must-visit in BanffUniversity & Campus
Columbia Icefield
📍 Columbia Icefield, Icefields Parkway, Alberta, Canada
4.6/ 5.0
★★★★★
Introduction
The Columbia Icefield is the largest icefield in the Rockies and the most extensive south of the Arctic in North America. It feeds the Athabasca Glacier and others, and is a source of the Continental Divide. Visitors ride special ice explorers onto the glacier surface or gaze into the gorge from the glass-floored Glacier Skywalk. It is among the most awe-inspiring places to feel Earth's ice-age legacy and climate change.
✨ Highlights
1
Athabasca Glacier
Ride an ice explorer onto the glacier surface — stand on millennia-old ice, close to blue crevasses.
2
Glacier Skywalk
A glass platform cantilevers over the cliff with a hundreds-of-metres gorge below — thrilling and grand.
3
Discovery Centre
Interactive exhibits on glacier science and climate change — great family learning.
4
Icefields Parkway
The surrounding parkway is called one of the world's most scenic drives — peaks and lakes unbroken.
5
Continental Divide
The icefield sources the divide between oceans — geographically momentous.
6
Photography
Dawn and dusk light on ice walls and peaks are top-tier landscape material.
🛈 Practical Info
→Best season：May–Oct for ice explorers and Skywalk
→Duration：Half day–1 day
→Admission：Ice Explorer + Skywalk combo
→Booking：Book combo tickets ahead in peak season
→Elevation：Discovery Centre ~1,980 m
→Caution：High, cold — warm and windproof layers
💡 Tips
• Ice-explorer combos sell out — book at least a day ahead in peak season.
• The glacier surface is windy and cold even in summer — bring a heavy jacket.
• The Skywalk's glass floor unnerves some; railings keep you safe.
• Link with Peyto Lake and Bow Lake along the parkway on a drive.
• High UV at altitude — sunscreen and sunglasses.
• Never leave the guide onto crevasse zones — dangerous.
FAQ
Any practical tips for visiting Columbia Icefield?
Ice-explorer combos sell out — book at least a day ahead in peak season. The glacier surface is windy and cold even in summer — bring a heavy jacket.
Information on this page is compiled from public sources. Opening hours, ticket prices and other details may change — please verify with official sources before your visit.
