Mount Dennis (Yoho)


Mount Dennis is a mountain summit located three kilometres south of Field in Yoho National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, Canada. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Stephen, to the northeast. Mount Burgess is six kilometres north on the opposite side of the Kicking Horse River valley. Mount Dennis has over of vertical relief above Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway, which traverses the northwest foot of the mountain.

History

The first ascent of the mountain was made in 1887 by James J. McArthur of the Dominion Land Survey.
The mountain was named in 1916 by Alexander MacKinnon Burgess for Lieutenant-Colonel John Stoughton Dennis, a Canadian surveyor who proposed the Dominion Land Survey system in 1869.
The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1924 when approved by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.

Geology

Mount Dennis 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 Dennis is located in a subarctic climate with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. Weather conditions during winter make Mount Dennis one of the premier places in the Rockies for ice climbing. Precipitation runoff from Mount Dennis drains into tributaries of the Kicking Horse River which is a tributary of the Columbia River.

Ice climbing routes

Ice climbing routes with grades on Mount Dennis