Columbia Icefield

Travel Guide

Columbia Icefield showing landscape views, mountains and snow
Columbia Icefield featuring snow
Columbia Icefield showing tranquil scenes and mountains
Columbia Icefield featuring mountains, tranquil scenes and hiking or walking
Columbia Icefield showing snow, mountains and hiking or walking

This immense expanse of ice is home to six major glaciers, as well as some of the Canadian Rockies’ highest peak, including the mighty Athabasca Glacier.

Go for a drive over massive glaciers that have been active for thousands of years. Stare in awe at endless snowfields or hike past icy crevasses and muddy moraines. Drive the scenic Icefields Parkway to arrive in this vast winter landscape, which is one of the few that is easily accessible by road. Special explorer buses can take you into the park and even onto the glaciers.

With 130 square miles (365 square kilometers), Columbia Icefield is the largest of its kind in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and it feeds into six main glaciers. Located at about 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) altitude, the Columbia Icefield has year-round snowfall.

Stop at the Columbia Icefield Discovery Center, open April through October, for information. Learn how the Icefield is one of the major sources of fresh water for farmland and cities in North America. To see it all up close, book a tour with a vehicle that can take you onto the glaciers.

Most people visit at least the steadily receding Athabasca Glacier. Sign up for the Columbia Icefield Scenic Walk a two-hour trek along the side of the glacier with a naturalist. Listen to the story of its formation and find out by how much it retracts every year. Take care if you decide to tour the glacier without a guide: Hidden crevasses in particular can prove treacherous and you should never set out on the hike alone. If you’re not feeling active, go for the Glacier Adventure aboard a snow coach bus. The trip lasts 1.5 hours and departs frequently.

Longer journeys lasting up to nine hours take in other sights of the Columbia Icefield and require you to book ahead. Tours often include Lake Louise, Peyto Lake, Big Hill, Victoria Glacier, and Athabasca Falls.

The Columbia Icefield is located on the boundary of Banff National Park. To get there from Jasper, travel 63 miles (108 kilometers) south on the scenic Icefields Parkway (Highway 93). Stop at the Athabasca Falls for a beautiful view.

Glacier View Lodge

Glacier View Lodge

3 out of 5
Highway 93 N, Icefields Parkway, Columbia Icefield, Jasper, AB
Stay at this hotel in Improvement District No. 12. Enjoy free WiFi, free parking, and breakfast (surcharge). Our guests praise the helpful staff in our reviews. ...
8.2/10 Very Good! (986 reviews)
"Very nice updated lodge. Nice location and staffs. We saw aroura here!"

Reviewed on 2025/6/29

Glacier View Lodge
Fortress Lake Wilderness Retreat

Fortress Lake Wilderness Retreat

2.5 out of 5
Columbia Shuswap A, Fortress Lake, BC
Stay at this lodge in Fortress Lake. Enjoy free breakfast, room service, and a 24-hour front desk.
Fortress Lake Wilderness Retreat
HI-Rampart Creek Hostel

HI-Rampart Creek Hostel

1 out of 5
Ice Field Parkway, Rampart Creek, AB
Stay at this hostel in Rampart Creek. Enjoy free parking, daily housekeeping, and a garden.
"WiFi but no showers"

Reviewed on 2017/6/21

HI-Rampart Creek Hostel
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.
One King West Hotel & Residence

One King West Hotel & Residence

4 out of 5
1 King Street West, Toronto, ON
Stay at this 4-star eco-certified aparthotel in Toronto. Enjoy free WiFi, room service, and a fitness center. Our guests praise the restaurant and the bar in ...
9/10 Wonderful! (10,684 reviews)
"Excellent location. Right beside the metro and bus station. Clean. Excellent coffee in the rooms."

Reviewed on 2025/7/30

One King West Hotel & Residence
Hotel Monville

Hotel Monville

4 out of 5
Montreal
Stay at this 4-star luxury aparthotel in Montreal. Enjoy free WiFi, a rooftop terrace, and breakfast (surcharge). Our guests praise the helpful staff and the ...
9/10 Wonderful! (2,609 reviews)
"Resolvieron todo, la plancha, el tema de la tarjeta de credito,etc."

Reviewed on 2025/7/30

Hotel Monville
Hotel Le Cantlie Suites

Hotel Le Cantlie Suites

3.5 out of 5
1110, Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC
Book a stay at this eco-certified aparthotel in Montreal. Enjoy free WiFi, an outdoor pool, and 2 restaurants. Our guests praise the pool and the helpful staff ...
8.8/10 Excellent! (3,414 reviews)
"Friendly staff, great service. Perfect location near metro and great value for money"

Reviewed on 2025/7/29

Hotel Le Cantlie Suites
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.

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