Saddle Mountain
East aspect
Highest point
Elevation2,433 m (7,982 ft)[1][2]
Prominence107 m (351 ft)[3]
Parent peakFairview Mountain (2,744 m)
Isolation0.74 km (0.46 mi)[3]
ListingMountains of Alberta
Coordinates51°23′35″N 116°12′31″W / 51.39306°N 116.20861°W / 51.39306; -116.20861[4]
Geography
Saddle Mountain is located in Alberta
Saddle Mountain
Saddle Mountain
Location in Alberta
Saddle Mountain is located in Canada
Saddle Mountain
Saddle Mountain
Saddle Mountain (Canada)
CountryCanada
ProvinceAlberta
Protected areaBanff National Park
Parent rangeBow Range
Canadian Rockies
Topo mapNTS 82N8 Lake Louise[4]
Geology
Age of rockCambrian
Type of rockGog quartzite[1]
Climbing
Easiest routeTrail + scrambling[5]

Saddle Mountain is a 2,433-metre (7,982 ft) summit in Alberta, Canada.

Description

Saddle Mountain is located in the Bow Valley within Banff National Park, and it is part of the Bow Range of the Canadian Rockies. Lake Louise townsite is situated 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) to the northeast and the Continental Divide is 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) to the west. The nearest higher neighbor is Fairview Mountain, 1.2 km (0.75 mi) to the northwest.[3] Precipitation runoff from Saddle Mountain drains into tributaries of the Bow River. Topographic relief is modest as the summit rises over 600 meters (1,968 ft) above Paradise Creek in one kilometer (0.6 mile) and nearly 900 meters (2,953 ft) above Bow River in 3 km (1.9 mi). The peak is visible from Alberta Highway 1 to the east,[2] and is prominent in the iconic photographs taken from Morant's Curve.

Access

The Paradise Valley Trail leads from Lake Louise to Saddleback Pass, and from the pass an off-trail scramble leads to the top of Saddle Mountain. The summit offers one of the finest views of the area,[6] including the Bow Valley and a close view of the impressive north face of Mount Temple.

History

The mountain's descriptive name was applied in 1894 by Samuel E.S. Allen.[2][7] The mountain's toponym was officially adopted on April 3, 1952, by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.[4]

Geology

Like other mountains in Banff Park, Saddle Mountain is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods.[8] Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.[9]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Saddle Mountain is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[10] Winter temperatures can drop below -20 °C with wind chill factors below -30 °C.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Ben Gadd (2008), Canadian Rockies Geology Road Tours, Corax Press, ISBN 978-0-9692631-2-8, p. 137.
  2. 1 2 3 "Saddle Mountain". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  3. 1 2 3 "Saddle Mountain, Alberta". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  4. 1 2 3 "Saddle Mountain". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  5. Brian Patton, Bart Robinson (2007), Canadian Rockies Trail Guide, Summerthought Publishing, ISBN 978-0-9782375-0-9, p. 95.
  6. Lawrence Johnstone Burpee (1914), Among the Canadian Alps, John Lane Company, p. 89.
  7. Karamitsanis, Aphrodite (1991). Place Names of Alberta. Vol. I: Mountains, mountain parks, and foothills. University of Calgary Press. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-919813-73-1.
  8. 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.
  9. Gadd, Ben (2008). Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias.
  10. 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.
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