Wapta Icefield

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Wapta Glacier
Wapta ice fields
Canada Alberta relief location map - transverse mercator proj.svg
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Wapta Glacier
Canada British Columbia relief location map.jpg
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Wapta Glacier
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Wapta Glacier
LocationAlberta, Canada
Coordinates 51°38′22″N116°31′35″W / 51.63944°N 116.52639°W / 51.63944; -116.52639
StatusReceding
Wapta Icefield
The Wapta Icefield from Mistaya Mountain The Wapta Icefield from Mistaya Mountain Summit.jpg
The Wapta Icefield from Mistaya Mountain

The Wapta Icefield is a series of glaciers located on the Continental Divide in the Waputik Mountains of the Canadian Rockies, in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta, [1] in Yoho National Park in the Canadian Rockies. [2] The icefield is shared by Banff and Yoho National Parks and numerous outlet glaciers extend from the icefield, including the Vulture, Bow and Peyto Glaciers. Runoff from the icefields and outlet glaciers supply water to both the Kicking Horse and Bow Rivers, as well as numerous streams and lakes.

Contents

The icefield is one of the most studied in the Canadian Rockies and all evidence supports the conclusion that the icefield is shrinking in area, especially near the lowest altitudes of its outlet glaciers, including Peyto Glacier, in which the glacier has become both shorter in length and thinner in thickness. In the 1980s the icefield covered an area of approximately 80 km2 (30 sq mi).

The glaciers popular with climbers [3] accessible in both summer and winter. Both ski trips in the winter and glacier hiking trips in the summer often combine a traverse of this icefield with a trip across the Waputik Icefield directly to the south.

The Burgess shale animal Waptia takes its name from these features. [4] Their meltwater feeds the nearby Wapta falls.

Glaciers

Wapta Icefield and Bow Lake seen from Cirque Peak Bow Lake and Wapta Icefield from Cirque Peak.jpg
Wapta Icefield and Bow Lake seen from Cirque Peak

These are the glaciers that are part of this icefield:

The Crowfoot Glacier which was once connected to this icefield is no longer part of the Wapta Icefields.

Huts

There are five huts which provide accommodation to mountaineers on the Wapta Icefield that are operated by the Alpine Club of Canada.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoho National Park</span> National park in British Columbia, Canada

Yoho National Park is a national park of Canada. It is located within the Rocky Mountains along the western slope of the Continental Divide of the Americas in southeastern British Columbia, bordered by Kootenay National Park to the south and Banff National Park to the east in Alberta. The word Yoho is a Cree expression of amazement or awe, and it is an apt description for the park's spectacular landscape of massive ice fields and mountain peaks, which rank among the highest in the Canadian Rockies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banff National Park</span> National park in Alberta, Canada

Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 as Rocky Mountains Park. Located in Alberta's Rocky Mountains, 110–180 kilometres (68–112 mi) west of Calgary, Banff encompasses 6,641 square kilometres (2,564 sq mi) of mountainous terrain, with many glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine landscapes. Provincial forests and Yoho National Park are neighbours to the west, while Kootenay National Park is located to the south and Kananaskis Country to the southeast. The main commercial centre of the park is the town of Banff, in the Bow River valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Takakkaw Falls</span> Waterfall on the Yoho River in Yoho National Park, British Columbia, Canada

Takakkaw Falls is a waterfall in Yoho National Park, near Field, British Columbia, in Canada. The falls have a total height of 373 metres (1,224 ft), making them the second tallest waterfall in Canada. The main drop of the waterfall has a height of 254 metres (833 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peyto Lake</span> Lake in Alberta, Canada

Peyto Lake is a glacier-fed lake in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. The lake itself is near the Icefields Parkway. It was named for Bill Peyto, an early trail guide and trapper in the Banff area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peyto Peak</span> Mountain in Banff NP, Canada

Peyto Peak is a mountain in the Waputik Range, part of the Canadian Rockies in Alberta, Canada. It lies at the north end of the Wapta Icefield, in Banff National Park, about one km (0.6 mi) east of the border with British Columbia and 32 km (20 mi) north of the town of Field. Five kilometres to the northeast lies Bow Pass, one of the high points of the Icefields Parkway. Between the peak and the pass lies picturesque Peyto Lake. Three kilometres southwest of Peyto Peak is Mount Baker, the highest point in the immediate vicinity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Nicholas Peak (Canada)</span> Mountain in Canada

Saint Nicholas Peak is a 2,938-metre (9,639-foot) mountain summit in the Rocky Mountains of Canada. It is located on the Continental Divide, on the Alberta-British Columbia border, in both Banff National Park and Yoho National Park. It lies at the eastern edge of the Wapta Icefield, and is part of the Waputik Mountains which are a sub-range of the Canadian Rockies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peyto Glacier</span> Glacier in Canada

The Peyto Glacier is situated in the Canadian Rockies in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, approximately 90 km (56 mi) northwest of the town of Banff, and can be accessed from the Icefields Parkway.

Vulture Glacier is located in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, northwest of Lake Louise, and can be viewed from the Icefields Parkway. Vulture Glacier is an outflow glacier from the Wapta Icefield, which rests along the Continental Divide. The glacier had an area of 4.9 square kilometres (1.9 sq mi) in the 1980s, however, all of the glaciers in the Canadian Rockies have been retreating steadily since the middle of the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waputik Icefield</span> Glacier in Canada

The Waputik Icefield is located on the Continental divide in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. It is developed on the heights of the Waputik Range in the Central Main Ranges.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bow Lake (Alberta)</span> Glacial Lake in Banff National Park, Alberta

Bow Lake is a small lake in western Alberta, Canada. It is located on the Bow River, in the Canadian Rockies, at an altitude of 1920 m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberta's Rockies</span> Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada

Alberta's Rockies comprise the Canadian Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada. On the southwestern part of the province along the British Columbia border, the region covers all but the south of Census Division 15.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bow Hut</span> Alphine hut

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R.J. Ritchie Hut</span> Alpine hut in Banff National Park, Canada

The R.J. Ritchie Hut is an alpine hut located at an altitude of 2,470 metres (8,100 ft) between the southern tip of the Wapta Icefield and the northern tip of the Waputik Icefield in Banff National Park. The hut is at the half-way mark for the Wapta traverse and is usually used in conjunction with the other huts in this chain while attempting a cross-glacier ski trip. The hut is maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada.

The Peter and Catharine Whyte Hut, also known as the Peyto Hut, is an alpine hut located on the northern tip of the Wapta Icefield in Banff National Park. It is nicknamed the Peyto hut due to its proximity on the Peyto Glacier. The hut is maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waputik Mountains</span> Subrange of the Park Ranges in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada

The Waputik Mountains are a mountain range of the Canadian Rockies, located on the Continental Divide between Banff and Yoho National Park. Covering an area of 1,069 square kilometres (413 sq mi), the range is located west of the Howse, Blaeberry and Amiskwi Rivers and east of the Bow and Mistaya Rivers and south to Kicking Horse Pass. Named in 1884 by George M. Dawson, "waputik" is the Stoney Indian word for white goat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Thompson (Alberta)</span> Mountain in Banff NP, Alberta, Canada

Mount Thompson is a 3,089-metre (10,135-foot) mountain summit located four kilometres west of Bow Lake in Banff National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Baker, 5.0 km (3.1 mi) to the west. Mount Thompson is situated east of the Wapta Icefield, and is a member of the Waputik Mountains. Mount Thompson can be seen from the Icefields Parkway at Bow Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Jimmy Simpson</span> Mountain in Canada

Mount Jimmy Simpson is a 2,966-metre (9,731-foot) summit located 3 kilometres northwest of Bow Lake in Banff National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Thompson, 3.0 km (1.9 mi) to the southwest. Mount Jimmy Simpson is a member of the Waputik Mountains, and is situated east of the Wapta Icefield and west of the Bow River valley. Mount Jimmy Simpson can be seen from the Icefields Parkway at Bow Lake. Jimmy Simpson Junior is a 2,721 meter sub-summit east of the mountain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portal Peak</span> Mountain in Banff NP, Alberta, Canada

Portal Peak is a 2,926-metre (9,600-foot) mountain summit located four kilometers west of Bow Lake in Banff National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Thompson, 1.0 km (0.62 mi) to the northwest. Portal Peak is situated east of the Wapta Icefield, and is a member of the Waputik Mountains. Portal Peak can be seen from the Icefields Parkway at Bow Lake.

References

  1. "Unknown". Archived from the original on June 8, 2011. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  2. "BCGNIS Query Results".
  3. "Wapta Icefields Ski Mountaineering/Touring". dowclimbing.com. Archived from the original on 2006-05-20.
  4. Gould, S.J. (1989). Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History. W.W. Norton & Company.[ page needed ]

Bibliography