Athabasca Glacier Snow Trip from Banff
Description
Visit Canada's famous glaciers on a full-day seasonal excursion from Banff. Your personalized small group tour takes you through an awe-inspiring landscape carved by glaciers and remnants from the last ice age, as you travel along the Icefields Parkway, one of the world's most scenic highways.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Departing from the centre, you'll climb aboard the Ice Explorer (a six-wheeled behemoth of a vehicle) and drive across the surface of this glittering sheet of ice. Getting thirsty? You’ll have a chance to drink pure, cold water straight from the glacier. Them, be transported to the glass floor Glacier Skywalk, hanging from the edge of the Sunwapta Valley at 918-foot (280 m), for unparalleled views of the canyon below and mountains around you.
This tour travels halfway along the world-famous Icefields Parkway, recognized as one of the top drives in the world passing numerous Rocky Mountain peaks, glaciers, waterfalls and emerald lakes.
A brief stop provides one of the day’s many up close glacier views.
You will visit Bow Lake, one of Banff National Park's largest lakes. Bow Lake is fed by meltwater from the Bow Glacier in the Wapta Icefield and lies at the base of Bow Summit.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Every pickup point has a unique pickup time. Guests must be ready at their selected pickup point 5 minutes prior. Banff Rocky Mountain Resort at 7:25 AM Canalta Lodge at 7:30 AM Banff Caribou Lodge at 7:31 AM Fox Hotel & Suites at 7:32 AM Red Carpet Inn at 7:33 AM Douglas Fir at 7:36 AM Banff Ptarmigan Inn at 7:40 AM Mount Royal Hotel (Public Bus Parking behind hotel) at 7:42 AM Rimrock Resort at 7:50 AM Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel (Motorcoach Entrance) at 7:55 AM Banff Train Station at 8:00 AM Juniper Hotel at 8:05 AM If no pickup is selected, your pick up will be defaulted to meet at the public bus parking behind the Mount Royal Hotel at 7:42 AM.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Infant rates do not include lunch
- Early and late season road / trail closures may limit access to some areas.
- Group bookings of 9 or more guests have a 7 day cancellation period.
Reviews(409)
We LOVED Jake! We had 14 girls on our trip, and Jake was perfect! From the historical knowledge, stellar playlist, and handsome looks 😉 - couldn’t have asked for a better guide. He made us feel special and we all laughed the whole time. Good luck moving back to the UK!!!
Guide was very nice and full of interesting info on our way to the Glaciers! Walking on the Glacier was unforgettable!
Well organized,all lakes visited were spectacular. Lunch provided was fresh tasty and plentiful. Expensive but glacier tpur and Skywalk are included. Pay on your own is very expensive. It is a long day.
Amazing experience. Fantastic guide and amazing scenery.
Besides not knowing which shuttle to get on which made me very nervous due to there were many different companies picking up people and it rained when we got to the Galcier, everything went really well. Our tour guide, Patrick, took us to many different spots such as Bow Lake, Herbert Lake & we had lunch at the Coleman Creek which was very nice to be eating in nature. We also stopped by a small waterfall and then to the Athabasca Glacier where we were dropped off. We then went on a monstrous vehicle to ride on the Glacier. There were only 27 of these vehicles made in the world and the Columbia Icefield has 23 of them. The wheels are 5 ft tall! The weather started to become a bit challenging as the rain started to fall and the wind was blowing so got pretty chilly. We got to drink some Glacier water. Then off to the Skywalk where I was raining even harder. We walked the Skywalk, took some pictures and time to head back to the gift shop. Then meet our guide, Patrick to head back to Banff. Patrick stopped us at Peyto Lake which was another beautiful spot! Overall this excursion was simply 😍 gorgeous!
Thank you for sharing your experience! We’re sorry the shuttle pickup felt confusing and caused some initial nerves. We’re delighted that Patrick helped make the rest of your day so memorable, from Bow and Herbert Lakes to lunch at Coleman Creek, the Athabasca Glacier, Skywalk, and beautiful Peyto Lake. Mountain weather can change quickly, but it sounds like the rain didn’t stop you from embracing the adventure and enjoying some truly spectacular scenery. We’ll be sure to pass your kind words along to Patrick!
Chris was our Explorer Guide, he shared that he had been Guide in 1976 and is back in 2026. He would very much like for the new glacial lake to be named Lake Chris. As the most experienced Guide, that seems appropriate.
This is a Must... you cannot appreciate the feeling of standing on top of a Glacier until you do it. Very informative Tour Guides. this was additional excursion on out Trip-A-Deal tour of Yellowstone, Canada and Alaska Cruise. worth every cent.
Thank you for the enthusiastic recommendation! We’re delighted the glacier experience felt like a must-do and that the informative guiding made it worth every cent. We appreciate you including us in your Canadian adventure.
I did the Icefields Parkway tour that went to Athabasca Glacier. We made stops at Bow Lake, Peyto Lake, the continental divide overlook, and a couple extra stops along the way. The glacier tour was fun going on the big buses onto the ice and the skywalk. Lunch provided included sandwich, chips, apple, and a cookie. Our guide also gave us maple cookies on the way back to Banff. Pickup was prompt and I enjoyed being in a smaller group compared to the other tours on large coaches.
Jake was an excellent guide on the Columbia Icefields Parkway Tour! He was very funny, knowledgeable, and shared lots of interesting information throughout the day. He also made a real effort to spot wildlife for the group, and thanks to him we even saw a bear! His enthusiasm and energy made the experience even more enjoyable.
We came to Banff to celebrate my daughter‘s birthday. Jake was our tour guide for the day. It just worked out that my daughter and I were the only two people on the tour bus.Jake was absolutely phenomenal. He was kind, funny, so knowledgable about the national park. We must’ve asked him 1000 questions and he answered every one. We were with him for 10 hours! The time went so quickly we learned so much. I would highly recommend this tour and Jake is definitely an asset to this company!! My daughter will never forget this birthday!!
