Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 11, 2026

Mount Lefroy

Mount Lefroy is a mountain on the Continental Divide, at the border of Alberta and British Columbia in western Canada. The mountain is located on the eastern side of Abbot Pass which separates Lake Louise in Banff National Park from Lake O'Hara in Yoho National Park. Mount Victoria lies immediately on the western side of the pass.

Last revised
Jul 11, 2026
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≈ 2 min
Length
546 w
Citations
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Source
Wikipedia ↗
Mount Lefroy
Mount Lefroy
Highest point
Elevation3,423 m (11,230 ft)12
Prominence417 m (1,368 ft)3
Listing
Coordinates51°21′44″N 116°16′47″W / 51.36222°N 116.27972°W / 51.36222; -116.279724
Geography
Mount Lefroy
Location on Alberta
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Mount Lefroy
Location in British Columbia
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Mount Lefroy
Location in Canada
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Map
Interactive map of Mount Lefroy
Country
Canada
Provinces
Alberta and British Columbia
Protected areas
Parent rangeBow Range ← Park Ranges
Topo mapNTS 82N8 Lake Louise5
Climbing
First ascent18973
Easiest routeWest face (UIAA II)1

Mount Lefroy is a mountain on the Continental Divide, at the border of Alberta and British Columbia in western Canada. The mountain is located on the eastern side of Abbot Pass which separates Lake Louise in Banff National Park from Lake O'Hara in Yoho National Park. Mount Victoria lies immediately on the western side of the pass.

The mountain was named by James Hector in 1858 for Sir John Henry Lefroy (1817–1890), an astronomer who had travelled over 8,800 kilometres (5,470 mi) in Canada's north between 1842 and 1844 making meteorological and magnetic observations.61notes 1

The mountain is the site of the first fatal accident in modern mountaineering in Canada. In 1896 during a failed summit bid, Philip Stanley Abbot slipped on rocks after just coming off an icy section and plummeted down the rock face to his death.1

The first successful ascent was made in 1897 by J. Norman Collie, Arthur Michael, H. Dixon; Charles Fay, Peter Sarbach, R. Vanderlip, C. Noyes, Charles Thompson, and H. Parker.3

A prominent painting by Canadian Group of 7 artist Lawren Harris, was painted at this site.7

Geology

Mount Lefroy is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Cambrian period. Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.8

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Lefroy is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.9 Winter temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C.

References

References

  1. "Mount Lefroy". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  2. "Topographic map of Mount Lefroy". opentopomap.org. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
  3. "Mount Lefroy". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
  4. "Mount Lefroy". BC Geographical Names. Government of British Columbia – B.C. Geographical Names Office (BCGNO). Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  5. "Mount Lefroy (Alberta)". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
  6. Boles, Glen W.; Laurilla, Roger W.; Putnam, William L. (2006). Canadian Mountain Place Names: the Rockies and Columbia Mountains. Vancouver: Rocky Mountain Books. p. 150. ISBN 978-1-894765-79-4. OCLC 244770225.
  7. "Lawren Harris, Mount Lefroy, c. 1929". Acquisitions. McMichael Canadian Art Collection. 2026. Archived from the original on 2026-01-24. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  8. Gadd, Ben (2008). Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias.
  9. Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification" (PDF). Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. 11 (5): 1633–1644. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi:10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-12-02. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
Notes
  1. "Canadian Mountain Place Names" states that James Hector named this mountain in 1858 while cdnrockiesdatabases.ca says it was George M. Dawson in 1894.
External links