Wilcox Peak
(2884 m)
Located in the upper Sunwapta River Valley opposite Mount Kitchener, Wilcox Peak forms the western buttress of Wilcox Pass.

In 1896 Walter Wilcox, Robert L. Barrett and guides Tom Lusk and Fred Stephens travelled north over Bow Pass, up the Saskatchewan River and became the first to reach Sunwapta Pass. They were on a sixty day expedition and searching for a pass through which to reach the Athabasca River. Impressed by, "the tremendous grandeur of mountain scenery," the group explored the area, Barrett even attempting to climb, "a beautiful, glacier-hung peak" which must have been Mount Athabasca.

In order to determine if the party could continue over the newly discovered pass, Fred Stephens was able to pass beween the toe of the Athabasca Glacier and the steep slopes of Wilcox Peak but found that, "the route which first appeared most promising was blocked by a canyon." The party then proceeded over a high grassy pass to the east of what is now known as Wilcox Peak, descending into the Sunwapta Valley beyond Tangle Falls and the steep canyon to continue their explorations. The pass was later named in honour of Walter Wilcox.

The official name of the mountain is Wilcox Peak but there is some confusion about this. The name Wilcox Peak was suggested by Norman Collie in 1899 and it was officially approved by the Geographic Board of Canada in 1924. In 1928 it was changed to Mount Wilcox but officially changed back again to Wilcox Peak in 1956. This back and forth-ing likely explains the confusion. (Merrily Aubrey)

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