Mount Whyte

---

title: "Mount Whyte" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["two-thousanders-of-alberta", "alberta's-rockies", "mountains-of-banff-national-park", "bow-range"] description: "Mountain in Banff NP, Alberta, Canada" topic_path: "general/two-thousanders-of-alberta" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Whyte" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Mountain in Banff NP, Alberta, Canada ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox mountain"]

Field	Value
name	Mount Whyte
photo	Lake Agnes AB.jpg
photo_caption	Mt. Whyte at top centre, above Lake Agnes
elevation_m	2983
elevation_ref
prominence_m	140
prominence_ref
range	Bow Range
parent_peak	Mount Victoria
listing	Mountains of Alberta
country	Canada
part_type	Protected area
map	Canada Alberta#Canada
map_caption	Location in Alberta
label_position	right
mapframe	yes
mapframe-zoom	8
mapframe-caption	Interactive map of Mount Whyte
coordinates
coordinates_ref
topo_maker	NTS
first_ascent	1901
easiest_route	Difficult scramble
::

| name = Mount Whyte | photo = Lake Agnes AB.jpg | photo_caption = Mt. Whyte at top centre, above Lake Agnes | elevation_m = 2983 | elevation_ref = | prominence_m = 140 | prominence_ref = | range = Bow Range | parent_peak = Mount Victoria | listing = Mountains of Alberta | country = Canada | region_type = Province | region = Alberta | part_type = Protected area | part = Banff National Park | map = Canada Alberta#Canada | map_caption = Location in Alberta | label_position = right | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 8 | mapframe-caption = Interactive map of Mount Whyte | coordinates = | coordinates_ref = | topo_maker = NTS | topo = | first_ascent = 1901 | easiest_route = Difficult scramble

Mount Whyte is a mountain in Alberta, Canada located in Banff National Park, near Lake Louise. The mountain can be seen from the Trans-Canada Highway, and offers views of the Valley of the Ten Peaks, including the Chateau Lake Louise. The mountain is also visible from the hiking trail that skirts the northern shore of Lake Agnes.

The mountain was named in 1898 by Sir William Methuen after William Whyte, a representative of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Climbing

Mt. Whyte is usually combined with Mount Niblock (2976 m) when done as a scramble. However, while Mt. Niblock is rated a moderate scramble, Mt. Whyte is much more difficult due to additional exposure and loose rock. The scramble should not be attempted in snowy conditions due to considerable fall distance which would likely prove fatal.

For rock climbers, the Perren Route (II 5.6) is another option. While mostly a scramble as well, a short section of difficult climbing near the top in addition to route finding challenges and loose rock will not make it an easy ascent.

Geology

Like other mountains in Banff Park, Mount Whyte is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods. Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Whyte is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Winter temperatures can drop below -20 °C with wind chill factors below -30 °C.

Gallery

Mt. Whyte.jpg|East aspect in winter

References

| publisher=Rocky Mountain Books|location = Calgary | year=1999|isbn=0-921102-67-4|pages=230–231}}

References

1. {{Cite crdb
2. {{cite bivouac
3. {{cite cgndb
4. {{Belyea-Banff-NP
5. Gadd, Ben. (2008). "Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias".
6. Peel, M. C.. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci..

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::