Icefields Parkway Small Group Tour with Peyto Lake and Lunch
Description
Embark on an unforgettable day exploring the world-renowned Icefields Parkway, often hailed as the most beautiful drive in the world. Highlights: Epic Exploration Minus the Crowds: Ditch the big bus tour groups and explore like a local at the highlights of Peyto Lake, Bow Lake, Columbia Icefields & more. Local Secrets & Wildlife Revealed: While the Icefields Parkway has its known jewels, our guides take pride in unveiling lesser-trodden paths and viewpoints to areas where we often see wildlife. Active & Insightful Adventures: Guided by local experts, you'll embark on relaxed hikes to absorb the best views. Our guides' stories and insights blend the perfect mix of informed touring with free exploration. Bespoke Itineraries: Daily itineraries are thoughtfully designed around weather conditions, recent wildlife sightings, and ensuring you evade the peak crowd timings. Your wishes matter; if there's a specific spot on your bucket list, let us know!
Tour Options
Itinerary
This award-winning Radventures small-group adventure begins with a stunning drive from Banff, spotting wildlife and learning about it's rich Indigenous & European history.
Widely regarded as the most scenic driving road in the entire world, the Icefields Parkway is punctuated by more than 100 ancient glaciers, cascading waterfalls, dramatic rock spires, and emerald lakes set in sweeping valleys of thick pine and larch forests. The abundance of wildlife along the drive through Banff & Jasper National Park will have you peering around every turn. As we take our time to explore, we'll stop for a short hike or two to a breath-taking view point, capture that stunning photo to share with friends and enjoy a picnic lunch amidst the splendour of the Canadian Rockies pristine wilderness. You can be rest assured that you're experiencing the Icefields Parkway the right way!
The incredibly shaped glacier-fed Peyto Lake is one of the most visited and photographed lakes in the Canadian Rockies for good reason. During the summer, glacial rock flour flows into the lake and these suspended rock particles give the lake its bright, turquoise colour. We'll take an easy walk to view the lake from Bow Summit, 2,088 metres (6,800 feet) above sea level. Bow Summit is the highest point on the Icefields Parkway and is the highest elevation crossed by a public road in Canada.
Just as the name implies these glaciers or “fields of ice” straddle Banff National Park and Jasper National Park and are the largest south of the Arctic Circle! They are 325km2 in area and 100 to 365 metres (328 to 1,197 ft) in depth and receives up to seven metres (275 in) of snowfall per year. Here as a group we can walk right up to the foot of the retreating glacier and explore the area, following the receding path of the glaciers through the years. Please note, this tour does not include the Pursuit Skywalk or Icefields Adventure bus trip. Instead, we show our guests local secrets and viewpoints of the glaciers via the easygoing trail system, escaping the crowds and giving you a more sustainable and authentic experience. Guests who wish to opt out of the short hike to the toe of the glacier are welcome to enjoy the onsite facilities and immersive activities at the Columbia Icefields Centre until the remainder of the group finishes the hike.
The neon blue Bow Lake is the headwaters of the Bow River, that big beauty of a river that you'll see running through Lake Louise, Banff, Calgary and across the country until it hits Hudson Bay all the way out in the east of Canada! The lake lines the Icefields Parkway and makes a perfect place to go for a walk down to the lake shore to see Crowfoot Glacier, Wapta Icefield, Bow Glacier, Crowfoot Mountain and Mount Thompson.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pickup times may shift by 5 to 10 minutes depending on group size, so please be ready a little early. To keep your day running smoothly, be sure to select your pickup location before the tour. We can only collect guests from a confirmed pickup point.
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
- Children 12 and under are unable to join our small group adventures
- Not recommended for travellers with mobility issues
- Your picnic lunch comes with a Turkey sandwich by default. Prefer something else? Call us to swap it for Roast Beef, Ham, Chicken Tikka, or Vegetarian. Changes must be made by 2pm the day before your tour.
Reviews(145)
We did the Icefields and Peyto Lake Tour yesterday (July 3rd). My family really enjoyed the tour and experience. Found that it was amazing value for what you get. Nolan, our guide, was simply amazing. His knowledge, energy and genuine interest in answering questions and paying attention to details made the experience top notch. Would strongly recommend Rad Adventures, and if you have the option, get Nolan as your guide. You won’t regret it!
Nolan was great! He was very interactive and engaging throughout the whole tour. We could not have asked for a better experience!!! If we were staying longer, we would have tried to have gone on another tour with him!!!
Four exclamation marks on the would-go-again, we'll take every one of them. Nolan's a natural at making the Icefields Parkway feel like more than a drive, there's always something to look at and always a story behind it. Really glad it felt that way. Come back and he'll show you the rest of it.
Scenic drive with amazing views of lakes, rivers, mountains, falls and the athabasca glacier.
Thank you! The Icefields Parkway really is one of the most spectacular drives in the world and it sounds like it delivered in every way. We hope to welcome you back to explore even more of the Rockies again soon!
Superb day with our excellent guide Bee who massively added to the experience. Her knowledge is amazing and so enthusiastic with it. Also loving the fact they value nature and the Banff/Jasper Park environment so much. I would highly recommend this experience!
What a wonderful review, thank you so much! B's knowledge and enthusiasm for the Icefields Parkway is truly something special, and we're so glad it elevated the whole experience for you. We're also really touched that our commitment to the natural environment and the parks came through, it's something we care deeply about at Radventures and it means a great deal to hear it resonated. We'd absolutely love to welcome you back for another adventure soon!
We went on this tour recently and it was excellent. We saw a lot of very beautiful lakes, mountains, and a glacier! Our guide, Tyler, was very knowledgeable about all the many sites and animals we saw along the route (which included a bear, rams, and a goat on top of a mountain). Highly recommend!
Thank you for the brilliant review! The Icefields Parkway really is one of the most spectacular drives in the world, and a bear, rams AND a mountain goat perched on top of a peak is a truly memorable wildlife trifecta. 🐐🐻 Tyler's knowledge of the route, from the lakes and glaciers to the wildlife behaviour, is what makes the journey so much more than just a scenic drive. We're so glad it exceeded expectations and hope to welcome you back for another adventure soon!
We had the absolute best time on the Icefields Parkway and Abraham Lake tour with Nolan. He was incredibly knowledgeable and made the whole experience so fun. Every spot he took us to felt like stepping into a postcard, with absolutely stunning views. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide or a more memorable day! Highly recommend.
Our guide and driver, Liam, was very professional, knowledgeable and helpful. His descriptions and stories about bears, elks, ravens, pines, and Lake Louise etc are informative, interesting and sometimes touching. He also took a lot of photos for us. Although the weather was not ideal, our trip was very enjoyable. Liam and Radventures, thank you so much! Highly recommended.
Four of us took this tour in late October. Quiet time of year for Banff, but still so much to see. Taylor was a great guide, and personalized the tour for us. Lots of walking and hiking, but well worth the views. It mentions that lunch is not included, but should mention that there is also no place to buy food along the way. Bring sandwiches and snacks as this is a full day tour. We saw the glacier, lakes, and beautiful mountain views and learned lots about the wildlife and stories of the area. Taylor also recommended spots for the rest of our stay and he was spot on. Great trip, Great tour!
Taylor was our guide and he was amazing! So knowledgeable and friendly. He made sure that we were safe and also kept us hydrated with his amazing hot chocolate. We can’t say enough about this tour.
Cam was a fantastic and knowledgable tour guide! My friend and I had a great time in our small group & each stop was just the right amount of time. Would absolutely go again!
