Mount Robson is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. Its south face rises 3000m from the valley floor and is composed of horizontal shale strata, creating the distinctive rock banding. The peak rising sharply from the valley bottom creates its own unique microclimate. The complex mountain ecosystem contains four biogeoclimatic zones and diverse flora and fauna. The peak is often obstructed by clouds. To the Texqakalit Nation, the earliest know inhabitants of the upper Fraser area, Mount Robson was "Yuh-hai-has-kun", loosely translated at "the mountain of the spiral road".