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Cruise the Icefield Parkway of Alberta, Canada
Published by Jodi Garner, Writer
Country: Canada 
The Experience
Rolling through the Canadian Rocky Mountains of western Alberta, the Icefield Parkway is truly one of the most picturesque and awe-inspiring drives in Canada. Running the length of 230 km from Lake Louise to Jasper, the Icefield Parkway weaves and bends around snowcapped mountains, glacial lakes, scenic lookouts, and through some of the best hiking and camping spots in western Canada. The whole drive can take as little as four hours, but to do so would mean missing out on all that make the Icefield Parkway drive famous.
Lake Louise, by far the most famous lake in Canada, is a great starting point to the Icefield Parkway. This glacier feed lake sits between two large mountains which frame its turquoise waters. Once visitors set eyes on this rare combination of colour and beauty, they can’t help but grab their camera and start taking photos. However, there is more to see than just majestic Lake Louise. Many kilometers of hiking trails branch out from Lake Louise, allowing visitors to score the mountains and get an ever better look at the glacier, which sits atop.
Heading out from Lake Louise, the Icefield Parkway leads north, and there are no real towns or stores for the remainder of the trip, which is what makes this journey so remarkable. The first portion of the Icefield Parkway is the Bow Pass, the highest point along the trip, in which the road sits at a staggering 2070 m above sea level. Regardless of the time of year, snow flurries and high winds can be expected. In just a few hundred kilometers, visitors are able to experience a change of season from summer to winter, and enjoy a snowball fight while in their shorts and t-shirt. If you are lucky, you may also spot the elusive elk that roams much of this sub-alpine terrain.
As Canada's Icefield Parkways heads further north, exiting Banff National Park and entering Jasper National Park, there is a subtle change in natural landscape. The Columbia Icefields, one of the largest collections of ice south of the Arctic Circle, contains little of the towering fur and spruce trees that are seen further south. However, it is at the Columbia Icefields that visitors actually have the opportunity to walk atop the Athabasca Glacier. Nowhere else in Canada can you stand on a glacier and watch as 200-year-old snow melts below your feet. What is truly unique about the Athabasca Glacier are the many plaques that stand as a testament to where this glacier once reached. Over the centuries it has gradually made a slow retreat due to global warming. Nowadays it may seem relatively small in surface area, but the Athabasca Glacier is over 300 meters thick.
Just north of the Columbia Icefields, as you enter the town of Jasper, stands the Athabasca Falls: a large 23-metre-tall waterfall. You can literally feel the vibrations in your chest as the water barrels down the falls, showing off its sheer power and speed. It is with this force that much of the rivers and canyons in the area have been created. Leaving the falls, you can walk for miles downstream along the large Athabasca canyon carved out from centuries of rushing water.
It is as apparent here as anywhere else on the Icefield Parkway, that nature is truly beautiful. Natural elements over centuries have worked together to create some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world. Although these are only a few of the highlights along the Icefield Parkway, there is much more to see and do. During the entire drive, everywhere you look is a perfect moment in time that you can’t help but want to capture. Each mountain, lake and valley hold a wonderful host of wildlife, history and natural beauty that you only can experience while looking out the window and driving the Icefield Parkway. You just never know what wonders are around the next bend.
Lake Louise, by far the most famous lake in Canada, is a great starting point to the Icefield Parkway. This glacier feed lake sits between two large mountains which frame its turquoise waters. Once visitors set eyes on this rare combination of colour and beauty, they can’t help but grab their camera and start taking photos. However, there is more to see than just majestic Lake Louise. Many kilometers of hiking trails branch out from Lake Louise, allowing visitors to score the mountains and get an ever better look at the glacier, which sits atop.
Heading out from Lake Louise, the Icefield Parkway leads north, and there are no real towns or stores for the remainder of the trip, which is what makes this journey so remarkable. The first portion of the Icefield Parkway is the Bow Pass, the highest point along the trip, in which the road sits at a staggering 2070 m above sea level. Regardless of the time of year, snow flurries and high winds can be expected. In just a few hundred kilometers, visitors are able to experience a change of season from summer to winter, and enjoy a snowball fight while in their shorts and t-shirt. If you are lucky, you may also spot the elusive elk that roams much of this sub-alpine terrain.
As Canada's Icefield Parkways heads further north, exiting Banff National Park and entering Jasper National Park, there is a subtle change in natural landscape. The Columbia Icefields, one of the largest collections of ice south of the Arctic Circle, contains little of the towering fur and spruce trees that are seen further south. However, it is at the Columbia Icefields that visitors actually have the opportunity to walk atop the Athabasca Glacier. Nowhere else in Canada can you stand on a glacier and watch as 200-year-old snow melts below your feet. What is truly unique about the Athabasca Glacier are the many plaques that stand as a testament to where this glacier once reached. Over the centuries it has gradually made a slow retreat due to global warming. Nowadays it may seem relatively small in surface area, but the Athabasca Glacier is over 300 meters thick.
Just north of the Columbia Icefields, as you enter the town of Jasper, stands the Athabasca Falls: a large 23-metre-tall waterfall. You can literally feel the vibrations in your chest as the water barrels down the falls, showing off its sheer power and speed. It is with this force that much of the rivers and canyons in the area have been created. Leaving the falls, you can walk for miles downstream along the large Athabasca canyon carved out from centuries of rushing water.
It is as apparent here as anywhere else on the Icefield Parkway, that nature is truly beautiful. Natural elements over centuries have worked together to create some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world. Although these are only a few of the highlights along the Icefield Parkway, there is much more to see and do. During the entire drive, everywhere you look is a perfect moment in time that you can’t help but want to capture. Each mountain, lake and valley hold a wonderful host of wildlife, history and natural beauty that you only can experience while looking out the window and driving the Icefield Parkway. You just never know what wonders are around the next bend.
When to Go to Icefield Parkway
Although the mountains and lakes remain, each season is a very different adventure along Alberta's Icefield Parkway. Most visitors come between April and September when the weather is relatively nice allowing for good road conditions and camping weather. During this time many of the hiking trails and tourist information centres are open allowing visitors’ entry to all attractions that may be closed during the winter months. However, a winter drive can allow for some beautiful scenery as well, but visitors not familiar with winter driving may find it difficult and unsafe. Snow tires and snow chains are advised from October to April and some portions of the Icefield Parkway may be closed throughout these months due to snowstorms and avalanches. As well during the winter, what little gas stations and convenient store there are along the Parkway are closed, so make sure you fill up on gas and snacks before heading out.
Odds n' Ends
Both the Banff and Jasper National Parks are protected land, so development should not shutdown the Icefield Parkway. However, global warming and tourist traffic have shown a decrease in the natural wildlife and some of the natural beauty. Forest fires, littering, and hikers’ inability to follow signs has led to some degradation of some once well-protected landscapes. Visitors hoping to see the Icefield Parkway in its splendor should plan a visit sooner rather than later. Just as the Athabasca glacier recedes, so does the tree-line and waterways.
Places to Stay Nearby
Search over 900,000 global hotel deals from over 30 merchants. Book via Expedia, Travelocity, Hotels.com, Booking.com, Priceline and the websites of popular hotel chains.
This lodge located in Golden British Columbia is surrounded by 6 national parks including Glacier Park. This upscale lodge features an outdoor jacuzzi, private gardens ... 46 miles away
$325 CAD+
Emerald Lake Lodge is a luxurious mountain lodge, 20 minutes west of Lake Louise. There are 85 guestrooms in cabin style buildings and the historic ... 50 miles away
$338 CAD+
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