The Vancouver Island Ranges, formerly called the Vancouver Island Mountains, are a series of mountain ranges extending along the length of Vancouver Island which has an area of . The Vancouver Island Ranges comprise the central and largest part of the island. p 1 (and see map at p 2 for area of Vancouver Island Ranges) The Geological Survey of Canada refers to Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii, and the Alaska Panhandle as the Insular Belt including the sea floor out to 100 km (62 mi) west of Vancouver Island. The Vancouver Island Ranges are a sub-range of the Insular Mountains.
Explorations The first European sightingsee Elms, p 17-29 for the sources of this section of these ranges was likely Sir Francis Drake. A sighting of land on June 5, 1579 was recorded by his crew aboard the vessel Golden Hind at a latitude of 48 degrees north but not finding safe harbour, they moved on southward. The highest peak of the Vancouver Island Ranges, the Golden Hinde, is named for his vessel.
The first European explorer likely to have observed any of the mountains of the Vancouver Island Ranges would have been Captain Juan José Pérez aboard the Spanish frigate Santiago. Although he anchored off Estevan Point, on August 8, 1774 he did not land. Captain James Cook entered Nootka Sound March 29, 1778 and spent about a month refitting his ships Discovery and Resolution. His logs contain the first recorded reference to the mountains of Vancouver Island. In 1788 British Captain John Meares began a small settlement at Nootka Sound and the following year, the Spanish built a permanent fort at Friendly Cove (Yuquot) in Nuu-chah-nulth territory. The Spanish claimed sovereignty and a dispute arose which was resolved with the Nootka Convention of the 1794. There was little further exploration until the Hudson's Bay Company was granted rights to Vancouver Island on January 13, 1849 leading to the first attempt, by Captain Hamilton Moffat in 1852 to ascend a major peak on the Island when he attempted Rugged Mountain.
Adam Grant Horne located a trail across the island from the Qualicum River to the Alberni Inlet in 1856 and Joseph Despard Pemberton, Surveyor General of the Colony of Vancouver Island explored much of the southern half of the Island in 1857. The southern Island was further explored by the Vancouver Island Exploring Expedition in 1865. By the mid-1880s the southern half of the island had been explored and by 1890 the northern region had been explored as well. The central part of the island, the area now within Strathcona Provincial Park, was explored by Reverend William Washington Bolton, Headmaster of the Victoria School for Boys, in 1894 and 1896.
Ranges
Only a few of the many subranges of the Vancouver Island Ranges have official names. These are:
Refugium Range: On the Brooks Peninsula. Sophia Range: On Nootka Island, on the peninsula between Esperanza Inlet and Nuchatlitz Inlet. Genevieve Range: Nootka Island. Karmutzen Range: Between Nimpkish Lake, Tlakwa Creek and Karmuzten Creek. Hankin Range: Between Nimpkish Lake and Bonanza Lake. Franklin Range: Near Robson Bight on the Johnstone Strait between the Tsitika River and Kokish River. Bonanza Range: Between the Nimpkish River and the Tsitika River by Bonanza Lake. Sutton Range: Between Nimpkish River, White River, ktwanch River, Gold River. Newcastle Ridge: Johnstone Strait, west of Sayward-Kelsey Bay and east/north of Adams River Prince of Wales Range: East coast of Vancouver Island 40 km (25 mi) north of Campbell River. Halifax Range: Along Johnstone Strait between Amor de Cosmos Creek and Pye Creek. Beaufort Range: North of Port Alberni and west of Qualicum Beach. Pelham Range: Between the Sarita River and Alberni Inlet. Somerset Range: Between The Pacheena-Sarita River basins and the Klanawa River (between Nitinat Lake and Imperial Eagle channel) Seymour Range: Between the valley of Cowichan Lake, San Juan River and Gordon River. Gowlland Range: Near Victoria between Saanich Inlet and Brentwood Bay. Includes Mount Work Regional Park. Pierce Range: South of Gold River between the Jacklah River and the Burman River. Haihte Range: Between Tashsis River, the Nomash River, Zeballos Lake and Woss Lake.
The Elk River Mountains, located in Strathcona Provincial Park, are considered a range by some sources.Stone
Peaks of the Vancouver Island Ranges Mountain/PeakLocation Height (metres)Prominence (metres) Range Golden Hinde 2,201 2,195 Elk River Elkhorn Mountain 2,195 996 Elk River Victoria Peak 2,163 1,849 Sutton Mount Colonel Foster 2,135 864 Elk River Mount Albert Edward 2,093 1,203 ? Rambler Peak 2,092 647 Elk River Mount McBride 2,083 918 ? Kings Peak 2,065 328 Elk River Mount Celeste 2,041 369 ? The Comb 2,040 0 ? Mount Filberg 2,035 0 ? The Red Pillar 2,035 0 ? Mount Cobb 2,031 0 ?The Behinde 1,989 0Mount Colwell (Elkhorn South) 49° 46' N 125° 49' W1,989 288Alexandra Peak 1,983 0Argus Mountain 1,982 0Mount Harmston 1,982 0Mount Regan 1,982 0Iceberg Peak 1,977 0Warden Peak 1,970 0El Piveto Mountain 1,969 500Mount Rosseau 1,962 0Comox Glacier 1,960 0Mount Haig-Brown 1,947 0Mount Frink 1,921 0Shepherd Ridge 1,921 0Peak 1920 1,920 0Peak 1909 1,909 0Mount George V 1,884 0The Misthorns 1,880 0Tzela Mountain 1,880 0Rugged Mountain 1,875 0HaihteMount Adrian 1,870 0Mount Shoen 1,862 0Big Interior Mountain 1,863 0Sutton Peak 1,862 0Mount Septimus 1,850 0Crown Mountain 1,846 1339Nine Peaks 1,842 0Syd Watts Peak 1,840 0Siokum Mountain 1,840 0Siocomb Peak 1,840 0Mount Mitchell 1,838 0Jutland Mountain 1,838 0Puzzle Mountain 1,828 0Maquilla Peak 1,821 0Mount Arrowsmith 1,817 1,429Mount Donner 1,812 0Mount Kent-Urquhart 1,811 0Mount Myra 1,810 0Matchlee Mountain 1,806 0Moyeha Mountain 1,804 0Mount Cain 1,804 0Mount Abel1,800 0Ptarmigan Pinnacles 1,800 0Morrison Spire 1,800 0Merlon Mountain 1,798 0Mount Laing 1,798 0Mount Tom Taylor 1,778 0Mariner Mountain1,778 0Big Den Mountain 1,776 0Peak 5800 1,768 0Bonanza Peak 1,767 0Hapush Mountain 1,767 0Marble Peak 1,767 0Splendour Mountain 1,766 0Mount Palmerston 1,763 0Mount Burman 1,756 0Mount Judson 1,747 0Mount Beadnell 1,746 0Mount Ashwood 1,744 0Mount Con Reid 1,744 0Mount Alston 1,743 0Watchtower Peak 1,740 0Mount Russell 1,740 0Elk Mountain 1,737 0Ya'ai Peak 1,736 0Trio Mountain 1,732 0Phillips Ridge 1,732 0Mount Thelwood 1,731 0Mount Phillips 1,723 0Mount Adam 1,729 0Mount DeVoe 1,710 0Haihte Spire 1,706 0Jagged Mountain 1,701 0Whiltilla Mountain 1,693 0Bonanza RangePopsicle Peak 1,682 0Mount Bate 1,680 0Volcano Peak 1,676 0Mount Abraham 1,676 0South Blades 1,676 0Scimitar Peak 1,676 0Tyee Mountain 1,672 0Hkusam Mountain 1,670 0Prince of WalesMount Heber 1,666 0Crest Mountain 1,661 0Tsitika Mountain 1,657 0Mount Juliet 1,637 0Ms. Mountain 1,655 0Mount Nora 1,648 0Mount Sarai 1,646 0Mount Derby 1,646 0Klitsa Mountain 1,642 0Queen Peak1,640 0Mount Romeo 1,637 0Mount McKelvie 1,630 0Hyro Peak 1,628 0Eden Mountain 1,625 0Mount Cokely 1,616 0Kokummi Mountain 1,615 0 SuttonThumb Peak 1,615 0Mount Moriarty 1,610 0Big Baldy Mountain 1,610 0Bancroft Peak 1605? 0Waring Peak 1,601 0The Scissors 1,597 0Woss Mountain 1,594 0Mount Washington 1,585 510Mount Elliott 1,581 0 Zeballos Peak 1,576 0Mount McQuillan 1,575 0Malaspina Peak 1,573 0Peak 5150 1,570 0Nahmint Mountain1,568 0Mount Peel 1,564 0Mount Joan 1,557 0BeaufortMount Grattan 1,550 0Mount Flannigan 1,550 0Mount ʻAlava 1,550 0Pinder Peak 1,542 0Mount Whymper 1,541 0Abco Mountain 1,526 0Peak 5005 1,525 0Stevens Peak 1,509 0Barad-dur 1,505 0Mook Peak1,505 0El Capitan Mountain1,492 0Mount Service 1,490 0Douglas Peak 1,490 0Genesis Mountain 1,486 0Mount Titus 1,481 0Conuma Peak 1,481 0Limestone Mountain 1,480 0Adder Peak 1,480 0Megin Mountain 1,480 0Lone Wolf Mountain 1,479 734The Stone Trolls 1,478 0Ursus Mountain 1,471 0Mount Milner 1,470 0Prince of WalesSteamboat Peak 1,465 0Mount Roberts1,463 0Prince of WalesMount Leiner 1,458 0Mount Kitchener 1,457 0Tlakwa Mountain 1,457 0Mount Sir John 1,429 0FranklinKarmutzen Mountain 1,426 0KarmutzenLeighton Peak 1,411 0Merry Widow Mountain 1,402 0Snowsaddle Mountain 1,400 0RefugiumJacklah Mountain 1,400 0Mount Cederstedt 1,379 0Half Dome 1,365 0HaihteMount De Cosmos 1,355 0Peak 4400 1,341 0Peak 4330 1,319 0Kaouk Mountain 1,309 0Peak 4225 1,287 0Kwois Peak 1,274 0Mount Wolfenden 1273 0Garibaldi Peaks 1,235 0Hannah Mountain 1,250 0Twin Peaks 1,208 953Shelbert Mountain 1,207 0Mount Brenton 1,200 0Mamat Mountain 1,161 0Lukwa Mountain 1,142 0Mount Renwick 1,139 0Mount Gore 1,120 0Grayback Peak 1,119 0Carter Peak 1,097 0Comestock Peak 1,097 0Mount Rufus 1,080 0False Ears 1,063 0Mount Albemarie 1,040 0Mount Clark 1,036 0Mount Benson 1,023 668Pretty Girl Peak 1,020 0 Mount Pickering 1,006 0 ? Sydney Cone 996 0 ? Mount Seaton 957 0 ? Mount Crespi 920 0 ? Mount Lombard 920 0 ? Unnamed peak 920 () ? ? Nunatak Mountain 909 0 Refugium Saxifrage Mountain 800 0 ? Doom Mountain 762 0 Refugium Mount Finlayson 419 249 Gowlland
See also Queen Charlotte Mountains
Sources
References
External links
Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia, Vancouver Island Ranges