Experience the Icefields Parkway

Lake Louise framed Chateau Window Peyto Lake Viewpoint

If you’ve yet to explore the Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper we have one question for you – what are you waiting for!?

Considered one of the most beautiful mountain drives in the world, along with the spectacular-in-a-different-way “Going To The Sun” road in Montana, the Parkway is a true gem. For just under 300 km, there are only a handful of human habitations like lodges, hostels, cafeterias as well as the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre. The rest of the time there’s nothing but highway, lakes, mountains, glaciers and wildlife.

And you. Having one of those quasi-spiritual experiences that an overdose of beauty can bring.

Taking your car is no longer the only, or perhaps even the best, way to witness the scenery. There are many guided tours that include this route as part of their itinerary. There’s even the option of cruising along on the back of a Harley!

The Parkway itself is pretty straightforward. If driving, you pay your National Park admission fee at the gates, if you don’t already have one, and cruise on up the road. And, while you’ll see a lot of spectacular scenery on that road, it’s when you dive in to the side-trips that the experience becomes truly epic.

Jasper Motorcycle Tours is an exciting option for experiencing the Parkway, offering 1 to 3 hour tours around Jasper, or down the Parkway as far as the Icefields. They do the driving; you and a smallish friend go in the Harley’s sidecar. Rates start at $319 for adults, $160 for kids. The best part is you get to wear leathers and show everybody at home your inner biker.

From Banff, you can now take an express transit bus as far as Lake Louise - Canada’s highest permanent settlement - with a day pass for $20 and, given the parking difficulties there, it could be your best option. See roamtransit.com for information. Buses even accept US dollars. To see the whole Parkway, an option is a an 8 hour one way guided tour from either Banff or Jasper for $159. Info: banffjaspercollection.com

The peak diversion is the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre, about an hour south of Jasper or 2 hr north of Banff. Ride one of the giant ‘Ice-Explorers’ out on to the massive Athabasca Glacier, one arm of an ice field complex that is over one and a half times the size of Paris! The young folk who drive these monsters are well trained at both driving and entertaining you, and it’s an experience you won’t soon forget. A recent addition to this adventure is the construction of a glass-bottomed walkway that juts over the side of the Sunwapta Valley, located just north of the Centre.

Admission to either experience is via the visitor centre and its fleet of busses. Adult combo tour of both attractions is $103, less if you’re an Alberta resident. Like most of the big sights in Alberta’s Rockies, these are now owned by Pursuit. The company also runs the Banff Gondola and the Maligne and Minnewanka Lake cruises, so it’s worth investigating a ‘combo package’ if you’ll be spending a few days in the area. It’s also worth bringing your own snacks or lunches to these attractions, let’s just say in-house prices are reflective of the isolation.

A nice spot to grab lunch is at Sunwapta Falls, 53 km south of Jasper. A visit to Athabasca Falls is not to be missed! Not the tallest, but the sheer force of the water is fantastic. Plan on spending half an hour, and walk all the way to the bottom of the gorge along the well laid out trail and viewing platforms.

However you do it, experiencing the Icefields Parkway is an awesome experience of the sheer scale and magnificence of Mother Nature. Even the bears agree.

Experience Travel Guides contributor Allen Gibson regularly leads tours on the Parkway.

The Icefields Centre now has free wifi - one of the few spots on the parkway where you’ll have net or cell service. You won’t be able to replicate the photo of Peyto Lake this year - the viewpoint is closed for a revamp all year.

See helpful map on page 34! Photos and Story By: Allen Gibson