Sunwapta Peak

Sunwapta Peak
South Face of Sunwapta Peak seen from Tangle Ridge
Highest point
Elevation3,315 m (10,876 ft)[1][2]
Prominence1,014 m (3,327 ft)[1]
ListingMountains of Alberta
Coordinates52°20′55″N 117°16′30″W / 52.34861°N 117.27500°W / 52.34861; -117.27500[3]
Geography
Sunwapta Peak is located in Alberta
Sunwapta Peak
Sunwapta Peak
Location in Alberta
Map
Interactive map of Sunwapta Peak
LocationAlberta, Canada
Parent rangeCanadian Rockies
Topo mapNTS 83C6 Sunwapta Peak[3]
Climbing
First ascent1906 by Jimmy Simpson[1]
Easiest routeEasy scramble[4]

Sunwapta Peak is a peak in the Sunwapta River valley of Jasper National Park, just north of the Columbia Icefield in Alberta, Canada. The peak was named in 1892 after the Stoney language word sunwapta meaning "turbulent river".[4] The mountain can be seen from the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93).

Routes

The normal climbing route (an easy scramble) is via the southwest slopes, requiring an elevation gain of 1,735 m (5,692 ft) to the summit from the trail head beside the Icefields Parkway.[4]

Geology

Sunwapta Peak is composed of sedimentary rock laid down from the Precambrian to Jurassic periods that was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.[5]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Sunwapta Peak is in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[6] Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. Precipitation runoff from Sunwapta Peak drains into the Sunwapta River which is a tributary of the Athabasca River.

  • Sunwapta Peak from southbound on the Icefields Parkway
    Sunwapta Peak from southbound on the Icefields Parkway

References

  1. ^ a b c "Sunwapta Peak". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  2. ^ "Sunwapta Peak". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  3. ^ a b "Sunwapta Peak". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  4. ^ a b c Kane, Alan (1999). "Sunwapta Peak". Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies. Calgary: Rocky Mountain Books. pp. 312–313. ISBN 0-921102-67-4.
  5. ^ Gadd, Ben (2008), Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias
  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. ISSN 1027-5606.