Cirque of the Unclimbables, located inside
the
Nahanni National Park Reserve
Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, approximately west of Yellowknife, protects a portion of the Mackenzie Mountains Natural Region. The centrepiece of the park is the South Nahanni River ( ...
, in the
Northwest Territories, Canada, approximately west of
Yellowknife
Yellowknife (; Dogrib: ) is the capital, largest community, and only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the ...
, is a cluster of peaks and walls in the
Mackenzie Mountains
The Mackenzie Mountains are a Canadian mountain range forming part of the Yukon- Northwest Territories boundary between the Liard and Peel rivers. The range is named in honour of Canada's second prime minister, Alexander Mackenzie. Nahanni Na ...
Natural Region.
Description
According to the tourism promotion authority of the government of Northwest Territories:
History
In 1955, the mountaineer Arnold Wexler came across this series of remote cliffs in the Logan Mountains, now part of Nahanni National Park Reserve. Frustrated by their sheer granite walls, he named the jagged monsters the Cirque of the Unclimbables.
Access
Access to the Cirque and the Ragged Range is by charter aircraft.
Lotus Flower Tower and other climbs
The Cirque's most famous peak is the Lotus Flower Tower
[Photo of Lotus Flower Tower by Terry Parker, Northwest Territories Tourism](_blank)
/ref> featured in Fifty Classic Climbs of North America
''Fifty Classic Climbs of North America'' is a climbing guidebook and history written by Steve Roper and Allen Steck. It is considered a classic piece of climbing literature, known to many climbers as simply "The Book", and has served as an inspi ...
. The most notable view of the Cirque is visible from its southeast buttress. Other climbs include Mount Proboscis, Club International, and Middle Huey Spire.
See also
* National Parks of Canada
*List of Northwest Territories parks
This is a list of protected areas of the Northwest Territories.
National parks
* Aulavik National Park
* Nahanni National Park Reserve
* Naats'ihch'oh National Park Reserve
* Pingo Canadian Landmark
*Thaidene Nëné National Park Reserve
* ...
References
{{reflist
External links
Northwest Territories Tourism
Two-thousanders of the Northwest Territories
Dehcho Region
Climbing areas of Canada
Cirques
Nahanni National Park Reserve