Columbia Icefields Parkway Canada
Discover Alberta Canada on our Caravan Canadian Rockies Tour and your fully guided vacation will include a guided tour of the Columbia Icefield.
As part of our Caravan Icefields Parkway tour (and weather permitting), you will also enjoy an all-terrain Ice Explorer ride across the easily accessible Athabasca Glacier, North America’s most visited Glacier!
Caravan Icefields Parkway
The only highway link between Jasper and Lake Louise in Alberta is the Columbia Icefields Parkway.
This 144-mile (232-km) stretch of Canadian highway runs along the Continental Divide past glacial ice fields, high mountain peaks, and the evergreen vastness of the Rock Mountains. Amazingly, runoff from the Columbia Icefield feeds into three separate oceans, the North Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Arctic Ocean!
Columbia Icefields Skywalk
Step onto the Columbia Icefield Skywalk, a breathtaking glass-floored walkway perched 280 meters above the stunning Sunwapta Valley in Jasper National Park. This exhilarating attraction provides unparalleled views of glaciers, rugged mountain peaks, cascading waterfalls, and abundant wildlife. Designed to blend seamlessly with its natural surroundings, the Skywalk allows visitors to experience the Canadian Rockies from a thrilling perspective. Informative interpretive displays share captivating insights about the area’s ecology, geology, and Indigenous history. Easily accessible from the Icefields Parkway, the Skywalk is a must-see stop for travelers seeking awe-inspiring scenery, photo opportunities, and an unforgettable connection with nature.
Visit the Columbia Icefield Canada with Caravan!
Call Toll-Free 1-800-227-2826
Athabasca Glacier Part of Columbia Icefield
Straddling the Continental Divide, the Columbia Icefield dates back nearly a quarter-million years. Part of it makes up Banff National Park and the rest is in Jasper National Park. Located in the Canadian Rockies between Alberta and British Columbia, the Athabasca Glacier is just one of Columbia Icefield’s six Glacier extensions.
Unfortunately, the Athabasca Glacier has been receding rapidly (nearly 1 mile) since the turn of the 20th century, which makes this a photo opportunity you definitely do not want to miss. Be sure to charge up your batteries and pack up your lenses for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stand on top of this amazing Canadian glacier.
Athabasca Glacier Ice Explorer
This all-wheel-drive, tri-axle ice vehicle transports you safely up to Athabasca Glacier where you’ll step out onto glacial ice that could be as old as 200,000 years or more. Your guide will explain in detail how the 6-mile-long Athabasca Glacier was formed and the devastating impact that global warming has had on this magnificent Canadian Glacier.
A stroll on the Glacier Skywalk caps your trip, at a point where only glass separates you from the 918-foot drop to the Sunwapta Valley below. The wildlife, glacial streams, waterfalls, and magnificent mountain scenery will invigorate your senses on this Canadian journey of discovery.
Glacier-Fed Peyto Lake
In the Canadian Rockies, you will find numerous pristine high-altitude lakes that are fed by the clear, cold, crystal waters of Canada’s glaciers. One of these high-altitude, glacier-fed, emerald-green lakes is Peyto Lake (pronounced pee-toh). At half a mile wide and nearly 2-miles long, picturesque Peyto Lake is over 6,100 feet above sea level.
On this trip, Caravan stops for a photo opportunity at Alberta’s Peyto Lake in Banff National Park, which is best viewed from Bow Summit.
The emerald colour of Peyto Lake is due to suspended particles of glacial “rock flour” that pours into the lake during summer. The splendid turquoise color is a stunning contrast to the evergreen forests that surrounds this frigid mountainous reservoir.
Peyto Lake often graces the cover of illustrated books and is a highly sought-after destination for outdoor enthusiasts and photographers with a passion for the beauty of the Canadian Rockies.
About Caravan Tours
Still family-run and operated (since 1952), Caravan Tours is a second-generation, fully guided tour company. We offer fully guided tours throughout the United States, Central America, and Canada! Our goal has always been to be North America’s premier tour company for affordable fully guided tours.
On this Canadian Rockies tour, Caravan also takes our tour guests to visit Glacier National Park in Montana and Waterton Lakes Park in Southern Alberta, both of which formed a union in 1932 to create the world’s first International Peace Park.
For more information about our Canadian Rockies & Glacier Park Tour which also includes a guided tour of Athabasca Glacier along the Columbia Icefields Parkway, please call Caravan Toll-Free.