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Box 1140
100 Gopher St.
Banff, AB T1L 1J3
(403) 762-6700
100 Gopher St.
Banff, AB T1L 1J3
(403) 762-6700
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
6 reviews for Columbia Icefield
All Reviews
Columbia Icefield
6/7/2010
The scenery alone is worth the drive along the 230-kilometer Icefields Parkway from Lake Louise to Jasper...majestic mountains, breath-taking glaciers, beautiful lakes and, lucky for us, wildlife such as black bears, deer and elk. Be prepared for the long drive through the parks, but you can get food and drinks at the Columbia Icefield Centre where everyone stops to visit the Athabasca Glacier.
From the http://explorerockies.com Web site, "The Columbia Icefield is located on the boundary of Banff and Jasper National Parks. One of the largest accumulations of ice and snow south of the Arctic Circle, it covers an area of nearly 325 square kilometres, sometimes reaching a depth of 300-360 metres. The continuous accumulation of snow feeds eight major glaciers including the Athabasca, Dome, and Stutfield Glaciers, all visible from the Icefields Parkway. The Columbia Icefield is a true 'hydrological apex,' for its meltwater feeds streams and rivers that pour into the Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific oceans."
We did not take the Brewster Ice Explorer tour out onto the glacier, but preferred to observe the glacial glory from the Columbia Icefield Centre. It felt more respectful to not step all over the glacier, especially after learning about it's retreat over the years (check out the markers for where the glacier's reach used to be as you drive to the parking lot closest to the glacier's tip).
Columbia Icefield
2/26/2009
AWESOME!! I can finally say I've walked on a glacier....4 times!!!
The sad thing is that trip after trip and lining the pictures up, I see myself growing taller.. than fatter... and the ice field shrinking.
Over the span of 10 years, the evidence of global warming is apparent.
You ride on these uber cool buggy things, listen to them give you a safety spiel, run around on the ice and head back. Oh yeah, you can also bring an empty water bottle to "bottle" up some of the "elixir water." Careful though!! They tell you stories of tourists who fall through crevases and die!
Columbia Icefield
8/6/2008
Ice. As far as the eye can see. When you have to board a specially built ice truck to get onto the ice field, you know it's going to be good. It was like being in another world. Mountains of ice. Valleys of ice. Stunningly beautiful.
Of course I drank some of the fresh glacier water too.
review 8/7/2008
I.M.Y.
Columbia Icefield
9/21/2008
If you want to walk around on a glacier without much effort, check out the Athabasca Glacier, which is one tip of the Columbia icefield. It's right off the highway between Jasper and Banff Parks, making it probably the most impressive just-off-the-road tourist traps I know. You can take tours on the more dangerous parts of the ice, but you can also just walk on to the tip, on a fenced-off safe area, and that much is free.
There's also a visitor centre across the highway, with info on the glacier. Most notable are the old photos of the glacier over the last century and a bit, when it was much bigger (it extended to where the visitor centre is now, and would have covered the highway and the parking lot). Better to go while you can, before global warming shrinks it even more.
Columbia Icefield
9/8/2008
This was my first time on a glacier. Its a really neat experience. They take you out on specially designed glacier trucks which are totally unique and unlike anything you have ever seen before.
I learned more than I ever knew about glaciers. It was quite an interesting diversion on the road between Banff and Jasper National Parks.
Columbia Icefield
8/6/2008
I loved being on a glacier for the very first time. I only wished I were alone to enjoy the glacier all by myself...
