The Wapta Icefield from Mistaya Mountain Summit

The Wapta Icefield is a series of glaciers 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 between Banff and Yoho National Park. Covering an area of , the range is located west of the Howse, Blaeberry and Amiskwi Rivers and east ...

of the

Canadian Rockies The Canadian Rockies () 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 of the Canadian Cordillera, w ...

, in the provinces of

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

and

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, in

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, bordere ...

in the

Canadian Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...

Rockies 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 ...

. The icefield is shared by Banff and

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 Nort ...

, Bow and

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

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

Bow River The headwaters of the Bow River in Alberta, Canada, start at the Bow Glacier and Bow Lake (Alberta), Bow Lake in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies, Canadian Rocky Mountains. The glacial stream that feeds Bow Lake (Alberta), Bow Lake ...

s, as well as numerous streams and lakes. The icefield is one of the most studied in the Canadian Rockies. Currently, all evidence supports the conclusion that the icefield is shrinking in area, especially near the lowest altitudes of its outlet glaciers. This is including Peyto Glacier, as the glacier has become both shorter in length and thinner in thickness. In the 1980s the icefield covered an area of approximately . The glaciers popular with climbers accessible in both 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 The Waputik Icefield is on the Continental divide in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. It is developed on the heights of the Waputik Range in the Central Main Ranges. The icefield is shared by Banff ...

directly to the south. The

Burgess shale The Burgess Shale is a fossil-bearing deposit exposed in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, Canada. It is famous for the exceptional preservation of the soft parts of its fossils. At old (middle Cambrian), it is one of the earliest fos ...

animal ''

Waptia ''Waptia'' is an extinct genus of marine arthropod from the Middle Cambrian of North America. It grew to a length of , and had a large bivalved carapace and a segmented body terminating into a pair of tail flaps. It was an active swimmer and like ...

'' takes its name from these features. Their meltwater feeds the nearby Wapta falls.

Glaciers

Bow Lake and Wapta Icefield from Cirque Peak

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

* Bow Glacier * Yoho Glacier * Vulture Glacier The Crowfoot Glacier 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 The R.J. Ritchie Hut (Balfour Hut) is an alpine hut located at an altitude of between the southern tip of the Wapta Icefield and the northern tip of the Waputik Icefield in Banff National Park. The hut is at the half-way mark for the Wapta trave ...

* Louise and Richard Guy Hut *

Scott Duncan Hut The Waputik Icefield is on the Continental divide in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. It is developed on the heights of the Waputik Range in the Central Main Ranges. The icefield is shared by Banff ...

References

Bibliography

* * {{Canadian Rockies, state=collapsed Banff National Park Ice fields of Alberta Ice fields of British Columbia Great Divide of North America Yoho National Park Glaciers of Alberta Glaciers of British Columbia Park Ranges

Glaciers

Huts

See also

References

Bibliography