Gargoyle Mountain is a 2,693-metre (8,835-foot) mountain summit located in Jasper National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. The peak is situated 23 kilometres north of the municipality of Jasper, and is a prominent landmark in the Athabasca Valley visible from Highway 16 and The Canadian. Its nearest higher peak is Cliff Mountain, 5.5 km (3.4 mi) to the west.[1] Gargoyle Mountain was named in 1916 by Morrison P. Bridgland for the fact a stream heads at the mountain, like a gargoyle or spout.[3] Bridgland (1878-1948) was a Dominion Land Surveyor who named many peaks in Jasper Park and the Canadian Rockies.[4] The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1956 by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.[2]
Climate
Based on the Köppen climate classification, Gargoyle Mountain is located in a subarctic climate with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[5] Temperatures can drop below -20 °C with wind chill factors below -30 °C. In terms of favorable weather, June through September are the best months to climb. Precipitation runoff from Gargoyle Mountain flows into the Athabasca River.
^MacLaren, I.S. (2005). Mapper of Mountains M.P. Bridgland in the Canadian Rockies 1902-1930. With Eric Higgs, Gabrielle Zezulka-Mailloux. Edmonton, AB: The University of Alberta Press. ISBN0-88864-456-6.
^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. ISSN1027-5606.