Guided Glacier Hike on The Athabasca with IceWalks
Description
This will be the highlight of your trip through the Icefields Parkway! Discover the world of ice with our professional ACMG certified guides. This interpretive hiking tour is perfect for travelers seeking an adventurous and meaningful experience on the lower Athabasca glacier. You will see deep crevasses, waterfalls that cascade into the depths of the ice, and learn about the formation of glaciers and how they shape the landscape. Enjoy spectacular views of the icefall and the surrounding mountain peaks. Tours depart daily at 9:45am and 2:00pm, boarding time is 20 minutes prior to the departure time. Don't be late or you will miss your tour! Considered moderate difficulty with some short, steep sections of trail to approach the glacier and uneven ground. You should be able to hike 5km (3 miles) on uneven ground in order to do the tour. Tours are family friendly. Bring your own snacks & warm layers - we supply all other gear required to comfortably explore the glacier.
Tour Options
Itinerary
IceWalks' ACMG certified guides will meet you in the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre parking lot and gear you up for an unforgettable 3 hour interpretive glacier adventure. You will be shuttled a short distance to the trailhead. This 5 km roundtrip walking tour will take you onto the Athabasca Glacier and into the incredible landscape that is the Canadian Rockies. You will learn the rich history of the glacier and you will have spectacular views of the glaciated mountains. You will learn about and explore the many incredible ice formations on the glacier, which include: crevasses, mill wells (waterfalls into the depths of the ice), meltwater streams, and icefalls (from a safe distance). This will be the highlight of your trip on the Icefields Parkway. The pictures you take will capture the memories of a lifetime. No technical climbing experience required! Our tours are moderate in difficulty, suitable for young children who enjoy hiking and active seniors.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(370)
Fabulous guide! He taught us things about nature and the glacier while also keeping us safe. The steep climb with loose rocks to get to the glacier wasn’t what I expected. Stu took the needs of each person into consideration and made sure all of us had a safe experience. Thank you! Our group was also helpful and supportive. Fantastic job!
The Ice Walk was the highlight of our vacation. Antoine is awesome, very friendly and knowledgeable. Would love to do this again!
Loved the whole experience with a very knowledgeable guide Troy . He is the best
Kelly was a great guide! Super unique experience, go visit before the glacier melts away 😔 The visitors center has limited hours so if you’re on the last tour of the day you won’t be able to get a bite to eat or see the special exhibits.
Who knew you could hike on a glacier? What a wonderful and different experience made better by our guide, Mike. He was informative, encouraging (it’s alot of time and effort!) and taught us a lot of the history of the area and the natural elements that make the glacier what it is. A truly enjoyable experience! And an accomplishment!
We didn’t want o join the crowds going on the Athabasca Glacier on a Snocoach so chose to do the ice walk. Our guide Simon looked after us very well and we all had a great time on the ice. At no point did we feel unsafe. We were given cleats (crampons) and walking poles. There is a bit of a strenuous (depending how fit you are!) walk to get onto the ice due to how far the glacier has receded. We spent about an hour actually on the ice looking at various features. During that time Simon told us about the glacier and the area. Wear layers as we were actually warmer than we thought we would be on the ice. There were stops so we there’s time to add or remove layers.
It was our first time to hike glaciers with family of 3 having 12 year old , the guide was knowledgeable , showed us many textures at the glaciers , kept us safe and overall made it fun as memorable experience.
Our family of 4 highly recommends Antoine, our guide, and the 1/2 day (3 hr) IceWalk on the Athabasca Glacier. The tour group is small (10 people) and paced well. Our guide made lots of time for questions and answers as well as safe, free exploration within boundaries. Great mix of glacial history and science information. Go out with the first morning tour - before the crowds arrive and the glacier gets slushy with more free water flow which limits the areas you can traverse. Does require some easy rocky hiking; is about 4 miles round trip on foot. Walking with the tour-provided spikes (crampons) is great - very stable footing. Follow the tour's recommendation on clothing layers.
We had such a great experience doing the 1/2 day tour. Connie was so informative and was just wonderful chatting with our kids. Our 3 year old (who rode in Dad’s backpack carrier) has asked all week when we’re “going walking with the lady again.” We learned so much about the glacier—would do again!
This was an awesome experience! Our tour guide was so knowledgeable and friendly. Even as people struggled with the hike, he went out of his way to be considerate and help them.
