Athabasca Glacier & Jasper Columbia Icefield
Athabasca Glacier is North America's most‑visited glacier.Visit the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre and hop aboard Ice Explorer vehicles to drive onto the Athabasca glacier.
The Athabasca Glacier is the most visited and accessible glacier in the Canadian Rockies, flowing down from the vast Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park. It stretches roughly six kilometers in length and covers an area of about six square kilometers, though it has been steadily retreating over the past century. The glacier is a slow-moving river of ancient ice, formed from centuries of compacted snow, and its deep crevasses, shimmering blue layers, and jagged seracs reveal the immense forces at work within it. Meltwater from the glacier feeds into three major river systems that eventually reach the Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic Oceans, making it a rare hydrological triple divide.
The Columbia Icefield itself is a massive expanse of interconnected glaciers spanning roughly 325 square kilometers, straddling the Continental Divide between Alberta and British Columbia. It is one of the largest accumulations of ice south of the Arctic Circle and sits at an average elevation of about 3,000 meters. The icefield's high plateau gives rise to several glaciers besides the Athabasca, including the Dome, Stutfield, and Saskatchewan Glaciers. Snowfall here is heavy and persistent, and the ice can be up to 365 meters thick in places. This frozen landscape has existed for thousands of years, shaped by repeated glacial advances and retreats.
Visitors can experience the Athabasca Glacier up close in several ways. Guided Ice Explorer tours take passengers onto the glacier's surface in specially designed all-terrain vehicles, allowing them to walk on the ice and drink fresh glacial meltwater. Hiking trails near the toe of the glacier provide a chance to see its crevasses and the surrounding moraine fields while learning about its rapid retreat due to climate change. The Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre, located across from the glacier, serves as a hub for tours and offers exhibits explaining the geology, hydrology, and ecology of the icefield region. The nearby Glacier Skywalk, perched high above the Sunwapta Valley, adds another dramatic perspective, with a glass-floored observation platform extending over the cliffs.
Together, the Athabasca Glacier and Columbia Icefield present a striking combination of accessibility and grandeur. Standing on or near the glacier, you can feel the chill in the air, hear the trickle of meltwater flowing beneath the ice, and take in the surrounding peaks and snowfields that seem to stretch endlessly into the distance. They are not only awe-inspiring natural wonders but also vivid reminders of the forces that have shaped the Rockies-and of the changes still taking place in these high, frozen landscapes.
The Athabasca Glacier sits on the eastern slopes of the Continental Divide, spilling from the Columbia Icefield like a frozen river into the Sunwapta Valley. It descends in a gentle but powerful slope, its surface appearing deceptively smooth from a distance but revealing deep cracks, jagged ice walls, and pockets of brilliant blue when viewed up close. The glacier moves only a few centimeters per day, yet this slow motion carries with it centuries-old ice from the high icefield above. Standing at the glacier's toe, you can see clear markers showing how far it has retreated over the decades-each sign representing a year where the ice once reached, now replaced by gravel, rock, and meltwater streams.
Athabasca Glacier & Jasper Columbia Icefield
The Columbia Icefield itself is a frozen high-altitude plateau, stretching across the boundary of Jasper and Banff National Parks. At its highest points, it is ringed by towering peaks such as Mount Athabasca, Mount Andromeda, Snow Dome, and Mount Columbia-the second-highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies. Snow Dome is particularly notable as a hydrological apex: meltwater from its slopes eventually reaches three different oceans, a feature shared by only a handful of locations worldwide. The icefield is fed by heavy winter snowfalls and cool summer temperatures, though even here, the impacts of a warming climate are visible in shrinking glaciers and newly exposed rock faces.Visiting the Athabasca Glacier offers a rare opportunity to set foot on moving glacial ice without a multi-day expedition. The Ice Explorer tours transport guests onto a safe, flat section of the glacier, where you can feel the textured crunch underfoot and see meltwater channels carving through the surface. In summer, tiny rivulets and pools form across the ice, shimmering under the sun. For those on foot, the short, self-guided interpretive trail to the glacier's edge provides views of lateral moraines, glacial striations etched into bedrock, and the stark contrast between the lush valley below and the icy expanse above.
Across the road, the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre acts as both a launch point for tours and a learning hub, with exhibits on glacier formation, climate patterns, and the role of the icefield in shaping the Rockies. From here, visitors can also take the short shuttle to the Glacier Skywalk-a cliff-edge glass-floored platform suspended above the valley, offering unobstructed views of mountains, waterfalls, and the glacially carved landscape below. The combination of standing on ancient ice, learning its history, and gazing over the sweeping mountain scenery makes the Athabasca Glacier and Columbia Icefield a highlight of any journey along the Icefields Parkway.
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