Skiing up the Waputik to Mt Balfour; Doug&Vic

The Waputik 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

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

, 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 ...

. It is developed on the heights of the

Waputik Range The Waputik Range lies west of the upper Bow Valley, east of Bath Creek, and south of Balfour Creek in the Canadian Rockies. "Waputik" means "white goat" in Stoney. The range was named in 1884 by George Mercer Dawson of the Geological Survey o ...

in the Central Main Ranges. 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. Runoff from the Waputik Icefield provides water for numerous lakes, streams and rivers including

Hector Lake Hector Lake is a small glacial lake in western Alberta, Canada. It is located on the Bow River, in the Waputik Range of the Canadian Rockies. It is named after James Hector, a geologist and naturalist with the Palliser Expedition. The ...

, and the Bow, Kicking Horse and

Yoho River The Yoho River is a silty, swift tributary of the Kicking Horse River in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The river is entirely within Yoho National Park. Course The Yoho River originates at the north end of Yoho National Park and flo ...

s. Runoff from the Daly Glacier feeds

Takakkaw Falls Takakkaw Falls (; also spelled Takkakaw) is a waterfall located in Yoho National Park, near Field, British Columbia in Canada. The falls have a total height of , making them the second tallest waterfall in Canada. The main drop of the waterfall h ...

. The icefield encompasses 40 km² (15 miles²) and is located northwest of Lake Louise, on the west side of the

Icefields Parkway Highway 93 is a north–south highway in Alberta, Canada. It is also known as the Banff-Windermere Parkway south of the Trans-Canada Highway ( Highway 1) and the Icefields Parkway north of the Trans-Canada Highway. It travels through ...

. 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

Wapta Icefield The Wapta Icefield is located on the Continental Divide in the Waputik Mountains of the Canadian Rockies, in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. The icefield is shared by Banff and Yoho National Parks and numerous outlet glaciers exten ...

directly to the north.

Glaciers

The following glaciers are part of this icefield: *Waputik Glacier *Diableret Glacier *Glacier des Poilus *Emerald Glacier *Bath Glacier *Niles Glacier *Balfour Glacier *Daly Glacier

Huts

There are two huts 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, ...

which are accessible from this icefield: * Scott Duncan Hut * Balfour HutR.J. Ritchie (Balfour) Hut
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References

* Banff National Park Ice fields of Alberta Ice fields of British Columbia Canadian Rockies Yoho National Park {{AlbertaRockies-geo-stub

Glaciers

Huts

See also

References