevation of 2,350 metres (7,710 ft) on the eastern edge of the Wapta Icefield in Banff National Park. It is the largest, best equipped, and most accessible of the four alpine huts on the Wapta Icefield, and serves as the base for a wide variety of ski tours and mountaineering ascents to half a dozen peaks on the Wapta. It is the easiest and safest starting point for the Wapta traverse; and Balfour Hut, the next hut on the traverse, can easily be reached from it in a day. It can also serve as an intermediate stop in a longer traverse which starts at the less easily accessible Peyto Hut. The hut is maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada.
The Neil Colgan Hut is an alpine hut located at an altitude of 2,957 metres (9,701 ft) on the Fay Glacier in Kootenay National Park in British Columbia, Canada. It is in a col between Mount Little and Mount Bowlen, one of the peaks overlooking the Valley of the Ten Peaks. The hut is maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada and is the highest permanent structure in Canada. It is named for hiker and adventurer Neil M. Colgan (1953–1979).
Tonquin Pass, 1948 m (6393 ft), is a mountain pass in the Canadian Rockies, linking Tonquin Valley in Jasper National Park, Alberta, to Mount Robson Provincial Park and adjoining areas of British Columbia. It is at the headwaters of Tonquin Creek, which flows into British Columbia. Located on the interprovincial boundary, it is on the Continental Divide.
Dungeon Peak is a 3,129-metre (10,266 ft) mountain summit located on the shared border of Jasper National Park in Alberta, and Mount Robson Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada. Dungeon Peak is part of The Ramparts in the Tonquin Valley. The descriptive name was applied in 1916 by Morrison P. Bridgland (1878-1948), a Dominion Land Surveyor who named many peaks in Jasper Park and the Canadian Rockies. The mountain's name was made official in 1935 by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.
Trophy Mountain is a mountain in east-central British Columbia, Canada, located in the south-east region of Wells Gray Provincial Park. The Clearwater River flows to the west, Raft River to the east and Spahats Creek to the south. Trophy Mountain is part of the Shuswap Highland. There are nine summits in the group and the highest is 2,577 m (8,455 ft). Battle Mountain and Table Mountain are the closest summits to the north and Raft Mountain is immediately south. Trophy Mountain was given its name by Dan Case, a big-game hunting guide in the area.
The Ramparts are a mountain range in the Canadian Rockies. Part of the Park Ranges, they straddle the Continental Divide and lie partly within Jasper National Park in Alberta and Mount Robson Provincial Park in British Columbia.
Franchère Peak is a 2,805-metre (9,203-foot) mountain summit located in the Astoria River valley of Jasper National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. The mountain was named in 1917 for Gabriel Franchère (1786–1863), a French Canadian author and explorer of the Pacific Northwest who wrote the first account of an 1814 journey over Athabasca Pass. Franchère was a member of John Jacob Astor's Pacific Fur Company and sailed to Fort Astoria on the Tonquin, after which the nearby Tonquin Valley was named. The mountain's name was officially adopted on March 5, 1935 when approved by the Geographical Names Board of Canada. Its nearest higher peak is Aquila Mountain, 2.00 km (1.24 mi) to the north. Mount Edith Cavell is situated immediately south-southeast across the Astoria River valley.
Mount Erebus is a 3,112-metre (10,210-foot) mountain summit located near the Tonquin Valley of Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. Mount Erebus is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Cambrian period, then was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Fraser, 4.0 km (2.5 mi) to the northwest. The Continental Divide lies 3 km (1.9 mi) to the west, Angle Peak is situated 4.5 km (2.8 mi) to the southeast, and The Ramparts are 5.0 km (3.1 mi) to the north. The mountain's north ridge terminates at Outpost Peak.
Mount Geikie, pronounced like "geeky", is a 3,298-metre (10,820-foot) mountain summit located in Mount Robson Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada. Situated 28 km (17 mi) southwest of Jasper near the Tonquin Valley, Mount Geikie is the highest peak of The Ramparts in the Canadian Rockies, one of the most beautiful mountain meccas in the world. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Fraser, 8.0 km (5.0 mi) to the southeast, and the Continental Divide lies 3.0 km (1.9 mi) to the east. Mount Geikie is composed of quartzite of the Cambrian period. This rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny. The vertical wall of its north face is over 1,500-metre (4,900-foot) high, and has been compared to the other great north faces of the Canadian Rockies such as North Twin, Alberta, and Kitchener.
52°43′05″N118°16′04″W / 52.71806°N 118.26778°W