Canadian Rockies
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The Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range. The southern end in Alberta and British Columbia borders Idaho and Montana of the USA. The northern end is at the Liard Plain in British Columbia.
Contrary to popular misconception, the Rockies do not extend into the Yukon or Alaska, or into central British Columbia. North of the Liard River, the Mackenzie Mountains, which are not part of the Rockies, form a portion of the border between the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Mountains west of the Rocky Mountain Trench are also distinct ranges and not part of the Rockies.
The Canadian Rockies contain five national parks:
- Banff National Park
- Jasper National Park
- Kootenay National Park
- Waterton Lakes National Park
- Yoho National Park
Throughout the Rockies, and especially in the national parks, the Alpine Club of Canada maintains a series of alpine huts for use by mountaineers and adventurers.
Significant peaks
| Mountain/Peak | metres | feet | notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Robson | 3,954 | 12,972 | highest point in the Canadian Rockies |
| Mount Columbia | 3,747 | 12,293 | highest point in Alberta |
| North Twin Peak | 3,684 | 12,087 | |
| Mount Clemenceau | 3,658 | 12,001 | |
| Mount Alberta | 3,619 | 11,873 | |
| Mount Forbes | 3,612 | 11,850 | |
| South Twin Peak | 3,566 | 11,700 | |
| Mount Temple | 3,543 | 11,624 | highest point near Lake Louise |
| Snow Dome | 3,520 | 11,548 | hydrological apex of North America |
| Mount Bryce | 3,507 | 11,506 | |
| Mount Kitchener | 3,505 | 11,500 | |
| Mount Hungabee | 3,492 | 11,456 | |
| Mount Brazeau | 3,470 | 11,385 | |
| Mount Athabasca | 3,491 | 11,453 | |
| Mount Joffre | 3,449 | 11,316 | |
| Mount Edith Cavell | 3,363 | 11,033 |
For scrambling up peaks of the Canadian Rockies, check out Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies. Note that of the mountains listed above, only Mount Temple has an established scrambling route. All other mountains (including other routes up Mount Temple), require more mountaineering skills and experience.
For hikers and backpackers, The Canadian Rockies Trail Guide is the original and definitive reference guide book.
It should be noted that while not in the Rockies, Mount Logan is in fact the highest point in Canada at approximately 5959 metres (19550 feet), and is the largest mountain on the planet, having the largest base circumference of any on Earth.
Mountain ranges
The Canadian Rockies are subdivided into numerous mountain ranges:
- Ball Range in Kootenay National Park
- Bare Range in Banff National Park
- Beaverfoot Range, NE of Columbia River valley
- Berland Range
- Blackwater Range
- Blairmore Range, east of Blairmore, Alberta
- Blue Range in Banff National Park
- Bosche Range
- Boule Range
- Brazeau Range
- Brisco Range
- Clark Range on the Continental Divide
- Colin Range
- De Smet Range
- Dezaiko Range
- Elk Range in Kananaskis
- Fairholme Range in the Bow River valley
- Fiddle Range
- Fisher Range
- Flathead Range
- Galton Range
- Goat Range
- High Rock Range
- Highwood Range
- Hoff Range
- Hughes Range in British Columbia
- Jacques Range
- Kananaskis Range
- Livingstone Range
- Lizard Range
- Macdonald Range
- Maligne Range
- Massive Range
- Miette Range
- Misty Range
- Mitchell Range
- Nikanassin Range
- Opal Range
- Ottertail Range
- Palliser Range in the SE corner of Banff NP
- Persimmon Range
- President Range in Yoho National Park
- Queen Elizabeth Ranges in Jasper National Park
- Quinn Range
- Rainbow Range
- Ram Range
- The Ramparts Range
- Royal Range
- Sawback Range in SE Banff NP
- Selwyn Range
- Sir Winston Churchill Range in Jasper National Park
- Slate Range in Banff National Park
- Spray Range
- Stanford Range
- Starlight Range
- Sundance Range
- Ten Peaks Range
- Trident Range
- Van Horne Range
- Van Nostrand Range
- Vermilion Range (Alberta)
- Vermilion Range (BC)
- Victoria Cross Ranges in Jasper NP
- Waputik Range
- Wilson Range
- Wisukitsak Range
The Rockies and The Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway was founded to provide a link from the province of British Columbia to the eastern provinces. The main difficulty in providing such a link were the Rockies themselves: treacherous mountain passes, fast rivers and sheer drops made for a difficult railway construction process. The following articles describe in detail the political and technical feats involved: