Cirque Peak (Alberta)

Coordinates: 51°41′59″N 116°25′04″W / 51.69972°N 116.41778°W / 51.69972; -116.41778
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Cirque Peak
Cirque Peak from Helen Lake, July 1994
Highest point
Elevation2,993 m (9,820 ft)[1]
Prominence341 m (1,119 ft)[2]
Parent peakObservation Peak[2]
ListingMountains of Alberta
Coordinates51°41′59″N 116°25′04″W / 51.69972°N 116.41778°W / 51.69972; -116.41778[2]
Geography
Cirque Peak is located in Alberta
Cirque Peak
Cirque Peak
Parent rangeCanadian Rockies
Topo mapNTS 82N9 Hector Lake
Climbing
First ascent1899[2][3]
Easiest routeEasy Scramble

Cirque Peak is a 2,993-metre (9,820-foot) peak located directly west of Dolomite Pass in the Bow River valley of Banff National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada.

The mountain forms a cirque, hence the name.[4]

Scrambling Route[edit]

The scrambling route (rated easy) begins just beyond Helen Lake which can be reached by following the Helen Lake/Dolomite Pass trail 6 km from the trail head beside the Icefields Parkway. From the lake, follow the trail into Dolomite Pass and then choose a line up the peak.[5]

Geology[edit]

Like other mountains in Banff Park, Cirque Peak is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods.[6] Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.[7]

Climate[edit]

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Cirque Peak is located in a subarctic climate with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[8] Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Bow Lake and Saskatchewan Crossing (Map). 1:70,000. Gem Trek Publishing. 2000. ISBN 1-895526-10-8. Archived from the original on 2019-06-09. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  2. ^ a b c d "Cirque Peak". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
  3. ^ "Cirque Peak". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  4. ^ Place-names of Alberta. Ottawa: Geographic Board of Canada. 1928. p. 34. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  5. ^ Kane, Alan (1999). "Cirque Peak". Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies. Calgary: Rocky Mountain Books. pp. 222–223. ISBN 0-921102-67-4.
  6. ^ Belyea, Helen R. (1960). The Story of the Mountains in Banff National Park (PDF). parkscanadahistory.com (Report). Ottawa: Geological Survey of Canada. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-10-02. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  7. ^ Gadd, Ben (2008), Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias
  8. ^ 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.
Cirque Peak and Helen Lake (bottom left)