Glacial Grandeur

Exploring the Columbia Icefield

Imagine standing atop a vast expanse of ice, surrounded by breathtaking mountain vistas—welcome to the Columbia Icefield, a frozen wonderland straddling Banff and Jasper national parks. The area consists of a series of glaciers totalling roughly 230 sq km in size, making it the largest icefield in the Canadian Rockies. A popular spot to stop off along the iconic Icefields Parkway drive, it's also the perfect place to take part in a one-of-a-kind four-wheel-drive adventure.

The Ice Explorer day tour entails exploring the ancient Athabasca Glacier while inside an all-terrain snow coach. There are only 23 of these Terra Buses in the world, with Antarctica’s McMurdo research station being the only other destination where you can find these heavy-duty vehicles. Specially designed to traverse the difficult icy terrain, these large coaches are fitted with big surrounding windows, giving passengers enough visibility to soak in the spectacular local environment.

While out on the glacier expert tour guides share their knowledge of the fascinating local ecosystem and the environmental challenges the area now faces. Once you have navigated to a safe section of the ice, you can also choose to walk out onto the glacier while under the guide's supervision. Walking amid the frozen terrain is sure to make for an unforgettable adventure.

The journey concludes with a tour of the Glacier Skywalk, a 400 metre long glass-bottomed walkway suspended 280 metres above the valley floor. Detailed signs along the walkway showcase all the notable surrounding sights, providing fascinating context to the spectacular views before you.

Adventures across the Athabasca Glacier are scheduled between May and early October, with freezing winter conditions making the ice inaccessible for the remainder of the year.