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(406)
Amazing experience. Gauthier (?) was incredibly knowledgeable and great with our kids. Would def recommend as a stop on your family Ice Highway journey.
Kate was an amazing guide onto the glacier. Thankfully we had a group of people who all walked/hiked at a relatively similar ability level and all had a similar goal of walking as far out as we had time for. Kate guided us and showed us so many beautiful parts of the glacier. It was not an easy walk/hike but it was worth all the work! I will never forget it.
An incredible, unique experience. We had a knowledgeable guide who made it a lot of fun. As someone who is middle-aged, no major health issues, but out of shape, I found this challenging but doable. There is a 40 minute hike over rocky terrain, mostly uphill just to get to the glacier. Going downhill can also be challenging because a lot of areas are steep.
Very informative. Nice hike. Would have loved to get to the foot of the glacier though. Guide took the right amount of breaks.
It was so cool to hike on a Glacier! Our guide (name started with a G, sorry I forgot) was so knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. Our family of 4 (girl 19 and boy 15) all had a really great time! Highly recommend this trip over the snow coaches.
Such an amazing experience!!! Wonderful hike with tons of information. Incredible experience on the glacier! Beyond my expectations.
This guided hike is so worth it. It was exactly as amazing as I hoped it would be. Tom was so patient with my 8 year old and he is so incredibly knowledgeable. They will provide you with crampons for your shoes, as well as hiking poles, gloves, hats, and even a warm jacket if you need. We had our own stuff but it was good for others! We went mid August and it was about 15 degrees in Jasper that day, with some cloudy moments - we were plenty warm with a base layer and a light puffer jacket, a light headband and light gloves. The hike is a gentle but consistent uphill once you are on the ice, but our group ranged from 8-60+, from fit to less obviously so, and no one was struggling to keep up because it was such a nice, easy pace to enjoy the stunning features. We were never rushing and everything was exactly as described - 5km total (tracked on my watch) and 3 hours. You take a van over to the Toe of the Glacier parking lot and start from there (don't bother doing that hike, you'll do it and more on this tour!). Truly excellent. Can't recommend this enough - absolutely worth every penny!! Avoid the crowded bus and get out and see the ice with the attention it deserves!
We absolutely loved it. It’s a small hike, about ~3-4 miles but we had a great group and our guide was awesome. Tom was so knowledgeable and patient. We would 1000% recommend this and we would absolutely do it again.
It was such a wonderful experience. There is no bus to the site and you have to rent a car. I had never driven a car overseas before, so I was very unsure whether to participate, but I am really glad I did. Thank you for the wonderful experience!
Very beautiful hike on the glacier in a small group with a very nice guide who explains things very well. I highly recommend this experience
