Mount Waddington
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Template:Mtnbox start nopic Template:Mtnbox prom Template:Mtnbox coor dms Template:Mtnbox topo Template:Mtnbox climb Template:Mtnbox finish Mount Waddington is the highest peak in the Coast Mountains. It and the subrange which surround it, the Waddington Range, stand at the heart of the Pacific Ranges, which is to say it is in a remote and extremely difficult set of mountains and stupendous river valleys.
It is not so far north as its extreme arctic-like conditions might indicate and Mount Waddington and its attendant peaks pose some of the most serious expedition mountaineering to be had in North America - and some of the most extreme relief and spectacular mountain scenery.
From Waddington's 13,000'-plus fang to sea level at the heads of Bute and Knight Inlets is only a few miles; across the 10,000 deep gorges of the Homathko and the Klinaklini Rivers stand mountains almost as high, and icefields even vaster and whiter, only a few aerial miles away, with a maw deeper than the Grand Canyon, comparable in relief to the Himalayas (to which the terrain of British Columbia was compared by colonial-era travellers).
Precipitation and Weather
The Waddington Range massif is known for fierce as well as unpredictable weather, located as it is at the brunt of the warm, wet winds that soak the British Columbia Coast, of which it is the highest point. Precipitation levels in the area of the peak are among the highest in the Coast Range, although higher-rainfall locations exist elsewhere, such as at Mount Washington and in other locations on Vancouver Island and in the Canadian Cascades.
Access
To reach Mt. Waddington, a long approach originating from Vancouver, or one of the northern communities of Vancouver Island must be undertaken, with the bulk of the journey comprising of a long boat ride through the Strait of Georgia and the Knight Inlet.
Alternately trails and rough roads do exist from the Chilcotin side of the range, and may be accessed via BC Highway 20, from Williams Lake, departing from the main route to Bella Coola at Tatla Lake to connect to the Homathko River and up a side creek or glacier from there. This inland route is also the access route for the neighbouring Niut and Pantheon Ranges.
Mt. Waddington is a popular destination among mountain climbers, with it often being compared to Mont Blanc's structure.