Columbia Mountains

For the mountain range in Antarctica, seeColumbia Mountains (Antarctica).

Columbia Mountains
Mount Sir Sandford from the Gothics Glacier
Highest point
Peak	Mount Sir Sandford
Elevation	3,519 m (11,545 ft)
Coordinates	51°39′24″N117°52′03″W
Dimensions
Length	741 km (460 mi) N-S
Width	493 km (306 mi) W-E
Area	135,952 km2(52,491 sq mi)
Geography
Location map of Columbia Mountains: dotted lines to left mark boundaries ofOkanagan,ShuswapandQuesnel Highlands,dotted lines to lower right markSalishandCabinet Mountains.
Countries	CanadaandUnited States
Provinces/States	British Columbia,Idaho,MontanaandWashington
Parent range	North American Cordillera

Monashee Mountains, on the right ofKinbasket Lake.The Monashees are a major subrange of Columbia Mountains.

TheColumbia Mountainsare a group ofmountain rangesalong the UpperColumbia RiverinBritish Columbia,Montana,IdahoandWashington.The mountain range covers 135,952 km² (52,491 sq mi). The range is bounded by theRocky Mountain Trenchon the east, and theKootenai Riveron the south; their western boundary is the edge of theInterior Plateau.Seventy-five percent of the range is located in Canada and the remaining twenty-five percent in theUnited States;American geographic classifications place the Columbia Mountains as part of theRocky Mountainscomplex, but this designation does not apply in Canada (despite a British Columbia government tourism campaign to rebrand their southern portion as the "Kootenay Rockies" ).Mount Sir Sandfordis the highest mountain in the range, reaching 3,519 metres (11,545 ft).

Mountain ranges

TheColumbia Mountainsare made up of four large ranges containing many subranges:

• Cariboo Mountains
  • Lunn Icefield
  • Mowdish Range
  • Premier Range
  • Vimy Ridge
  • Wavy Range
• Monashee Mountains
  • Anstey Range
  • Christina Range
  • Gold Range
  • Jordan Range
  • Kettle River Range
  • Malton Range
  • Midway Range
  • Ratchford Range
  • Rossland Range
  • Scrip Range
  • Whatshan Range
    • The Pinnacles
• Selkirk Mountains
  • Asulkan Range
  • Battle Range
  • Big Bend Ranges
    • Adamant Range
    • Sir Sandford Range
    • Windy Range
  • Bishops Range
  • Bonnington Range
  • Clachnacudainn Range
  • Dawson Range
  • Duncan Ranges
    • Badshot Range
  • Goat Range
  • Hermit Range
  • Kokanee Range
    • Slocan Ranges
  • Lardeau Range
  • Nelson Range
  • Purity Range
  • Sir Donald Range
  • Valhalla Ranges
    • Ruby Range
  • Valkyr Range
    • Norns Range
• Purcell Mountains(Percell Mountains in theUnited States)
  • The BugaboosGroup
  • Carbonate Range
  • Dogtooth Range
  • Farnham Group
  • MacBeth Group
  • McGillivary Range
  • Moyie Range
  • Septet Range
  • Spillimacheen Range
  • Starbird Ridge
    • Commander Group
  • Stockdale Group
  • Toby Glacier
  • Truce Group
  • Yahk Range

Additionally lower areas to the west of the main ranges are sometimes included in the description of the Cariboo Mountains:

• Quesnel Highland
  • Gosse Range
  • Palmer Range
  • Goose Range
  • Palmer Range
• Shuswap Highland
  • Hunters Range
  • Mabel Range
  • Park Range
  • Sawtooth Range
  • Seymour Range
  • Shuswap Range
  • Silver Hills
  • Trinity Hills
• Okanagan Highland
  • Beaverdell Range

Some classification systems end theColumbia Mountainsat theNorth Thompson River,such that theCariboo Mountainsare assigned to theInterior Plateau.Where theColumbia Mountainsmeet theInterior Plateauthere are intermediary areas known ashighlands- the Quesnel Highland (west flank of theCariboos), the Shuswap Highland (south of theCariboosand west of the northernMonashees), and the Okanagan Highland (west of the southernMonashees). These are listed here but are often considered to be part of theInterior Plateau.

Some geographic classifications also include theCabinet MountainsandSalish Mountains,which lie south of the Purcells between theKootenai Riverand theClark Fork of the Columbia,but in US classification systems they are generally considered to be part of the Rocky Mountains.

Physiographically, they are a distinct province of the largerRocky Mountain Systemphysiographic division.

Highest Mountains

The following mountains are the 10 highest mountains (in order) contained within the Columbian Mountains:"Columbia Mountains".Peakbagger.com.

• Mount Sir Sandford(3,519 m) (Selkirks)
• Mount Sir Wilfrid Laurier(3,516 m) (Cariboos)
• Mount Farnham(3,493 m) (Purcells)
• Jumbo Mountain(3,437 m) (Purcells)
• Howser Spire(3,412 m) (Purcells)
• Mount Delphine(3,406 m) (Purcells)
• Mount Sir John Abbott(3,398 m) (Cariboos)
• Mount Hammond(3,387 m) (Purcells)
• Mount Dawson(3,377 m) (Selkirks)
• Eyebrow Peak(3,362 m) (Purcells)

Passes

Rogers Pass

The following passes are located within or on the perimeter of the Columbia Mountains:

• Cedarside Pass(Fraser and Columbia Rivers 800m)
• Canal Flats(Columbia and Kootenay Rivers)
• Rogers Pass(between Revelstoke and Golden)
• Kootenay Pass(between Trail and Creston)
• Eagle Pass(between Revelstoke and Sicamous)
• Monashee Pass(BC Hwy 6)
• Bonanza Pass(Christina Lake to Castlegar/Rossland)

National and provincial parks

Valhalla Provincial Park

• Ansty Hunakwa Protected Area
• Bowron Lake Provincial Park
• Bugaboo Provincial Park
• Cariboo Mountains Provincial Park
• Dunn Peak Protected Area
• Glacier National Park
• Gladstone Provincial Park
• Goat Range Provincial Park
• Granby Provincial Park
• Graystokes Provincial Park
• Kianuko Provincial Park
• Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park
• Monashee Provincial Park
• Mount Revelstoke National Park
• Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park
• Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park
• Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Provincial Park and Protected Area
• St. Mary's Alpine Provincial Park
• Silver Star Provincial Park
• Valhalla Provincial Park
• Wells Gray Provincial Park
• West Arm Provincial Park
• West Twin Provincial Park and Protected Area

See also

• Pacific Northwest portal

Sources

• "Columbia Mountains".BC Geographical Names.
• "Columbia Mountains".Peakbagger.com.
• Columbia Mountains on Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia