The Continental Ranges is a major grouping of

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

s in the

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 ...

located in eastern

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 western

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 a

physiographic Physical geography (also known as physiography) is one of the three main branches of geography. Physical geography is the branch of natural science which deals with the processes and patterns in the natural environment such as the atmosphere, ...

designation for use by geologists and is not used by the general public; it is not recognized in Alberta, and does not appear on topographic maps, although the names of its subranges (the

Kootenay Kootenay, Kootenai, and Kutenai may refer to: Ethnic groups *The Kutenai, also known as the Ktunaxa, Kootenai, or Kootenay, an indigenous people of the United States and Canada **Kutenai language, the traditional language of the Kutenai **Ktunaxa ...

, Park or Main Ranges, and

Front Ranges The Front Ranges are a group of mountain ranges in the Canadian Rockies of eastern British Columbia and western Alberta, Canada. It is lowest and the easternmost of the three main subranges of the Continental Ranges, located east of the Bull and ...

) are in common use. It is the largest and best-known of the three main such subdivisions of the Canadian Rockies, the others being the

Hart Ranges The Hart Ranges are a major subrange of the Canadian Rockies located in northeastern British Columbia and western Alberta. The mountains constitute the southernmost portion of the Northern Rocky Mountains. The Hart Ranges were named in honour o ...

and the

Muskwa Ranges The Muskwa Ranges are a group of mountain ranges in northern British Columbia, Canada. They are part of the Northern Rockies section of the Rocky Mountains and are bounded on their west by the Rocky Mountain Trench and on their east by the R ...

.
Landforms of British Columbia
'', S Holland, Govt of BC Bulletin No. 58, 1976

Sub-ranges

There are three main subdivisions of the Continental Ranges: the

, the

Park Ranges The Park Ranges, also known as the Main Ranges, are a group of mountain ranges in the Canadian Rockies of southeastern British Columbia and southwestern Alberta, Canada. It is one of the three main subranges and the most central of the Continenta ...

, and the

Kootenay Ranges The Kootenay Ranges, also known as the Western Ranges, are one of the three main subdivisions of the Continental Ranges which comprise the southern half of the Canadian Rockies, the other two subdivisions being the Front Ranges and the Park Rang ...

. Each of those three subdivisions is further divided into individual ranges as follows: *Front Ranges ** Bare Range ** Bighorn Range ** Bosche Range ** De Smet Range ** Elk Range ** Fairholme Range ** First Range ** Fisher Range ** Goat Range ** Greenhills Range ** High Rock Range ** Highwood Range ** Jacques Range **

Kananaskis Range The Kananaskis Range is a mountain range west of the Kananaskis River in the Canadian Rockies. Many of the peaks are named after ships and people involved in the Battle of Jutland. Mount Bogart is named after D.B. Dowling. Bogart was his mothe ...

** Lizard Range ** Maligne Range ** Miette Range ** Murchison Group ** Nikanassin Range ** Opal Range ** Palliser Range **

Queen Elizabeth Ranges The Queen Elizabeth Ranges is a group of mountain ranges in the Canadian Rockies on the southeastern side of Jasper National Park, Canada. The northern end of the ranges begins east of Medicine Lake (Alberta), Medicine Lake and extends in a south ...

Ram Range The Ram Range is a mountain range of the Canadian Rockies located in David Thompson Country, Canada. The range extends southeast from Abraham Lake to the Ram River. It is bounded on the southwest by Whiterabbit Creek The White Rabbit is a charac ...

** Sawback Range ** Slate Range ** Taylor Range ** Vermilion Range ** Victoria Cross Ranges ** Whitegoat Peaks ** Wisukitsak Range *Park Ranges, also known as the Main Ranges. ** Blackwater Range ** Blue Range **

Bow Range The Bow Range is a mountain range of the Canadian Rockies in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. The range is named in associated with the Bow River and was officially adopted on March 31, 1917 by the Geographic Board of Canada. It is a part ...

Chaba Icefield Chaba may refer to: * Chaba, J-Pop group * Chaba River, Canada * Chaba River China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, mos ...

** Clemenceau-Chaba **

Columbia Icefield The Columbia Icefield is the largest ice field in North America's Rocky Mountains. Located within the Canadian Rocky Mountains astride the Continental Divide along the border of British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, the ice field lies partly in ...

** Drummond Group **

Freshfields Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP (informally Freshfields, or FBD) is an international law firm headquartered in London, and a member of the Magic Circle. The firm has 28 offices in 17 jurisdictions across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Nor ...

** Harrison Group ** Hooker Icefield ** Kitchen Range ** Le Grand Brazeau ** McKale-Chalco Divide ** Mitchell Range ** Morkill Ranges ** Ottertail Range ** Rainbow Range ** Royal Group ** Selwyn Range **

Spray Mountains The Spray Mountains is a mountain range of the Canadian Rockies located in southwestern Alberta, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean ...

Sundance Range The Sundance Range is a mountain range in the Canadian Rockies, south of the town of Banff. It is located on the Continental Divide, which forms the boundary between British Columbia and Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces ...

** The Ramparts **

Trident Range The South Jasper Ranges are mountain ranges of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. It is a part of the Central Main Ranges of the Canadian Rockies, located on the Continental Divide, in Jasper National Park (Alberta) and ...

Van Horne Range A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across t ...

** Vermilion Range **

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 exte ...

** Waputik Icefield **

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 ...

***

President Range The President Range is a mountain range of the Canadian Rockies, located in the northwestern section of Yoho National Park Yoho National Park ( ) is a national park of Canada. It is located within the Rocky Mountains along the western slope of ...

Winston Churchill Range The Winston Churchill Range is a mountain range in the central section of the Park Ranges of the Canadian Rockies located in Jasper National Park. The range was named after Sir Winston Churchill, former British prime minister. The eastern bound ...

*Kootenay Ranges ** Beaverfoot Range ** Brisco Range ** Hughes Range ** Stanford Range ** Van Nostrand Range

References

Mountain ranges of British Columbia Ranges of the Canadian Rockies {{Canada-geology-stub