The Watchtower | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 2,791 m (9,157 ft)[1] |
Prominence | 651 m (2,136 ft)[1] |
Parent peak | Mount Kerkeslin (2984 m)[1] |
Listing | Mountains of Alberta |
Coordinates | 52°49′00″N 117°50′00″W / 52.81667°N 117.83333°W[2] |
Geography | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Alberta |
Parent range | Maligne Range Canadian Rockies |
Topo map | NTS 83C13 Medicine Lake[2] |
Geology | |
Age of rock | Cambrian |
Type of rock | Sedimentary rock |
Climbing | |
First ascent | 1951 R.K. Irvin, J. Mowat, R. Strong[3] |
Easiest route | Climbing |
The Watchtower is a 2,791-metre (9,157 ft) mountain summit located in the Maligne River valley of Jasper National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. It is situated in the Maligne Range[4] and is visible from the Maligne Lake Road where it towers over Medicine Lake. Its nearest higher peak is Sirdar Mountain, 11.64 km (7.23 mi) to the north.[4]
The mountain was named in 1916 by Morrison P. Bridgland (1878-1948), a Dominion Land Surveyor who named many peaks in Jasper Park and the Canadian Rockies.[5][3] The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1947 when approved by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.[2]
The first ascent of The Watchtower was made in 1951 by R.K. Irvin, J. Mowat, and R. Strong.[1]
The Watchtower is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Cambrian period and pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.[6]
Based on the Köppen climate classification, The Watchtower is located in a subarctic climate zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[7] Temperatures can drop below -20 °C with wind chill factors below -30 °C. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into Excelsior Creek and Watchtower Creek, both tributaries of the Maligne River which in turn empties into the Athabasca River.