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Portal Peak
Portal Peak from Icefields Parkway at Bow Lake
Highest point
Elevation	2,926 m (9,600 ft)
Prominence	86 m (282 ft)
Parent peak	Mount Thompson (3089 m)
Listing	Mountains of Alberta
Coordinates	51°39′28″N 116°30′55″W / 51.65778°N 116.51528°W / 51.65778; -116.51528
Geography
Portal PeakLocation in AlbertaShow map of AlbertaPortal PeakLocation in CanadaShow map of Canada
Interactive map of Portal Peak
Location	Alberta, Canada
Parent range	Waputik Mountains Canadian Rockies
Topo map	NTS 82N10 Blaeberry River
Geology
Rock age	Cambrian
Rock type	Sedimentary
Climbing
First ascent	1926 by D. Duncan and L. Hudson

Portal Peak is a 2,926-metre (9,600-foot) mountain summit located four kilometers west of Bow Lake in Banff National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Thompson, 1.0 km (0.62 mi) to the northwest. Portal Peak is situated east of the Wapta Icefield, and is a member of the Waputik Mountains. Portal Peak can be seen from the Icefields Parkway at Bow Lake.

History

Portal Peak was named in 1916 by Charles Sproull Thompson (1869-1921), who participated in numerous first ascents in the Canadian Rockies. In August 1897, Charles Thompson, Hugh Stutfield, and J. Norman Collie camped on the shores of Bow Lake; then proceeded to climb the Bow Glacier, which at that time descended farther down into the valley; then crossed the Wapta Icefield to attain the summit of Mount Gordon. Portal Peak flanks one side of Bow Glacier, which in 1897 was considered the portal to the Wapta Icefield.

The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1924 by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.

The first ascent of Portal Peak was made in 1926 by D. Duncan and L. Hudson.

Geology

Portal Peak is an overthrust peak situated between the Bow Glacier and Peyto Glacier. Like other mountains in Banff Park, Portal Peak is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods. Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Portal Peak is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Winter temperatures can drop below -20 °C with wind chill factors below -30 °C. Precipitation runoff from Portal Peak drains into the Bow River which is a tributary of the Saskatchewan River.

Gallery

• Portal Peak centered with Mount Thompson to right

See also

• List of mountains of Canada
• Geography of Alberta

References

1. ^ "Portal Peak". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
2. ^ "Portal Peak". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
3. Place-names of Alberta. Ottawa: Geographic Board of Canada. 1928. p. 104.
4. "Portal Peak". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
5. 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.
6. Gadd, Ben (2008). Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias.
7. Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11 (5): 1633–1644. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi:10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007. ISSN 1027-5606.

External links

• Weather forecast: Portal Peak
• Parks Canada web site: Banff National Park
• Portal Peak photo: Flickr

v t e Places adjacent to Portal Peak
Mount Thompson Mount Jimmy Simpson Icefields Parkway Mount Baker Mount Habel Portal Peak Bow Lake Mount Rhondda Wapta Icefield Bow Glacier Crowfoot Mountain

• Two-thousanders of Alberta
• Mountains of Banff National Park
• Waputik Mountains