ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREAT DRIVES
Visit the Columbia Icefield
The Columbia Icefield covers approximately 325 square kilometres on the continental divide between Banff and Jasper National Parks. It is the largest icefield in the Canadian Rockies and the hydrological apex of North America: meltwater from its surface drains into three separate ocean systems, the Pacific, the Atlantic, and the Arctic. The Athabasca Glacier is the only outlet glacier accessible by road. The Discovery Centre, Ice Explorer, and Glacier Skywalk are operated by the Banff Jasper Collection and booked separately. There is no public transit from Canmore. Canmore Travel provides private tours and transfers from Canmore, Harvie Heights, and Banff, typically paired with Peyto Lake and Bow Lake on a full Parkway day.
How Canmore Travel fits in: Canmore Travel provides private guided tours and transfers to the Columbia Icefield from Canmore, Harvie Heights, and Banff. We do not sell tickets to third-party attractions.
What to See at the Columbia Icefield
The Icefield visit has two tiers: the free moraine trail that anyone can walk, and the paid attractions operated by the Banff Jasper Collection. Sunwapta Falls is a natural en-route stop on the drive further north toward Jasper.
Athabasca Glacier and the Columbia Icefield
The Athabasca Glacier is the most accessible glacier in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. You can stand at the edge of the ice on foot, without equipment, from the free moraine trail that departs from across the highway. It has been retreating at a measurable rate for over a century, and Parks Canada has installed dated marker posts along the moraine to document the retreat.
The moraine trail from the Discovery Centre parking area crosses the highway and climbs onto the glacial till left by the glacier's retreat. The walk from the road to the glacier toe is approximately 1.5 kilometres one-way and takes about 30 to 40 minutes at an easy pace. Along the route, Parks Canada marker posts show the glacier's position in past decades: 1890, 1910, 1950, 1980. A visual record of roughly 1.5 kilometres of retreat in 130 years. At the glacier toe, a safety barrier marks the public access limit. Walking onto the glacier without a guide or the Ice Explorer is not permitted and is actively dangerous due to hidden crevasses.
Athabasca Glacier
Moraine Trail to the Glacier Toe
The moraine trail is free. No reservation or day pass required to walk to the glacier toe.
Athabasca Glacier
Columbia Icefield Hydrological Apex
The Columbia Icefield sits at the apex of the North American continental divide. Water melting from its surface drains into three separate ocean systems: north via the Athabasca and Mackenzie rivers to the Arctic Ocean, west across the divide to the Pacific, and southeast through the North Saskatchewan River system to Hudson Bay and the Atlantic. At approximately 325 square kilometres, it is the largest icefield in the Canadian Rockies and has persisted through the current interglacial period as a remnant of the ice mass that once covered much of western Canada. The Athabasca Glacier is one of six outlet glaciers flowing from this central mass.
The icefield is visible from the Icefields Parkway without stopping. The Discovery Centre at the base of the Athabasca Glacier is the main on-site visitor hub.
Ice Explorer and Glacier Skywalk
Both the Ice Explorer and the Glacier Skywalk are operated by the Banff Jasper Collection, not Canmore Travel. Tickets are sold online and at the Discovery Centre. Summer departure times sell out regularly; booking in advance is strongly recommended.
The Ice Explorer is a large, purpose-built tracked vehicle that drives from the Discovery Centre across the moraine and onto the surface of the Athabasca Glacier. On the glacier, guests disembark and walk on the ice, collecting meltwater directly from the surface. The Ice Explorer experience runs approximately 90 minutes round-trip from the Discovery Centre. The views from glacier level, looking uphill toward the icefield plateau and downhill toward the valley, are unlike anything accessible from the road or the moraine trail. Departures run every 15 to 30 minutes during operating hours. Book through the Banff Jasper Collection; summer dates sell out weeks ahead
Ice explorer and skywalk
Ice Explorer
Ice Explorer operates approximately May 1 through October. Tickets at banffjaspercollection.com.
The Glacier Skywalk is a glass-floored walkway that extends 35 metres over the edge of a cliff above the Sunwapta Valley, 280 metres above the valley floor. Interpretive panels along the walkway cover glaciology, geology, and the ecology of the Columbia Icefield area. The view from the glass floor, straight down to the valley, produces a noticeable effect on most visitors regardless of how much they anticipated it. The Skywalk is a 10-minute drive south of the Discovery Centre; shuttle buses connect the two. It is often combined with the Ice Explorer as a package. Book through the Banff Jasper Collection.
Ice explorer and skywalk
Glacier Skywalk
Book through the Banff Jasper Collection. Often sold as a package with the Ice Explorer. Shuttle buses connect the Skywalk to the Discovery Centre.
Sunwapta Falls
Sunwapta Falls sits 55 kilometres north of the Columbia Icefield on the Icefields Parkway, a natural stopping point on the drive toward Jasper. The Sunwapta River drops 18 metres in two distinct stages through a narrow limestone canyon. It is one of the more dramatic waterfall stops on the Parkway and takes about 15 minutes from the parking area to see properly.
The upper falls at Sunwapta are the primary viewpoint: the Sunwapta River dropping from the broad valley upstream into the canyon below. A short paved trail from the parking area reaches the main viewing platform in about 10 minutes. The falls are fed by glacial meltwater from the Columbia Icefield upstream, which means they run highest and most powerfully in late June and July when snowmelt and glacial runoff are at their peak. The water carries the characteristic glacial blue-green colour, slightly clouded with suspended fine sediment. Most guests who stop here spend 15 to 20 minutes before continuing to the Icefield or Jasper.
Sunwapta Falls
Sunwapta Upper Falls Viewpoint
Parks Canada pass required. Paved trail to the viewing platform takes about 10 minutes from the parking area. Peak flow is late June through July.
A secondary trail from the upper falls parking area continues 1 kilometre downstream to the lower falls, where the Sunwapta River drops a second time before joining the wider valley. The lower falls are less visited than the upper viewpoint and require a short walk through the forest above the canyon rim. The view from the lower viewpoint looks upstream through the canyon, with the upper falls visible in the distance above. Combined with the upper falls stop, the full Sunwapta visit takes about 45 minutes. Ask your Canmore Travel driver to include Sunwapta on the Icefield day itinerary when booking.
Sunwapta Falls
Sunwapta Lower Falls and Canyon Trail
1 kilometre from the upper falls parking area. Less visited than the upper viewpoint. Combined with the upper falls stop, allow about 45 minutes.
When to Visit the Columbia Icefields
The Columbia Icefield is at nearly 1,900 metres elevation. Weather conditions shift faster here than at lower Parkway stops, and the paid attractions operate on a seasonal schedule that differs from road access.
Ice Explorer typically opens May 1. Snow conditions persist at the Icefield through May and the moraine trail may be icy through early May. Snowmelt feeds high water at Sunwapta Falls. Crowds are minimal and the glacier has its deepest blue colour before summer sediment load increases.
Opening Season (May to June)
Ice Explorer departures sell out weeks in advance in July and August. Book early. The moraine trail is at full capacity midday. Sunwapta Falls runs at its most powerful. Arriving early, before 10 AM, reduces congestion at the Discovery Centre.
Peak Season (July to August)
Ice Explorer and Skywalk continue running through most of October. Crowds thin significantly after Labour Day. Larch trees in the valleys below the Icefield turn gold in late September. Wildlife sightings on the drive increase as animals prepare for winter.
Shoulder Season (September to October)
Ice Explorer and Skywalk close for winter, typically by late October or November. The Icefields Parkway remains open but requires winter tires and weather awareness. Visitors who make the drive in winter see the glacier in a dramatically different state: frozen, silent, and entirely without other visitors.
Winter (November to April)
Ready to Visit the Columbia Icefield?
The Columbia Icefield is 255 kilometres north of Canmore, approximately 3 hours each way on the Icefields Parkway. There is no public transit. Canmore Travel provides private tours and transfers with convenient pickup locations across Canmore, Harvie Heights, and Banff. The Icefield is frequently paired with Peyto Lake and Bow Lake in a full Parkway day.
NOTE: Ice Explorer and Glacier Skywalk tickets are sold separately through the Banff Jasper Collection at banffjaspercollection.com. Parks Canada national park day pass required.
