THE ADVENTURE COLLECTIVE® · Independent discovery and booking for outdoor travel
Drive the Icefields Parkway to the Columbia Icefield for a guided Ice Explorer ride across Athabasca Glacier and a walk on the Glacier Skywalk. This full-day trip from Banff combines up-close glacier access with interpretive stops and expansive mountain views.
Drive the Icefields Parkway to the Columbia Icefield for a guided Ice Explorer ride across Athabasca Glacier and a walk on the Glacier Skywalk. This full-day trip from Banff combines up-close glacier access with interpretive stops and expansive mountain views.
You step off the coach onto a bright, crystalline plain and the mountain air pushes against you—the glacier seems to breathe beneath a sky as sharp as broken glass. The six-wheeled Ice Explorer rumbles away and you are left with a sweep of blue-tinged ice that stretches and cracks in slow motion, a living record of the last ice age.
Verified experiences and guided adventures in the surrounding area.
Operated by Discover Banff Tours · Banff, Alberta
You step off the coach onto a bright, crystalline plain and the mountain air pushes against you—the glacier seems to breathe beneath a sky as sharp as broken glass. The six-wheeled Ice Explorer rumbles away and you are left with a sweep of blue-tinged ice that stretches and cracks in slow motion, a living record of the last ice age.
This full-day route follows the Icefields Parkway, a highway cut through sculpted peaks, hanging valleys and emerald lakes. The Athabasca Glacier is a tongue of the Columbia Icefield; its moraines and striated bedrock tell a geology lesson written in slow time. Nearby Bow Lake and Bow Summit link this landscape to early mountaineering and the travel corridors used by Indigenous peoples, including Cree and Stoney Nakoda, whose place names and knowledge predate modern maps.
Visits include a guided drive onto the glacier in the Ice Explorer and a walk across the Glacier Skywalk’s glass floor at 918 feet above the Sunwapta Valley. Expect short interpretive stops—Bow Lake, viewpoint pulls and a picnic lunch option—while guides explain meltwater dynamics and visible recession of ice.
Practical notes: the day is long (about 11 hours), weather can flip from sun to sleet, and surfaces are icy and uneven. Dress in layers, bring sunglasses and sturdy shoes, and allow extra time for pickup in Banff. Photographs capture the light, but leave the fragile edges alone—this is a place best experienced with respect and curiosity.
easy.
11 hours.
Suitable for most fitness levels; requires basic mobility for short glacier walks and boardwalks.
The tour is approximately 11 hours and includes hotel pickup (select hotels), a ride on the Ice Explorer, admission to the Glacier Skywalk, interpretive stops along the Icefields Parkway, and a picnic lunch option.
The tour is designed for a wide range of ages and fitness levels, but participants must be able to board the Ice Explorer and walk short uneven distances; children must be supervised.
Guides sometimes offer a chance to sample meltwater; while it's famously pure, follow guide instructions and local advisories about drinking natural water directly.
Yes—early and late season road or trail closures can limit access and the operator may cancel for severe weather; check confirmation and contact the supplier 24 hours before departure.
The Columbia Icefield and Athabasca Glacier were carved during the last ice age and have long been part of travel routes for Indigenous groups, including Cree and Stoney Nakoda, who named and navigated these valleys before modern roads.
Glacier retreat is rapid; stay on designated routes, avoid disturbing fragile alpine vegetation, and follow Leave No Trace principles to reduce your impact.
Discover Banff Tours operates guided outdoor trips and adventures with an emphasis on safety, stewardship, and memorable experiences.
You step off the coach onto a bright, crystalline plain and the mountain air pushes against you—the glacier seems to breathe beneath a sky as sharp as broken glass. The six-wheeled Ice Explorer rumbles away and you are left with a sweep of blue-tinged ice that stretches and cracks in slow motion, a living record of the last ice age.
You step off the coach onto a bright, crystalline plain and the mountain air pushes against you—the glacier seems to breathe beneath a sky as sharp as broken glass. The six-wheeled Ice Explorer rumbles away and you are left with a sweep of blue-tinged ice that stretches and cracks in slow motion, a living record of the last ice age.
This full-day route follows the Icefields Parkway, a highway cut through sculpted peaks, hanging valleys and emerald lakes. The Athabasca Glacier is a tongue of the Columbia Icefield; its moraines and striated bedrock tell a geology lesson written in slow time. Nearby Bow Lake and Bow Summit link this landscape to early mountaineering and the travel corridors used by Indigenous peoples, including Cree and Stoney Nakoda, whose place names and knowledge predate modern maps.
Visits include a guided drive onto the glacier in the Ice Explorer and a walk across the Glacier Skywalk’s glass floor at 918 feet above the Sunwapta Valley. Expect short interpretive stops—Bow Lake, viewpoint pulls and a picnic lunch option—while guides explain meltwater dynamics and visible recession of ice.
Practical notes: the day is long (about 11 hours), weather can flip from sun to sleet, and surfaces are icy and uneven. Dress in layers, bring sunglasses and sturdy shoes, and allow extra time for pickup in Banff. Photographs capture the light, but leave the fragile edges alone—this is a place best experienced with respect and curiosity.