BANFF NATIONAL PARK - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 141

Beside the Continental Divide
From Bow Summit, the parkway descends to a viewpoint directly across the Mistaya River
from Mount Patterson (3,197 meters/10,490 feet). Snowbird Glacier clings precariously
to the mountain's steep northeast face, and the mountain's lower, wooded slopes are heav-
ily scarred where rock and ice slides have swept down the mountainside.
As the parkway continues to descend and crosses Silverhorn Creek, the jagged lime-
stone peaks of the Continental Divide can be seen to the west. Mistaya Lake is a three-
kilometer-long (1.9-mile-long) body of water that sits at the bottom of the valley between
the road and the divide, but it can't be seen from the parkway. The best place to view it is
from the Howse Peak Viewpoint at Upper Waterfowl Lake. From here the high ridge that
forms the Continental Divide is easily distinguishable. Seven peaks can be seen from here,
including Howse Peak (3,290 meters/10,790 feet). At no point along this ridge does the
elevation drop below 2,750 meters (9,000 feet). From Howse Peak, the Continental Divide
makes a 90-degree turn to the west. One dominant peak that can be seen from Bow Pass to
north of Saskatchewan River Crossing is Mount Chephren (3,268 meters/10,720 feet). Its
distinctive shape and position away from the main ridge of the Continental Divide make it
easy to distinguish. (Look for it directly north of Howse Peak.)