The
Columbia Icefield is an icefield located in the
Canadian RockiesThe Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range. They are the eastern part of the Canadian Cordillera, extending from the Interior Plains of Alberta to the Rocky Mountain Trench of British Columbia. The southern end borders Idaho and Montana of the USA...
, astride the
Continental DivideThe Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Divide or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from, those river systems which drain into the...
of
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
. The icefield lies partly in the northwestern tip of
BanffBanff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains. The park, located 110-180 kilometres west of Calgary in the province of Alberta, encompasses 6,641 square kilometres of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense...
and the southern end of
Jasper National ParkJasper National Park is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies, spanning 10,878 km² . It is located in the province of Alberta, to the north of Banff National Park and west of the city of Edmonton. The park includes the glaciers of the Columbia Icefield, hot springs, lakes, waterfalls...
. It is about 325 km² in area, 100 to 365 metres (328' to 1,197') in depth and receives up to seven metres (23 ft) of snowfall per year. The icefield feeds eight major
glacierA glacier is a perennial mass of ice which moves over land. A glacier forms in locations where the mass accumulation of snow and ice exceeds ablation over many years...
s, including:
- Athabasca Glacier
The Athabasca Glacier is one of the six principal 'toes' of the Columbia Icefield, located in the Canadian Rockies. The glacier currently recedes at a rate of 2-3 metres per year and has receded more than 1.5 km in the past 125 years and lost over half of its volume...
- Castleguard Glacier
- Columbia Glacier
- Dome Glacier
- Stutfield Glacier
- Saskatchewan Glacier
Saskatchewan Glacier is located in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, approximately 120 km northwest of the town of Banff, and can be accessed from the Icefields Parkway. Saskatchewan Glacier is an outflow glacier from the Columbia Icefield, which rests along the Continental divide. The...
Some of the highest
mountainA mountain is a large landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill. The adjective montane is used to describe mountainous areas and things associated with them...
s in the Canada Rockies are located around the edges:
- Mount Andromeda
Mount Andromeda is located within the Columbia Icefield on the boundary of Banff and Jasper national parks. The mountain can be seen from the Icefields Parkway near Sunwapta Pass and is directly southwest of Mount Athabasca.Mt...
(3,450 m)
- Mount Athabasca
Mount Athabasca is located in the Columbia Icefield of Jasper National Park in Canada. The mountain was named in 1898 by J. Norman Collie, who made the first ascent on August 18 of that year...
(3,491 m)
- Mount Bryce
Mount Bryce is a mountain at the southwestern corner of the Columbia Icefield, in British Columbia near the border with Alberta. It can be seen from the Icefields Parkway....
(3,507 m)
- Castleguard Mountain (3,090 m)
- Mount Columbia
Mount Columbia is the highest point in Alberta, Canada and the second highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. It is located on the border between Alberta and British Columbia on the northern edge of the Columbia Icefield. Its highest point, however, lies within Jasper National Park in Alberta.The...
(3,747 m)
- Mount King Edward
Mount King Edward is a mountain located at the head of the Athabasca River valley in Jasper National Park, Canada. Mt. King Edward is situated on the Continental Divide with Mt. Columbia 5½ km east. The mountain was named in 1906 by Mary Schaffer after King Edward VII.Mt...
(3,490 m)
- Mount Kitchener
Mount Kitchener is a mountain located within the Columbia Icefield of Jasper National Park, which is part of the Canadian Rockies. The mountain can be seen from the Icefields Parkway near Sunwapta Pass....
(3,505 m)
- North Twin Peak
North Twin is one of the two peaks that comprise The Twins massif located at the northeast corner of the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. The other lower peak is named South Twin . North Twin is the third highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, after Mount Robson and...
(3,684 m)
- South Twin Peak
South Twin Peak is one of the two peaks that comprise the Twin Peaks massif located just northeast of the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park, Canada. The other higher peak is named North Twin Peak and reaches ....
(3,566 m)
- Snow Dome
Snow Dome is a mountain located on the Continental Divide in the Columbia Icefield, at the intersection of Banff National Park, and Jasper National Park, in Alberta, and the British Columbia border in Canada.The mountain was named in 1898 by J...
(3,456 m)
- Stutfield Peak
Stutfield Peak is a mountain in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. It is located at the northern end of the Columbia Icefield, north-west from Mount Kitchener, in the Sir Winston Churchill Range of the Canadian Rockies.In 1899, mountaineer J...
(3,450 m)
Part of the icefield, the Athabasca Glacier, is visible from the
Icefields Parkwaystyle="float:right; width:290px; margin-left:20px;">style="float:right; width:290px; margin-left:20px;">style="float:right; width:290px; margin-left:20px;">style="float:right; width:290px; margin-left:20px;">style="float:right; width:290px; margin-left:20px;">...
.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Columbia Icefield' Start a new discussion about 'Columbia Icefield' Answer questions from other users |
The
Columbia Icefield is an icefield located in the
Canadian RockiesThe Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range. They are the eastern part of the Canadian Cordillera, extending from the Interior Plains of Alberta to the Rocky Mountain Trench of British Columbia. The southern end borders Idaho and Montana of the USA...
, astride the
Continental DivideThe Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Divide or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from, those river systems which drain into the...
of
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
. The icefield lies partly in the northwestern tip of
BanffBanff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains. The park, located 110-180 kilometres west of Calgary in the province of Alberta, encompasses 6,641 square kilometres of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense...
and the southern end of
Jasper National ParkJasper National Park is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies, spanning 10,878 km² . It is located in the province of Alberta, to the north of Banff National Park and west of the city of Edmonton. The park includes the glaciers of the Columbia Icefield, hot springs, lakes, waterfalls...
. It is about 325 km² in area, 100 to 365 metres (328' to 1,197') in depth and receives up to seven metres (23 ft) of snowfall per year. The icefield feeds eight major
glacierA glacier is a perennial mass of ice which moves over land. A glacier forms in locations where the mass accumulation of snow and ice exceeds ablation over many years...
s, including:
- Athabasca Glacier
The Athabasca Glacier is one of the six principal 'toes' of the Columbia Icefield, located in the Canadian Rockies. The glacier currently recedes at a rate of 2-3 metres per year and has receded more than 1.5 km in the past 125 years and lost over half of its volume...
- Castleguard Glacier
- Columbia Glacier
- Dome Glacier
- Stutfield Glacier
- Saskatchewan Glacier
Saskatchewan Glacier is located in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, approximately 120 km northwest of the town of Banff, and can be accessed from the Icefields Parkway. Saskatchewan Glacier is an outflow glacier from the Columbia Icefield, which rests along the Continental divide. The...
Some of the highest
mountainA mountain is a large landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill. The adjective montane is used to describe mountainous areas and things associated with them...
s in the Canada Rockies are located around the edges:
- Mount Andromeda
Mount Andromeda is located within the Columbia Icefield on the boundary of Banff and Jasper national parks. The mountain can be seen from the Icefields Parkway near Sunwapta Pass and is directly southwest of Mount Athabasca.Mt...
(3,450 m)
- Mount Athabasca
Mount Athabasca is located in the Columbia Icefield of Jasper National Park in Canada. The mountain was named in 1898 by J. Norman Collie, who made the first ascent on August 18 of that year...
(3,491 m)
- Mount Bryce
Mount Bryce is a mountain at the southwestern corner of the Columbia Icefield, in British Columbia near the border with Alberta. It can be seen from the Icefields Parkway....
(3,507 m)
- Castleguard Mountain (3,090 m)
- Mount Columbia
Mount Columbia is the highest point in Alberta, Canada and the second highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. It is located on the border between Alberta and British Columbia on the northern edge of the Columbia Icefield. Its highest point, however, lies within Jasper National Park in Alberta.The...
(3,747 m)
- Mount King Edward
Mount King Edward is a mountain located at the head of the Athabasca River valley in Jasper National Park, Canada. Mt. King Edward is situated on the Continental Divide with Mt. Columbia 5½ km east. The mountain was named in 1906 by Mary Schaffer after King Edward VII.Mt...
(3,490 m)
- Mount Kitchener
Mount Kitchener is a mountain located within the Columbia Icefield of Jasper National Park, which is part of the Canadian Rockies. The mountain can be seen from the Icefields Parkway near Sunwapta Pass....
(3,505 m)
- North Twin Peak
North Twin is one of the two peaks that comprise The Twins massif located at the northeast corner of the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. The other lower peak is named South Twin . North Twin is the third highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, after Mount Robson and...
(3,684 m)
- South Twin Peak
South Twin Peak is one of the two peaks that comprise the Twin Peaks massif located just northeast of the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park, Canada. The other higher peak is named North Twin Peak and reaches ....
(3,566 m)
- Snow Dome
Snow Dome is a mountain located on the Continental Divide in the Columbia Icefield, at the intersection of Banff National Park, and Jasper National Park, in Alberta, and the British Columbia border in Canada.The mountain was named in 1898 by J...
(3,456 m)
- Stutfield Peak
Stutfield Peak is a mountain in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. It is located at the northern end of the Columbia Icefield, north-west from Mount Kitchener, in the Sir Winston Churchill Range of the Canadian Rockies.In 1899, mountaineer J...
(3,450 m)
Part of the icefield, the Athabasca Glacier, is visible from the
Icefields Parkwaystyle="float:right; width:290px; margin-left:20px;">style="float:right; width:290px; margin-left:20px;">style="float:right; width:290px; margin-left:20px;">style="float:right; width:290px; margin-left:20px;">style="float:right; width:290px; margin-left:20px;">...
. The Athabasca Glacier has receded significantly since its greatest modern-era extent in 1844. During the summer months visitors to the area can travel onto the glacier in the comfort of large "
snowcoachesA snow coach is a specialized passenger transport vehicle, designed to operate over snow or ice, similar to alarge, multi-passenger snowcat that is equipped with bus style seating. These vehicles may have multiple sets of very large low pressure tires or they may have tracks...
".
The icefield was first reported in 1898 by
J. Norman CollieJohn Norman Collie FRS , commonly referred to as J. Norman Collie, was a British scientist, mountaineer, and explorer.- Life and work :...
and Hermann Woolley after they had completed the
first ascentIn climbing, a first ascent is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route...
of Mount Athabasca.
The
Athabasca RiverThe Athabasca River originates from the Columbia Glacier of the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada...
and the
North Saskatchewan RiverThe North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river flowing east from the Canadian Rockies to central Saskatchewan. It is one of two major rivers that join to make up the Saskatchewan River....
originate in the Columbia Icefield, as do tributary headwaters of the
Columbia RiverThe Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
. As the icefield is atop a triple
Continental DivideThe Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Divide or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from, those river systems which drain into the...
these waters flow ultimately north to the
Arctic OceanThe Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest, and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions.
The International Hydrographic Organization recognizes it as an ocean, although some...
, east to
Hudson BayHudson Bay is a large body of water in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana. A smaller offshoot of the bay,...
(and thence to the North Atlantic Ocean), and south and west to the
Pacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Tepre Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. It extends from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south, bounded by Asia and...
. Hudson Bay, in some watershed divisions, is considered to be in the Arctic watershed, in which case this would arguably not be a triple
continental divide point.
External links