Columbia Icefield

Most Accessible Part of the Athabasca Glacier

Description

This 125-square-mile icefield, situated on the boundary of Banff and Jasper national parks, is the most accessible of the 17 glacial areas located along the Icefields Parkway. It's part of the Athabasca Glacier, a 20,000-year-old vestige of the last major glaciation that covered Canada, and one of very few glaciers in the world you can actually drive to the foot of. Thirteen of the 30 highest mountains in the Rocky Mountains ring the Icefield, and the meltwater flowing from the ancient frozen sea feeds rivers that flow into three oceans and provides fresh water for millions of Canadians. Guided tours onto these ancient frigid slopes are available from the Icefield Centre, or head across the road to the parking lot beside Sunwapta Lake and hike the short trail to the glacier's toe.