Cathedral Mountain is a complex massif located six kilometres northwest of Lake O'Hara in Yoho National Park, in the

Canadian Rockies The Canadian Rockies (french: Rocheuses canadiennes) 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 British Columbia, Canada. Its shape and structure conjures up a resemblance to a gothic cathedral that has inspired many artists, including Group of Seven's

Arthur Lismer Arthur Lismer, LL. D. (27 June 1885 – 23 March 1969) was an English-Canadian painter, member of the Group of Seven and educator. He is known primarily as a landscape painter and for his paintings of ships in dazzle camouflage. Early life ...

, to paint it back in 1928. This picturesque mountain is visible from Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway near Kicking Horse Pass. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Stephen, to the west. To prevent damage to its operations, CP Rail pumps overflow from ''Teacup Lake'' down the west face of Cathedral in order to minimize the subglacial lake's discharging in a phenomenon known as a jökulhlaup.

History

The name Cathedral Mountain was in use as early as 1884 and appeared on

George Dawson George Dawson may refer to: Politicians * George Dawson (Northern Ireland politician) (1961–2007), Northern Ireland politician * George Walker Wesley Dawson (1858–1936), Canadian politician * George Oscar Dawson (1825–1865), Georgia politic ...

's 1886 map. The first ascent of Cathedral Mountain was made in 1901 by James Outram, with guides Joseph Bossoney, and Christian Klucker. The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1924 when approved by the

Geographical Names Board of Canada The Geographical Names Board of Canada (GNBC) is a national committee with a secretariat in Natural Resources Canada, part of the Government of Canada, which authorizes the names used and name changes on official federal government maps of Canada ...

Geology

Cathedral Mountain is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the

Precambrian The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pꞒ, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the ...

Cambrian The Cambrian Period ( ; sometimes symbolized C with bar, Ꞓ) was the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 53.4 million years from the end of the preceding Ediacaran Period 538.8 million ...

periods. Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Cathedral Mountain is located in a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...

with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. Precipitation runoff from Cathedral Mountain drains into tributaries of the Kicking Horse River which is a tributary of the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

Cathedral Crags

Cathedral Crags (3082 m) are striking pinnacles with steep, reddish cliffs located one kilometre northwest of the summit of Cathedral Mountain, near Kicking Horse Pass and the Spiral Tunnels Viewpoint. This rocky feature of Cathedral Mountain was first climbed in 1900 by James Outram, and W. Outram, with Christian Hasler Sr. as guide. The crag's name was officially adopted in 1952 by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.

References

Gallery

File:Cathedral Mountain with Hungabee Lake.jpg, Cathedral Mountain with Hungabee Lake File:Cathedral Crags (?), 3073m (7897953842).jpg, Cathedral Crags

External links

* Parks Canada web site
Yoho National Park
* Arthur Lismer's painting of Cathedral Mountain

*

J. E. H. MacDonald James Edward Hervey MacDonald (1873–1932) was an English-Canadian artist, best known as a member of the Group of Seven who asserted a distinct national identity combined with a common heritage stemming from early modernism in Europe in the ear ...

's 1927 painting of Cathedral Mountain
Wikimedia Commons
{{Canadian Rockies, state=collapsed Three-thousanders of British Columbia Canadian Rockies Kootenay Land District Mountains of Yoho National Park