Mount Lady Macdonald
Mount Lady Macdonald is a mountain in Bow Valley Provincial Park, near Canmore in Alberta, Canada, just east of Banff National Park. Its summit rises to 2,606 metres (8,550 feet) above sea level, with a small prominence of 75 metres. The peak is part of the Fairholme Range, and its nearby higher parent peak is Mount Charles Stewart (2,809 m).
The mountain was named in 1886 for Susan Agnes Macdonald, the wife of Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first prime minister. That same year, the Macdonalds traveled through the Canadian Rockies on a trip to Vancouver.
Hiking and climbing: A trail starts in Cougar Creek and leads to a helipad just before the knife-edge ridge that goes to the top. At the summit there is a cairn with a canister inside containing a pencil and a list of climbers who have reached the summit.
Geology: Mount Lady Macdonald is made of sedimentary rock that formed in shallow seas from the Precambrian to Jurassic periods. These rocks were pushed east over younger rocks during the mountain-building event known as the Laramide orogeny.
Climate: The area has a subarctic climate with cold, snowy winters and mild summers. Winter temperatures can drop below -20°C, with wind chills below -30°C. Summer is the best time for climbing.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 19:04 (CET).