About The Columbia Icefield
Drive your RV along the Icefields Parkway for some of the most spectacular and beautiful scenery in the Rocky Mountains. Though there are eight major glaciers within the Columbia Icefield, the most famous is Athabasca. This glacier can be seen from the highway and is also accessible by either hiking or taking one of the huge snocoaches! Be sure to visit the Icefield Center where you’ll find exhibits and information about the glaciers.
The snocoach tours last 90 minutes and drive you right onto the glacier itself where you can get out and walk around. For your own safety stay within the markers as only this area has been designated as safe. A hike onto the glacier is another option that’s great for families who are relatively fit. Let us arrange a guided hike onto this 400 year old glacier so you can explore the many features of the ice during a 3-mile walk.
The ultimate way to see the Icefields is from the air. A 25 minute breathtaking helicopter ride will take you over six of the area’s glaciers and is a tour you certainly won’t forget in a hurry!
Interesting Facts About The Columbia Icefield
- The Athabasca Glacier is still huge, but it’s receding at a rate of 2 to 3 meters per year and over the last 125 years has reduced in size by nearly a mile and lost over half its volume.
- The snocoaches that take visitors onto the glacier form the largest fleet of these vehicles in the world and are run on six huge tires that are as tall as many adults!