The Wapta Icefield from Mistaya Mountain Summit

The Wapta Icefield is located on the

Continental Divide A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...

in the

Waputik Mountains The Waputik Mountains are a mountain range of the Canadian Rockies, located on the Continental Divide of the Americas, Continental Divide between Banff National Park, Banff and Yoho National Park. Covering an area of , the range is located west ...

of 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 ...

, in the provinces of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

and

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

. The icefield is shared by Banff and

Yoho National Park Yoho National Park ( ) is a National Parks of Canada, national park of Canada. It is located within the Canadian Rockies, Rocky Mountains along the western slope of the Continental Divide of the Americas in southeastern British Columbia, bordered ...

s and numerous outlet glaciers extend from the icefield, including the

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

, Bow and

Peyto Glacier __NOTOC__ The Peyto Glacier is situated in the Canadian Rockies in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, approximately northwest of the town of Banff, and can be accessed from the Icefields Parkway. Geography Peyto Glacier is an outflow glac ...

s. Runoff from the icefields and outlet glaciers supply water to both the Kicking Horse and

Bow River The Bow River is a river in Alberta, Canada. It begins within the Canadian Rocky Mountains and winds through the Alberta foothills onto the prairies, where it meets the Oldman River, the two then forming the South Saskatchewan River. These w ...

s, as well as numerous streams and lakes. The icefield is one of the most studied in the Canadian Rockies and all evidence supports the conclusion that the icefield is shrinking in area, especially near the lowest altitudes of its outlet glaciers, including Peyto Glacier, in which the glacier has become both shorter in length and thinner in thickness. In the 1980s the icefield covered an area of approximately . The icefield is easily accessible by mountaineers in both the summer and winter. Both ski trips in the winter and glacier hiking trips in the summer often combine a traverse of this icefield with a trip across the Waputik Icefield directly to the south.

Glaciers

Bow Lake and Wapta Icefield from Cirque Peak

These are the glaciers that are part of this icefield: *

Bow Glacier Bow Glacier is located in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, approximately northwest of Lake Louise. It can be viewed from the Icefields Parkway. Bow Glacier is an outflow glacier from the Wapta Icefield, which rests along the Continental D ...

* Yoho Glacier * Vulture Glacier The

Crowfoot Glacier __NOTOC__ Crowfoot Glacier is located in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, northwest of Lake Louise, Alberta, Lake Louise, and can be viewed from the Icefields Parkway. The glacier is situated on the northeastern flank of Crowfoot Mountain ( ...

which was once connected to this icefield is no longer part of the Wapta Icefields.

Huts

There are five huts which provide accommodation to mountaineers on the Wapta Icefield that are operated by the

Alpine Club of Canada The Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) is an amateur athletic association with its national office in Canmore, Alberta that has been a focal point for Canadian mountaineering since its founding in 1906. The club was co-founded by Arthur Oliver Wheeler, ...

. * Bow Hut * Peter and Catharine Whyte Hut (Peyto Hut) * Balfour Hut * Louise and Richard Guy Hut * Scott Duncan Hut

References

* * Banff National Park Ice fields of Alberta Ice fields of British Columbia Great Divide of North America Yoho National Park {{AlbertaRockies-geo-stub

Glaciers

Huts

See also

References