Cirque of the Unclimbables, located inside the Nahanni National Park Reserve

Nahanni National Park Reserve

Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, approximately west of Yellowknife, protects a portion of the Mackenzie Mountains Natural Region. The centrepiece of the park is the South Nahanni River. Four noteworthy canyons reaching in depth, called...

, in the Northwest Territories

Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, approximately 500 km (311 mi) west of Yellowknife, is a cluster of peaks and walls in the Mackenzie Mountains

Mackenzie Mountains

The Mackenzie Mountains are a mountain range forming part of the Yukon-Northwest Territories boundary between the Liard and Peel rivers. The range is named in honour of Canada's second Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie. Nahanni National Park Reserve is in the Mackenzie Mountains.The Mackenzie...

 Natural Region.

Description

According to the tourism promotion authority of the government of Northwest Territories (text used with permission): "A challenge for world class mountaineers, the Cirque is located in the Ragged Range, near Glacier Lake. The Cirque's most famous peak – a must for every serious climber - is the Lotus Flower Tower, featured in Fifty Classic Climbs of North America

Fifty Classic Climbs of North America

Fifty Classic Climbs Of North America is a climbing guidebook and history written by Steve Roper and Allen Steck. It is considered a definitive piece of climbing literature, known to many climbers as simply "The Book", and has served as an inspiration for more recent climbing books, such as Mark...

. The Vampire Spires are granite towers some 40 km away that challenge even the Cirque.

True to their name, these ragged peaks were shaped by the last ice age, and are some of the highest in the Northwest Territories. Remote and towering cliffs and icefields challenge hikers and climbers. This is the summer range of woodland caribou, mountain goats, Dall's sheep and bears."

History

In 1955, the legendary mountaineer Arnold Wexler came across a spectacular series of remote cliffs in the Logan Mountains, now part of Nahanni National Park Reserve. Frustrated by their sheer granite walls, he named the jagged monsters the Cirque of the Unclimbables.

Lotus Flower Tower and Other Famous Climbs

The Cirque's most famous peak – a must for every serious climber - is the Lotus Flower Tower featured in Fifty Classic Climbs of North America

Fifty Classic Climbs of North America

Fifty Classic Climbs Of North America is a climbing guidebook and history written by Steve Roper and Allen Steck. It is considered a definitive piece of climbing literature, known to many climbers as simply "The Book", and has served as an inspiration for more recent climbing books, such as Mark...

. The most spectacular view of the Cirque is visible from its 610 metre (2000 ft) southeast buttress. Other great climbs include Mount Proboscis, Club International and Middle Huey Spire.