Welcome to Jasper National Park!
After leaving Calgary for Banff, and then heading up the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93) into Jasper National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), I had finally arrived at the Park’s main attraction: The Columbia Icefield.
Rounding Parker Ridge, you come upon Mt. Athabasca and the first sight of the Icefield
The Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre:
The first stop, is the Columbia Icefield Glacier Discovery Centre. The Columbia Icefield Glacier Discovery Centre is really the visitor center, ticket box office, restaurant(s), and travel hub all rolled into one. It has a large parking lot with a straight-on view of the Athabasca Glacier.
I decided on the “Glacier Adventure” ticket ($80 CAD), which was a combination of 1) taking the Ice Explorer onto the Glacier, followed by 2) a trip to the Glacier Skywalk. The entire trip will take about 2.5 hours round-trip from the Discovery Centre.
The Columbia Icefield Glacier Discovery Centre
The Ice Explorers:
The Ice Explorers are a type of terra bus owned and operated by the Brewster Company. Brewster is said to have had these buses custom built for this glacier. There are 22 Ice Explorers at the Athabasca Glacier.
Here’s the Brewster promo video:
Ice Explorer
The ride down to the glacier is very very step (36% grade).
The extremely steep ride down onto the glacier
The receding foot of Athabasca Glacier
Arrival at the Athabasca Glacier:
Once you arrive on the glacier, the Ice Explorer will park and you’ll have about 20-30 minutes to explore the glacier (from the confines of the designated safety area).
The Columbia Icefield and its glaciers are constantly moving – so this glacier is checked daily to make sure it is safe to walk on.
The “parking lot” (image courtesy of brewster.ca)
That ‘glacier blue’
(Image courtesy of brewster.ca)
Bring your own jug to try the ice-cold clean glacial water (image courtesy of brewster.ca)
Tourists out on the glacier
Guided tour on the glacier
(Image courtesy of brewster.ca)
The glacier road
Final Thoughts on the Ice Explorers and the Athabasca Glacier:
Although the price for this package was a little steep, it is still hundreds of dollars cheaper then getting to other glaciers in Canada or Alaska. I believe it was well worth it. In fact, the Athabasca Glacier may be the most easily accessible glacier in the world.
This is a very popular tourist attraction, so I highly recommend you buy your tickets ahead of time to make sure you don’t miss out on the experience. Also, the Columbia Icefield is remote — very far from towns and hotels, so make sure you give yourself ample time (I’d say a 1-hour buffer) to make it there.
If you get there early, there’s a coffee shop and restaurant etc. Also note that there are no bathrooms once you leave the Discovery Centre, so take it easy on that ice-cold glacial water.
If you’ve ever wanted to walk on a glacier, this could be your ‘once in a lifetime’ [best] chance to do it and check it off your bucket list.
Cheers!
