Observation Peak (Alberta)

Observation Peak is a 3,174-metre (10,413-foot) mountain summit located in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. The mountain can be seen from the Icefields Parkway near the Bow Summit.

Observation Peak
Observation Peak, July 2003. Visible high point is the false summit.
Highest point
Elevation3,174 m (10,413 ft) [1][2]
Prominence644 m (2,113 ft) [3]
ListingMountains of Alberta
Coordinates51°44′32″N 116°28′01″W [4]
Geography
Observation Peak
Parent rangeCanadian Rockies
Topo mapNTS 82N/09 Hector Lake
Geology
Age of rockPrecambrian to Jurassic
Mountain typesedimentary rock
Climbing
First ascent1895 by Bill Peyto and Walter Wilcox[3]
Easiest routeeasy/moderate scramble[5]
Observation Peak above the Icefields Parkway

The peak was named in 1898 by Charles L. Noyes, a Boston clergyman, who upon climbing to the top found it to have the best viewpoint he had ever reached.[3][1]

The mountain can be scrambled using the western slopes and after reaching the top of the false summit, a 20-minute plod to the northwest leads to the true summit about 100 metres (328 ft) higher.[5]

Geology

Like other mountains in Banff Park, the mountain is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods.[6] Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.[7]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Observation Peak is located in a subarctic climate with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[8] Temperatures can drop below -20 °C with wind chill factors below -30 °C. Precipitation runoff from Observation Peak drains into the Mistaya River, a tributary of the North Saskatchewan River.

References
  1. "Observation Peak". PeakFinder.com. Retrieved 2012-06-29.
  2. Bow Lake and Saskatchewan Crossing (Map) (2nd ed.). 1:70,000. Cochrane, AB: Gem Trek Publishing. 2000. ISBN 1-895526-10-8. Retrieved 2019-06-13.
  3. "Observation Peak". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2012-06-29.
  4. "Observation Peak". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2019-06-13.
  5. Kane, Alan (1999). "Observation Peak". Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies. Calgary: Rocky Mountain Books. p. 298. ISBN 0-921102-67-4.
  6. Belyea, Helen R. (1960). The Story of the Mountains in Banff National Park (PDF). parkscanadahistory.com (Report). Ottawa: Geological Survey of Canada. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-10-02. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  7. Gadd, Ben (2008). Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias.
  8. Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11: 1633–1644. ISSN 1027-5606.

See also
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