| Mount Hector | |
|---|---|
 Mt. Hector as seen from the Icefields Parkway | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 3,394 m (11,135 ft)[1][2][3] |
| Prominence | 1,759 m (5,771 ft)[1] [2](Kicking Horse Pass) |
| Parent peak | Mount Victoria[2] |
| Listing | |
| Coordinates | 51°34′30″N116°15′34″W / 51.57500°N 116.25944°W /51.57500; -116.25944[4] |
| Geography | |
  Mount Hector Location in Alberta Show map of Alberta Mount Hector Location in Canada Show map of Canada | |
 | |
| Interactive map of Mount Hector | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Protected area | Banff National Park |
| Parent range | Murchison Group |
| Topo map | NTS82N9Hector Lake[4] |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | Cambrian |
| Rock type | Sedimentary rock |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1895 |
| Easiest route | rock/snow/glacier climb |
Mount Hector is a 3,394-metre (11,135-foot) mountain summit located in theBow River valley ofBanff National Park, in theCanadian Rockies ofAlberta,Canada. The mountain was named in 1884 byGeorge M. Dawson afterJames Hector, a geologist on thePalliser expedition.[5][6] The mountain is located beside theIcefields Parkway, 17 km (11 mi) north ofLake Louise.
The first ascent was made in 1895 byPhilip S. Abbot,Charles Fay and Charles S. Thompson.[2]
Like other mountains in Banff Park, Mount Hector is composed ofsedimentary rock laid down during thePrecambrian toJurassic periods.[7] Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during theLaramide orogeny.[8] The summit down to the base of cliffs is composed ofCathedral limestone anddolostone of themiddle Cambrian period while the slopes below are of middle Cambrian Gog Groupquartzite.[9]
Based on theKöppen climate classification, Mount Hector is located in asubarctic climate with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[10] Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. Precipitationrunoff from Mount Hector drains into tributaries of theBow River.
