The Hart Ranges are a major subrange of the Canadian Rockies located in northeastern British Columbia and western Alberta. The mountains constitute the southernmost portion of the Northern Rocky Mountains.

Hart Ranges
Location of the Hart Ranges
Highest point
PeakMount Ovington
Elevation2,941 m (9,649 ft)[1]
ListingRanges of the Canadian Rockies
Coordinates54°08′40″N 120°34′15″W / 54.14444°N 120.57083°W / 54.14444; -120.57083[1]
Dimensions
Length282 km (175 mi) NW-SE[2]
Width367 km (228 mi)
Area13,584 km2 (5,245 sq mi)
Geography
CountryCanada
ProvincesBritish Columbia and Alberta
Range coordinates55°0′N 122°30′W / 55.000°N 122.500°W / 55.000; -122.500[3]
Parent rangeCanadian Rockies
Borders on
Topo mapNTS 93O/01[3]

The Hart Ranges were named in honour of British Columbia Premier John Hart, as is the highway which traverses the Pine Pass in the northern part of the range, connecting the north-central Interior of the province to the Peace River Regional District to the northeast.[4]

Geography

edit

The boundaries of the Hart Ranges are the Rocky Mountain Trench and the McGregor Plateau on the west/southwest, the Peace Reach of Williston Lake on the north, a certain line of demarcation with the Rocky Mountain Foothills to the east/northeast, and the Jarvis Creek to the south.[5][6]

The Hart Ranges is home to two ultra-prominent peaks, Mount Crysdale and Mount Ovington. Mount Ida and Mount Sir Alexander are south of Jarvis Creek and are in the Continental Ranges, which comprise the main and best-known part of the Rocky Mountains and run all the way south to Marias Pass in Montana.

Sub-ranges

Official subdivisions of the Hart Ranges include the:

Other areas of the Hart Ranges have no subdesignations though the area around Mount Sir Alexander has been dubbed the Mount Sir Alexander Group by The Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia; however, this is not an official designation.

Industry

edit

The Hart Ranges are the location of a number of large coal mines focused on the remote communities of Tumbler Ridge and Chetwynd.

Preservation

edit

The southernmost tip of the mountain range is preserved within Kakwa Provincial Park and Protected Area. Other provincial parks located within the range include Monkman Provincial Park and Hole-in-the-Wall Provincial Park.

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Topographic map of Mount Ovington". opentopomap.org. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  2. ^ "Hart Ranges". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  3. ^ a b "Hart Ranges". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  4. ^ "Hart Ranges". BC Geographical Names. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  5. ^ Holland, Stuart S. (1976). Bulletin 48: Landforms of British Columbia--A Physiographic Outline (PDF). K. M. MacDonald, Province of British Columbia. p. 84. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2011-04-09.
  6. ^ Simon, C; Ommanney, L. (2002). "Glaciers of the Canadian Rockies". U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper. Satellite Image Atlas of Glaciers of the World (1386–J–1): J272.