Full Day / Unique · 12 hrs · departs morning
Columbia Icefield & Athabasca Glacier Adventure
Walk on the Athabasca Glacier — Ice Explorer + Skywalk included — plus Bow & Peyto Lakes. May–October.
- 12 hrs
- Pickup: Calgary · Canmore · Banff
- Free 24-hr cancellation
- Park fees included
At $329, the price is almost entirely explained by two inclusions — the Athabasca Glacier Ice Explorer and the Columbia Icefield Skywalk, both covered in your ticket. Between them they retail for over $130 per person on their own. You’re not paying a premium for a bus ride with commentary; you’re paying to step onto a glacier that formed thousands of years ago and look straight down 280 metres into a canyon from a glass platform hanging in open air.
The day starts at Bow Lake, a wide glacial lake at 1,920 m fed by the Bow Glacier and the Wapta Icefield above it, with the historic Lodge at Bow Lake on the north shore — built in the late 1930s and expanded through the 1940s. It’s the kind of place most Albertans drive past without stopping. We stop.
From there the route pushes north until the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre comes into view and everything changes scale. The Ice Explorer — a purpose-built six-wheeled vehicle with tires taller than most people — loads from the Centre, rolls down the lateral moraine, and crawls onto the glacier surface itself. When the doors open, you’re standing on ice thousands of years old. You can walk within the marked safe area, drink meltwater straight off the surface, and look out at a landscape that’s nothing but ice and rock in every direction.
Our guides point out the markers Parks Canada has placed showing where the glacier toe sat in 1992, 2002, 2012. The Athabasca has retreated more than 1.5 km over the past 125 years and continues to retreat at roughly 5 metres per year. Standing on it, that fact stops being abstract.
After the glacier comes the Skywalk — a 1 km interpretive walkway leading to a glass-floored platform cantilevered 280 metres above the Sunwapta Valley. A completely different kind of vertigo.
The return south brings you to Peyto Lake, one of the most distinctive viewpoints on the entire Parkway: a wolf’s-head-shaped, glacier-fed lake in a bowl below the treeline, its colour shifting from deep teal to near-turquoise with the season and the light. It’s been photographed ten million times and still doesn’t photograph the way it actually looks.
By the time you’re back in Calgary, it’s been a long day. That’s the point.
Price is per person — please set the quantity to your total group size.
Your day, stop by stop
- 7:15 AMPickup in Calgary
- 8:40 AMPickup in Canmore
- 9:00 AMPickup in Banff
- 10:10 AMBow Lake10 min
- 11:30 AMColumbia Icefield210 min
- 4:05 PMPeyto Lake30 min
- 5:40 PMBanff drop-off
- 6:00 PMCanmore drop-off
- 7:05 PMCalgary drop-off
Times shift with season and traffic. The Columbia Icefield Adventure operates early May to mid-October — outside that window the glacier walk doesn't run and this tour is unavailable. For a winter Parkway experience, our Icefields Parkway Full-Day Tour ($199) covers Bow Lake, Peyto Lake and the full scenic drive in the snow.
What's included
Included
- Local expert guide
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- All Banff and Jasper National Park entry fees
- Athabasca Glacier Ice Explorer and Skywalk ticket
- Bottled water and snacks
- All scenic photo stops
- Free 24-hour cancellation
Not included
- Lunch
- Personal expenses and souvenirs
- Gratuities
Pickup & meeting points
- CalgaryBus stop at 206-178 4 Ave SE (across from Delta Hotel Downtown)
- CanmoreVisitor Information Centre, 2801 Bow Valley Trl
- BanffCaribou Lodge & Spa, 521 Banff Ave
Free up to 24 hours before departure. Within 24 hours, non-refundable.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from the Icefields Parkway tour?
The Icefields Parkway Full-Day Tour ($199) drives the Parkway and stops at its highlights — Bow Lake, Peyto Lake, Crowfoot Glacier and the falls — but doesn't set foot on the glacier. This tour ($329) adds the two experiences that define the Columbia Icefield: the Athabasca Glacier Ice Explorer, which drives you onto the glacier surface, and the glass-floored Skywalk, both included in your ticket. If walking on the ice is the goal, this is the tour.
How long do we spend on the glacier?
You'll spend about three and a half hours at the Columbia Icefield (roughly 210 minutes), which covers the Ice Explorer ride onto the Athabasca Glacier, time out on the ice within the marked safe area, and the Skywalk. The Ice Explorer portion puts you physically on glacier ice thousands of years old, where you can walk the marked area and even drink meltwater straight off the surface.
Is it safe — what about crevasses?
Yes. On the Ice Explorer portion you stay within a marked safe area on the glacier that Parks Canada and the operator maintain well away from crevasses, and the six-wheeled Ice Explorer vehicles are purpose-built for the terrain. You're never wandering the open icefield unguided. Follow your guide's and the operator's instructions and it's a safe, accessible way to experience a glacier.
When does the glacier walk operate?
The Columbia Icefield Adventure operates early May to mid-October. Outside that window the glacier walk doesn't run and this tour is unavailable. For a winter Parkway experience, our Icefields Parkway Full-Day Tour ($199) covers Bow Lake, Peyto Lake and the full scenic drive in the snow.
What should I wear?
Dress warmly and in layers — even in summer it's cold and windy out on the glacier, and the ice keeps the surface far colder than the valley. Bring a warm jacket, gloves and a hat, sturdy closed-toe footwear with good grip for the ice, and sunglasses and sunscreen (glare off the ice and snow is intense). A small daypack for the layers you shed lower down is handy.
Is the Skywalk worth it?
We think so — the Skywalk is a 1 km interpretive walkway ending at a glass-floored platform cantilevered 280 metres above the Sunwapta Valley. After standing on the glacier, it's a completely different kind of vertigo, and it's already included in your ticket, so there's no reason to skip it. Guests uneasy with heights can still enjoy the walkway and the interpretive stops along it.
Can young children do the glacier walk?
Yes — the Ice Explorer and the marked area on the glacier are accessible to children, and families do this tour regularly. It's a long day (about 12 hours from Calgary) and cold on the ice, so bring warm layers and be ready for a full day out. Keep young children close and follow the operator's instructions on the glacier surface, where you stay within the marked safe area.