Columbia Icefield and Athabasca Glacier

The Largest Icefield In The Rocky Mountains, About 215 Square Km, On The Border Of Banff And Jasper National Parks (UNESCO Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, 1984). The Athabasca Glacier, One Of Its Tongues, Can Be Seen From The Road And Visited By A Special Vehicle Ice Field Tour. A Glass Floored Skywalk Lookout And A Short Trail Are Nearby. Glaciers Are Retreating Quickly; Crevasses Are Deadly. · Jasper, Alberta

The Columbia Icefield is the largest icefield in the Rocky Mountains, about 215 square km, straddling the border of Banff and Jasper National Parks on the Icefields Parkway, roughly 100 km south of Jasper townsite. The Athabasca Glacier, one of its tongues, is visible from the road and from the Icefield Centre, and it is retreating fast. You can walk to the toe at the base on a marked path, but do not walk onto the ice without a certified guide: crevasses, hidden meltwater channels and sudden cold have killed visitors. The Glacier Adventure on special large-wheeled buses, run by a seasonal concessionaire, takes you onto the ice safely, and a separate-ticket Skywalk offers a glass-floored lookout (confirm both). At about 2,000 m the wind is cold even in July. Services are limited along the Parkway; fuel is at Saskatchewan Crossing and Jasper. It suits families, photographers and anyone who wants a glacier from the car. Allow two to four hours.

Visitor area at the Icefield Centre on the Icefields Parkway about 100 km south of Jasper townsite on the Alberta side of the Banff-Jasper boundary, with a glacier tongue visible from the road and a glass-floored skywalk, Jasper, Alberta, Canada

The viewpoints, the road and the path to the glacier toe are open without a gate in the visitor season, but the Icefield Centre, the Glacier Adventure tour and the Skywalk run on seasonal schedules, commonly from late spring to early autumn, with the best hours in summer and little or nothing in winter. Tour departure times, the last tour of the day and ticket cut-offs change from year to year, so confirm with the operator and Parks Canada before you drive. The Icefields Parkway can close or need winter tires in snow, and fog or storm can hide the glacier entirely. A valid Parks Canada pass is needed for the national parks.

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