| a series of mountain ranges along the Pacific coast of North America, extending from Lower California to SE Alaska. |
| Coast Mountains A range of western British Columbia, Canada, and southeast Alaska extending about 1,609 km (1,000 mi) parallel to the Pacific coast. The mountains slope precipitously to the Pacific Ocean, where the shoreline is deeply indented by fjords. Mount Waddington, 3,996.7 m (13,104 ft), is the highest elevation in the range. |
Coast Mountains
segment of the Pacific mountain system of western North America. The range extends southeastward through western British Columbia, Can., for about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from just north of the border with Yukon Territory, Can., along the border of the panhandle of Alaska, U.S., to the Fraser River. Many peaks exceed 11,000 feet (3,400 m), including Monarch Mountain and Mounts Munday, Tiedemann, and Waddington. The last, at 13,176 feet (4,016 m), is the highest point in the range. Many glaciers have carved canyonlike valleys, resulting in the formation of numerous fjords along the Pacific coast. Annual rainfall totals are very high, with some areas receiving more than 100 inches (250 cm). In winter, snowfall is equally heavy. Dense coniferous forests dominate the landscape. The Garibaldi, Mount Seymour, and Tweedsmuir provincial parks are popular tourist attractions.
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