JASPER NATIONAL PARK - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 386

critters. More than 170 bird species have been identified, with the rare harlequin duck a
special joy to watch as it passes through the park each spring.
History
Local Shuswap natives called Mount Robson Yuh-hai-has-hun (Mountain of the Spiral
Road) for its layered appearance. Historians guess that the peak's European name honors a
member of the Hudson's Bay Company, although details of the christening have been lost
to history.
Mountaineers were attracted to the challenge of climbing Mount Robson in the early
1900s; the first official ascent took place in 1913 (the same year the park as we know
it today was created). Led by Swiss guide Conrad Kain, the first ascent party was made
up of members of the Alpine Club of Canada. Although this was the first official summit
climb, the summit had been attempted four years earlier by the Reverend George Kinney
and friends. Kinney thought he'd made the summit, but he was climbing the summit ridge
in a heavy fog; a cairn and a message recording the names of the members of Kinney's
climbing team were later found on the ridge about 100 vertical meters (320 vertical feet)
from the top.
Roadside Sights
Highway 16 enters the park from the east at 1,066-meter (3,500-foot) Yellowhead Pass,
on the British Columbia-Alberta border. It's the lowest highway pass over the Continental
Divide. From the divide, it's 60 kilometers (37.2 miles) to the park's western boundary and
the visitors center. Just west of the divide, a rest area beside picturesque Portal Lake is a
good introduction to the park.
Continuing westward, the highway passes long, narrow Yellowhead Lake at the foot
of 2,458-meter (8,060-foot) Yellowhead Mountain, then crosses the upper reaches of the
Fraser River. The Moose River drains into the Fraser River at Moose Marsh, a good spot
for watching wildlife at the southeast end of Moose Lake. Moose often feed here at dawn
and dusk, and waterfowl are present throughout the day.
Continuing west, the highway parallels Moose Lake; waterfalls on the lake's far side
create a photogenic backdrop. As the road descends steeply to a wide, open section of the
valley, it passes the main facility area, where you'll find a visitors center, campgrounds, a
gas station, and a restaurant. On a clear day, the panorama from this lump of commercial-
ism is equal to any sight in British Columbia. The sheer west face of Mount Robson slices