Thursday, July 11
Icefields Parkway
Today, we travel 196 miles toward the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre following the Trans-Canadian Highway (CA-1 N) and then turning off onto Icefield Parkway (AB-93 N).
Starting in Banff, the road runs along the Bow Valley, flanked by steep, rocky mountain walls. The terrain features dense coniferous spruce and fir forests, with occasional open meadows and wetlands near the Bow River. Iconic peaks such as Mount Rundle and Cascade Mountain dominate the skyline.
North of Lake Louise, we turned onto AB-93, the Icefield Parkway, where we had to go through a Park Pass checkpoint. The road started to climb shortly after this.
We stopped at the Bow Lake Viewpoint. This viewpoint provided stunning views of the Crowfoot Glacier, Wapta Icefield, Crowfoot Mountain, and Mount Thompson. The lake is the headwaters of the Bow River, which flows south through Calgary and onto Hudson Bay.
The road climbs to Bow Summit, the highest point on the Icefields Parkway at 6,850 feet. The summit offers breathtaking views of Peyto Lake, known for its bright turquoise color due to glacial silt.
The area features rugged alpine terrain, sparse vegetation, and rocky outcroppings.
Descending from Bow Summit, the route passes by Mistaya Canyon, where the Mistaya River carves through limestone, creating dramatic rock formations.
Near the Saskatchewan River Crossing, the landscape opens into a wide valley with braided river channels flanked by towering peaks. The highway continued north, with the North Saskatchewan River running parallel to the road for parts of the journey.
We stopped at a pullover near Cirrus Mountain to take pictures of the Weeping Wall, where several waterfalls cascaded 330 feet down the rocky wall.
Just north of the Weeping Wall is the Big Bend, a large hairpin turn with a 7% grade. There was road construction that reduced the road to one lane. At the top of the bend, we stopped at the Big Bend Viewpoint, which gave us expansive views of the valley, the river below, and Bridal Veil Falls. These falls originate from the Huntington Glacier on the slopes of Cirrus Mountain and drop 1,200 feet, with the longest single drop being 400 feet.
Four miles up the highway, we crossed Sunwapata Summit at 6,788 feet, marking the border between Banff National Park and Jasper National Park.
We pulled into the RV parking lot of the Columbia Icefields Discovery Center four miles up the highway. Here, we would be boondocking overnight with no access to utilities.
Columbia Icefields Discovery Centre
After parking the truck and camper, we walked up to the Discovery Center.
The center was across the highway from the Columbia Icefields and the Athabasca Glacier and included a lodge, gift shop, cafeteria, theatre, museum, and fine dining options. It is also where we catch buses for the Ice Explorer tours and the Columbia Icefield Skywalk.
The Columbia Icefield is one of the largest ice fields in North America’s Rocky Mountains, straddling the border between Alberta and British Columbia. It covers an area of about 325 square kilometers and is located about 2.5 hours north of Banff and 1 hour south of Jasper.
Three glaciers can be seen from the center: the Athabasca Glacier, the most prominent and accessible glacier, the Dome Glacier, and, from certain vantage points, the Stutfield Glacier. There was a little haze from nearby forest fires, though. The Athabasca Glacier is one of Columbia Icefield’s six principal ‘toes.’ It is approximately 3.7 miles long and covers an area of about 2.3 square miles.
We explored the small museum, which offered interpretive exhibits about the Columbia Icefield and its glaciers. The displays described the formation, movement, and impact of glaciers and the effects of climate change on these massive ice formations.
Columbia Icefield Skywalk
The caravan had a group tour of the Columbia Icefield Skywalk. We met at the Discovery Center and took a shuttle to the Skywalk, which is 5-10 minutes away.
The Columbia Icefield Skywalk is a spectacular glass-floored observation platform suspended 918 feet above the Sunwapta Valley just north of the visitor center. Built into the bedrock of a cliff in 2014, the one-kilometer walkway features interpretive stations that discuss the area’s geology, wildlife, and history.
The Sunwapta River, which means “turbulent waters” in Stoney Nakoda, runs through the valley. The river is fed by the Athabasca Glacier, giving it a striking turquoise color.
I did not find the experience very exciting, and I did not feel any anxiety, maybe because it did not feel like it went far enough out. Lisa, on the other hand, did not want to walk out on it.
Regular shuttles brought us back to the Discovery Centre.
Discovery Center
When we returned, we bought a couple of expensive beers and sat on their deck in comfortable chairs overlooking the Athabasca Glacier. The views were spectacular, and the moment was very surreal.
Icefield Explorer Tour
We then rejoined our group at the shuttle stop for the Ice Explorer Tour.
We were shuttled to a parking area above Athabasca Glacier and transferred to an Icefield Explorer. We saw some mountain goats walking around the parking area.
The Icefield Explorer vehicles are huge transport buses specially designed to cross the moraines of the Athabasca Glacier and deposit guests onto the glacier’s icy surface. They have large, specialized tires designed to navigate the glacier’s icy and slippery terrain. They also have an all-wheel-drive system that distributes power to all four wheels.
It was a steep and slow descent down the gravel/ice road to the glacier. The guide gave us some background on the vehicle and the glacier during the ride. We were dropped off at a roped-off area on the glacier’s surface that was free of crevasses and safe to explore. We walked around the glacier for about 20 minutes, which was fascinating. Our wagonmaster brought paper cups, which we used to drink some of the glacier water.
Afterward, the Ice Explorer climbed back up to the parking area, where we took a shuttle back to the center. We then returned to the camper for the evening.