Parker Ridge

Parker Ridge
Parker Ridge
	Parker Ridge viewed from Icefields Parkway
Highest point
Elevation	2,255 m (7,398 ft)
Prominence	170 m (560 ft)
Parent peak	Mount Athabasca (3491 m)
Coordinates	52°10′51″N 117°05′32″W / 52.18083°N 117.09222°W
Geography
	Parker Ridge Location of Parker Ridge in Alberta Parker Ridge Parker Ridge (Canada)
Location	Alberta, Canada
Parent range	Canadian Rockies
Topo map	NTS 83C3 Columbia Icefield
Geology
Type of rock	Sedimentary
Climbing
Easiest route	Hiking

Parker Ridge is a 2,255-metre (7,398-foot) mountain ridge located in the upper North Saskatchewan River valley in Banff National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Athabasca, 7.7 km (4.8 mi) to the west.^[1] Parker Ridge is situated along the west side of the Icefields Parkway and southeast of Sunwapta Pass. Parker Ridge is a ski-touring destination in the winter and popular hiking destination in the summer because it is situated beside the Icefields Parkway allowing easy access, and is nearly entirely above treeline allowing good views of the surrounding mountain landscape. A 2.2 km (1.4 mi) trail gains 275 metres (900 ft) of elevation from the highway to the top of the ridge. Wandering east or west along the ridge provides views of Cirrus Mountain, the north face of Mount Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Glacier, Mount Athabasca, Hilda Peak, and Nigel Peak among others.

History[edit]

Parker Ridge was named for Elizabeth Parker (1856–1944), co-founder of the Alpine Club of Canada in 1906 along with Arthur Oliver Wheeler. The Elizabeth Parker hut near Lake O'Hara in Yoho National Park is also named in her honor.^[3]

The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1978 by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.^[2]

Geology[edit]

Like other mountains in Banff Park, Parker Ridge is composed of sedimentary rock laid down from the Precambrian to Jurassic periods.^[4] Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.^[5]

Climate[edit]

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Parker Ridge is located in a subarctic climate with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.^[6] Temperatures can drop below -20 °C with wind chill factors below -30 °C. Precipitation runoff from Parker Ridge drains into tributaries of the North Saskatchewan River.

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Parker Ridge". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Parker Ridge". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
^ "Elizabeth Parker Hut". Alpine Club of Canada. The Alpine Club of Canada. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
^ Belyea, Helen (1960). "The Story of the Mountains in Banff National Park" (PDF). Geological Survey of Canada. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
^ Gadd, Ben (2008). Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias.
^ 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.