Continental Ranges

The Continental Ranges is a major grouping of mountain ranges in the Rocky Mountains located in eastern British Columbia and western Alberta. It is a physiographic designation for use by geologists and is not used by the general public; it is not recognized in Alberta, and does not appear on topographic maps,^[1] although the names of its subranges (the Kootenay, Park or Main Ranges, and Front Ranges) are in common use. It is the largest and best-known of the three main such subdivisions of the Canadian Rockies, the others being the Hart Ranges and the Muskwa Ranges.^[2]

Continental Ranges
Location map of the Continental Ranges
Dimensions
Area	65,091 km2 (25,132 sq mi)
Geography
Country	Canada
Provinces	British Columbia and Alberta
Range coordinates	52°00′N 117°30′W
Parent range	Canadian Rockies

Sub-ranges

There are three main subdivisions of the Continental Ranges: the Front Ranges, the Park Ranges, and the Kootenay Ranges. Each of those three subdivisions is further divided into individual ranges as follows:

• Front Ranges
  • Bare Range
  • Bighorn Range
  • Bosche Range
  • De Smet Range
  • Elk Range
  • Fairholme Range
  • First Range
  • Fisher Range
  • Goat Range
  • Greenhills Range
  • High Rock Range
    • Misty Range
  • Highwood Range
  • Jacques Range
  • Kananaskis Range
  • Lizard Range
  • Maligne Range
  • Miette Range
  • Murchison Group
  • Nikanassin Range
  • Opal Range
  • Palliser Range
  • Queen Elizabeth Ranges
  • Ram Range
  • Sawback Range
  • Slate Range
  • Taylor Range
  • Vermilion Range
  • Victoria Cross Ranges
  • Whitegoat Peaks
  • Wisukitsak Range
• Park Ranges, also known as the Main Ranges.
  • Blackwater Range
  • Blue Range
  • Bow Range
  • Chaba Icefield
  • Clemenceau-Chaba
  • Columbia Icefield
  • Drummond Group
  • Freshfields
  • Harrison Group
  • Hooker Icefield
  • Kitchen Range
  • Le Grand Brazeau
  • McKale-Chalco Divide
  • Mitchell Range
  • Morkill Ranges
  • Ottertail Range
  • Rainbow Range
  • Royal Group
  • Selwyn Range
  • Spray Mountains
  • Sundance Range
  • The Ramparts
  • Trident Range
  • Van Horne Range
  • Vermilion Range
  • Wapta Icefield
  • Waputik Icefield
  • Waputik Mountains
    • President Range
    • Waputik Range
  • Winston Churchill Range
• Kootenay Ranges
  • Beaverfoot Range
  • Brisco Range
  • Hughes Range
  • Stanford Range
  • Van Nostrand Range

References

1. "Continental Ranges". BC Geographical Names.
2. Landforms of British Columbia Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, S Holland, Govt of BC Bulletin No. 58, 1976