The Waputik Icefield is 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 Rocky Mountains 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, wh ...

, 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 ...

. 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 ...

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, bordere ...

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, and the Bow, Kicking Horse and Yoho Rivers. Runoff from the Daly Glacier feeds

Takakkaw Falls Takakkaw Falls (; also spelled Takkakaw) is a waterfall 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 has a he ...

. The icefield encompasses and is 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 Banff Nat ...

. 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 a series of glaciers located on the Continental Divide of the Americas, Continental Divide in the Waputik Mountains of the Canadian Rockies, in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta, in Yoho National Park in the Can ...

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 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 ...

References

External links

Banff National Park Ice fields of Alberta Ice fields of British Columbia Park Ranges Yoho National Park {{AlbertaRockies-geo-stub

Glaciers

Huts

See also

References

External links