10 fascinating facts about Mount Edith Cavell

Edith Cavell saved the lives of hundreds of soldiers during World War I before she was executed by a German firing squad. Before the mountain got its current name, it was called “White Ghost” by Native Americans, “la Montagne de la Grande Traverse” by French mountaineers, and Mount Fitzhugh until the war.

As the highest mountain visible from the Jasper townsite, Mt. Edith Cavell holds a prominent position. Rising to 3,363 metres elevation, it is also the most prominent peak located entirely within Alberta.

The road to reach the mountain (highway 93A) was built in the 1930's by hundreds of men left unemployed during the Great Depression. The Cavell Road cuts off the old parkway and is a narrow, twisting 14 kilometres through sub-alpine forests. Cavell Road opens to vehicles on June 14, weather permitting, and closes on October 15 (or after the first significant snowfall).

Hanging off the side of the mountain and visible in all its glory from multiple lookouts, the Angel Glacier is a stunning sight. Its name derived from its once-upon-a-time shape, which used to resemble an angel spreading its wings. The wings remain, but the bottom half of the glacier has eroded away.

Beneath the Angel Glacier sits Cavell Pond, which may be unlike any other pond you’ve ever seen. Thanks to an abundance of glacial silt, the water has an otherworldly mint green colour. Small ice bergs may also be floating in the water. Visitors are not recommended to approach the lake due to the danger of falling chunks of glacier. In 2012 a huge serac fell, unleashing a destructive cascade of water and ice which covered trails, the parking area, and part of Cavell road. Luckily it happened at night, otherwise many people would have likely died.

Just as rivers can build up silt and debris along the banks, when glaciers moves, sometimes they leave behind a mass of rocks and sediment that forms long ridges on the landscape. The path at Edith Cavell goes right over and alongside one of the fascinating landforms.

The world’s largest glacial erratic (called Big Rock, located about 450 kilometres away near Okotoks, Alberta) is believed to have come from Mount Edith Cavell. During the last ice age, a large chunk of quartzite stone was likely stripped from the mountain and transported by the continental glacier to its current, seemingly random location on the plains.

Mount Edith Cavell was featured on a $1 Canadian stamp issued on December 4, 1930. You can also look for its likeness and name in multiple places around town.