Waputik Icefield, Glacial system in Canadian Rockies, Canada.
Waputik Icefield is a glacial system in the Canadian Rocky Mountains that stretches between Alberta and British Columbia, forming part of the continent's main watershed. Several glaciers flow from this ice mass into major rivers like the Bow and Kicking Horse.
The Alpine Club of Canada operates two huts reachable from the icefield: the Scott Duncan Hut and the Balfour Hut. They serve ski traverses in winter and glacier hikes in summer, which often link the Waputik Icefield with the Wapta Icefield directly to the north.
The name Waputik is a Stoney Nakoda word meaning "white goat," referring to the mountain goat, an animal of these high ranges. The icefield lies in the traditional territory of the Stoney Nakoda and Ktunaxa peoples, and the peaks and glaciers around it carry names given by surveyors and climbers of the Alpine Club of Canada.
The icefield sits between two national parks and can be reached through either Banff or Yoho depending on which route you take. Winter offers better conditions for most visitors who come to ski or climb the peaks.
Runoff from the Daly Glacier alone feeds Takakkaw Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in Canada. Meltwater from the icefield also supplies Hector Lake and the Bow, Kicking Horse and Yoho Rivers. Eight outlet glaciers are named, among them the Waputik, Diableret, Glacier des Poilus, Emerald, Bath, Niles, Balfour and Daly Glaciers.
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