The mountain is located near the geographic centre of Vancouver Island, as well as near the centre of 2,450 km2 (605,408 acres) Strathcona Provincial Park, at the head of the Wolf River and to the west of Buttle Lake, about 25 kilometres (16 mi) east of the community of Gold River.
Name origin
The mountain took its name from Sir Francis Drake's ship, the Golden Hind, by an early fur-trading captain, who was reminded of Drake's ship as sunset hit the mountain (which is visible from the west coast of the Island) and in honour of Drake's reputed presence off the coast of the future British Columbia during the explorer's circumnavigation of the globe from 1577 to 1580 (see New Albion).
The present name was not officially conferred until 1938, but this was done after a reference to the peak in a fur-trader's log. The alternative name "The Rooster's Comb" was used by early alpinists because of the mountain's appearance.[5]
^Different sources list slightly different values for the maximum elevation above sea level. A recent survey using GPS determined the NAS83 elevation as 2,196.818 m. See "Golden Hinde". BC Geographical Names. for a discussion; see [1] for description of the trip to obtain this value
