Alberta
Columbia Icefield
Adventure 8/10 · Scenery 10/10 · Family 7/10 · Access 6/10
The place
The largest icefield in the Rockies feeds the Athabasca Glacier, which you can walk on with a guide or ride onto in a giant Ice Explorer. The Icefields Parkway to reach it is a bucket-list drive in itself.
The Columbia Icefield is the largest sheet of ice in the Rockies, and the Athabasca Glacier is the arm of it you can actually stand on. Ride out onto the ice in a giant Ice Explorer, or join a guided walk that takes you past crevasses and meltwater streams for a closer, quieter encounter with the glacier.
The drive to reach it, the Icefields Parkway, is one of the great mountain roads on earth — budget extra time for waterfalls, wildlife and the glass-floored Skywalk. Even in midsummer it's cold on the ice, so bring warm layers and sturdy footwear.
What you can do
- Guided glacier walk
- Ice Explorer ride
- Skywalk platform
- Scenic driving
