The Columbia Icefield is one of the gems of the Canadian Rockies. Set astride the Continental Divide, this icefield feeds six glaciers in the region. The Columbia Icefield has an overall area is 325 square kilometers, its depth reaches 1,180+ feet (360 m) and it receives an average of 275 inches (7 m) of snow per year.

The glaciers that are fed by the icefield include Castleguard Glacier, Columbia Glacier, Dome Glacier, Stutfield Glacier, Saskatchewan Glacier, and the Athabasca Glacier.

Waling tours of the Athabasca Glacier are available, taking visitors along the Forefield Trail.

Take the light hike up to the mammoth force of nature located at the northwest tip of Banff National Park/southern tip of Jasper National Park with a certified guide for an unforgettable experience in the Canadian Rockies.

During the approximately two-hour hike, visitors will learn about the retreating path of the mighty glacier and the importance of melt water. The human history of the area will also be part of the tour, as will facts about the plants and wildlife that thrive in this kind of harsh and cold environment.

The glacier is surrounded by some of the highest peaks in the Canadian Rockies, for example Mount Andromeda at 11,318 feet (3,450 m), Mount Athabasca at 11,453 feet (3,491 m), Mount Bryce at 11,505 feet (3,507 m), and Mount Columbia at 12,293 feet (3,747 m).

The tour is available from late May until late September, weather permitting. There are three departure times: 11 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The tours can be purchased and leave from the Icefield Centre at the Columbia Icefield.

Warning: Don’t ever head out onto the glacier by yourself. Always take an experienced guide. Glaciers can be dangerous! Also, please be aware that rubber soled shoes should be worn for this excursion.

Call 1-800-760-6934 or visit Explore Rockies to book your excursion today!

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Exploring Banff National Park is ideal during the warmer months. Take in the lush greens, blue bird skies and the contrast of the permanently snow-capped peaks, without suffering in dipping temperatures.

For a truly unique experience, head right up to the snow in the middle of the summer!

The Columbia Icefield is located on the Athabasca Glacier where Banff National Park borders Jasper National Park. The glacier is 6 km long and 1 km wide. That’s over 65 football fields long and almost 11 wide! The Columbia Icefield is one of the biggest accumulations of snow and ice that can be found south of the Arctic Circle!

The icefield is 1,180 feet (360 m) deep at some points and is continually growing. Because of its huge size and position along the Great Divide, meltwater from the Columbia Icefield reaches the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans!

Visit the Columbia Icefield Interpretive Centre for interpretive exhibits, guided ice walks, and self-guided trail maps. The centre also offers a dining room, cafeteria, gift shop and accommodation at the Glacier View Inn.

Excursions in the area take visitors across the icefield in a huge Brewster Ice Explorer, a type of all-terrain, all-weather bus from late April until mid October.

During the ride you’ll hear about the geological forces that make glaciers possible and see countless natural wonders. About half way through the 1.5-hour tour, visitors get a chance to step out onto the actual glacier and contemplate the ancient ice’s massiveness and power.

You’ll be there just a blip in the span of time, but just think that over 400 years ago, snow fell in this part of Banff and compacted into the glacier that it is today. Don’t miss this unforgettable trip!

Weather permitting, the tours leave the Interpretive Centre every 15-30 minutes during the season.

To reach the Interpretive Centre, take the Icefields Parkway, a treat in and of itself! This 230 km parkway, between Lake Louise and the town of Jasper, can take you to over one hundred visible glaciers and past picturesque turquoise lakes, alpine meadows, rushing waterfalls and the snow-capped peaks of the Canadian Rockies.

Columbia Icefield Interpretive Centre
Hwy 93 North – Icefield Parkway
P.O. Box #1140
Banff, AB   T1L 1J3
Phone: (403) 762-6735
Toll Free: (877) 423-7433

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To get the most out of this Banff scenic drive, you’ll want to get up early.  That way you’ll beat the crowds, see more wildlife, and have more time appreciate the views, short hikes and tours available.

You’ll start your excursion from the town of Lake Louise, where you can stock up, and rest up, before your scenic drive.

Lake Louise and Moraine Lake

Day one is a breeze, because you’ll only drive 4 km (2.5 mi) before reaching Lake Louise, the town’s namesake lake.

You won’t believe the powerful green color of this lake. It’s like nothing else in the world, the result of light reflecting off minerals that ancient glaciers have released into the lake over the years. Right on the lake, you’ll find picture-perfect Chateau Lake Louise, a hotel constructed in the early 20th century by the railroad.

From Lake Louise, it’s just a short distance to Moraine Lake, another Banff National Park highlight.

You could keep going on this first day from Moraine Lake to Jasper, but we recommend heading back to Lake Louise and taking it easy. You’re on vacation, afterall. Take your time, enjoy the view, and maybe even see some wildlife if you’re patient.

The Columbia Icefields and Jasper

From Lake Louise area, you’ll get on Icefields Parkway heading toward Jasper National Park. The trip is about 237 km (148 mi) of amazing scenic highway, with each peak and lake more amazing than the last, and more than 100 glacier giving the highway its name.

You should plan on making several stops along this drive, one of which is Hector Lake. It’s Banff National Park’s biggest lake and has great views of Crowfoot Mountain and Mt. Balfour.

After Hector Lake, continue on to Bow Summit. This is the drive’s highest elevation point, at 2,068 m (6,785 ft) above sea level, is the highest point on the drive. You’ll get Bow Summit’s is best views at the Peyto Lake viewpoint, where you’ll see yet another breath-taking lake, with a stunning turquoise blue-green color.

From Peyto Lake, you’ll be driving over the Saskatchewan River then onward to the Weeping Wall. Take your time between these two points, as it’s often a good place to watch wildlife from.

When you do get to the weeping wall, you’ll see exactly what the name suggest, snow melting high up on Cirrus Mountain creates little rivulets that seep through the cliffs and “weeps” off the mountains.

Now you’re nearing what to many is the highlight of this drive, the Columbia Icefield. This icefield is huge, measuring 100 to 365 m (328 to 1,197 ft) thick, with an area of 202 square mi (325 square km). The icefield is a good way to get a sense for how nature made these mountains so beautiful through a long geologic process.

Here you can pick up tours that include a ride on the ice in an all-terrain bus or trekking. Get tour information from the Welcome Centre. At some times of the year, you can walk up, reach out and touch this ancient block of ice.

Take your time experiencing the icefields, before heading off to the wonders of the Athabasca Glacier and Mt. Athabasca. Keep on driving, and you see the Athabasca River, which carries the largest volume of any river in the area, which you can watch as it tumbles over the Athabasca Falls.

From Athabasca Falls, you’re just a short drive away from Jasper, where you’ll find great hotels to rest at, restaurants to fill your belly, and a friendly atmosphere.

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JASPER, Alberta – See many of the Canadian Rockies main attractions on an interpretive tour running from Jasper to Banff, Alberta. Jasper Vacations Tours operates guided tours between two of Alberta’s most scenic mountain towns including a stop at the Columbia Icefields between destinations.

The tour follows Canada’s most scenic highway, the Icefields Parkway, and stops at several scenic and popular sightseeing destinations along the way. Jasper Vacations offers either a one way excursion ending in Banff or Lake Louise or the option to continue back to Jasper. The tour lasts between 6 and 12 hours depending on whether you decide on a one-way or round-trip excursion.

On the tour, you will see Bow Lake, the Weeping Wall, Crowfoot Glacier, Athabasca Falls and Sunwapta Falls. The highlight of the tour is a stop at the Athabasca Glacier where visitors can take the opportunity to ride the Snowcoach Tour onto the glacial fields.

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BANFF, Alberta – WOW Banff offers daily tour departures from the town of Banff through the scenic and serene mountain lakes of Banff National Park. Tour the beautiful Canadian Rockies terrain surrounding Lake Louise and Moraine Lake.

The guided tour meanders through Banff National Park’s magnificent collection of glacial lakes. Once you arrive at Lake Louise, you can see the reflection of the Victoria Glacier and Mount Victoria in the calm lake waters. During the tour, be on the look out for wildlife sightings such as elk, deer, and mountain goats.

The tour departs daily from the town of Banff from several locations. Make sure to bring your camera along to snap some shots of the castle-like Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise before the tour’s finale at Moraine Lake.

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BANFF, Alberta – Adventure out on an evening wildlife tour and boat cruise which practically guarantees native wildlife sightings. Set out on a Canadian Rockies wildlife viewing adventure in Banff National Park with Jasper Vacations Tours.

The tour starts with a comfortable coach ride along Cascade Mountain to Lake Minnewanka. Banff National Park comes to life in the evenings with a bustle of wildlife activity so have your camera ready to capture a flurry of activity from bighorn sheep and mountain goats to deer and even bears.

Jasper Vacations Tours has several pick-up and drop-off locations in the town of Banff and the tour runs for approximately four hours with plenty of wildlife sighting opportunities.

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BANFF, Alberta – Jasper Vacations Tours provides interpretive tours that will take you to all the hot spots in Banff with the option to include a gondola ride. See the main attractions in a bustling yet serene Canadian Rockies mountain town.

Jasper Vacations Tours offers this tour through the summer months and has several pick up and drop off locations. You can choose to include the cost of the Gondola ticket in the Jasper Vacations Tour price.

On the Discover Banff Tour, you will have the chance to learn about local wildlife, geology and folklore. The highlight of the tour is a stop at the Banff Gondola ride which gives you are sweeping 360 aerial views of the 6 surrounding mountain ranges.

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