BANFF NATIONAL PARK - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 143

scarred with potholes where boulders have been whirled around by the action of fast-flow-
ing water, carving deep depressions into the softer limestone bedrock below.
The North Saskatchewan River posed a major problem for early travelers and later
for the builders of the Icefields Parkway. This swiftly running river eventually drains into
Hudson Bay. In 1989 it was named a Canadian Heritage River. One kilometer (0.6 mile)
past the bridge you'll come to a panoramic viewpoint of the entire valley. From here the
Howse and Mistaya Rivers can be seen converging with the North Saskatchewan at a silt-
laden delta. This is also a junction with Highway 11 (also known as David Thompson
Highway), which follows the North Saskatchewan River to Rocky Mountain House and
Red Deer. From this viewpoint, numerous peaks can be seen to the west. Two sharp peaks
are distinctive: Mount Outram (3,254 meters/10,680 feet) is the closer; the farther is
Mount Forbes (3,630 meters/11,975 feet), the highest peak in Banff National Park (and
the sixth highest in the Canadian Rockies).
To Sunwapta Pass
On the north side of the North Saskatchewan River is the towering hulk of Mount Wilson
(3,261 meters/10,700 feet), named for Banff outfitter Tom Wilson. The Icefields Park-
way passes this massif on its western flanks. A pullout just past Rampart Creek Camp-
ground offers good views of Mount Amery to the west and Mounts Sarbach, Chephren,
and Murchison to the south. Beyond here is the Weeping Wall, a long cliff of gray lime-
stone where a series of waterfalls tumbles more than 100 meters (330 feet) down the steep
slopes of Cirrus Mountain. In winter this wall of water freezes, becoming a mecca for ice
climbers.
After ascending quickly, the road drops again before beginning a long climb to Sun-
wapta Pass. Halfway up the 360-vertical-meter (1,180-vertical-foot) climb is a viewpoint
well worth a stop (cyclists will definitely appreciate a rest). From here views extend down
the valley to the slopes of Mount Saskatchewan and, on the other side of the parkway, Cir-
rus Mountain. Another viewpoint, farther up the road, has the added attraction of a view of
Panther Falls across the valley. A cairn at Sunwapta Pass (2,023 meters/6,640 feet) marks
the boundary between Banff and Jasper National Parks. It also marks the divide between
the North Saskatchewan and Sunwapta Rivers, whose waters drain into the Atlantic and
Arctic Oceans, respectively.