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
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
- Lunch is included for all bookings made on or after June 26, 2026. A fresh picnic lunch from one of our local favourites, with a turkey sandwich by default. Have a preference or dietary restriction? Reach out and we'll sort you out with an alternative. Booked before June 26? You can still add lunch by calling us ahead of your tour.
Reviews(172)
Georgia was an outstanding guide
Outstanding is exactly the right word for Georgia. Really glad the tour delivered and hope to have you back out here again sometime.
Thank you for such a wonderful Icefields experience! Liam was an excellent guide - knowledgeable and always making sure our family was comfortable and enjoying the day. He truly made this day a memorable one. Highly recommended!
Knowledgeable and always making sure the whole family was comfortable and enjoying the day. Liam does that naturally and it's lovely to hear it came through so clearly. Really glad it was a memorable Icefields experience and thanks for the recommendation.
Marnie was a fabulous guide…friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating. The views were spectacular.
Fabulous, friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating with spectacular views on the Icefields Parkway. Marnie delivers every time. Really glad it was such a great experience and hope to have you back out here again sometime.
Taylor was an excellent guide and very knowledgeable of both Banff and Jasper Park. Very impressed. Couldn't believe he knew where Geraldton, Ontario was!
Knowledgeable across Banff and Jasper and knowing where Geraldton, Ontario is. That's Taylor. Really glad it was an excellent experience and hope to have you back out here again sometime.
Awesome experience. Glacier was great. Nolan our guide was amazing. We saw bears and even a grizzly about 5 feet from our van!! Highly recommend
Nolan with bears and a grizzly five feet from the van, this keeps happening and we are never not amazed. Really glad the glacier and the whole Icefields experience delivered and hope to have you back out here again sometime.
Epic lakes and glaciers coupled with outstanding knowledge from Liam make our day, certainly one to remember!!! Each and every lake was different to look at keeping the tour interesting for our teenage boys. If only we had more time and money, we’d book more RADVENTURES. Don’t hesitate to book a tour for such a personalised experience.
Epic lakes, epic glaciers and Liam's knowledge making every single one feel different and worth lingering on, especially for the teenage boys. If only more time and money is the most relatable Banff problem there is. Really glad it was one to remember and don't hesitate is great advice.
This was a great tour!! Our guide Taylor was awesome and super knowledgeable. Would definitely recommend when coming to Banff.
Awesome and super knowledgeable, Taylor on the Icefields Parkway is always a great combination. Really glad it was a great tour and thanks for the recommendation. Hope to have you back out here again sometime.
Bee was an absolutely fantastic guide for our Iceways tour! She started the day with the best energy and enthusiasm and never let up as broke up the trip with multiple fun stops, showing us lesser known (and less crowded) vantage points, making impromptu stops for bear sightings (x4!), and sharing so much knowledge about the landscape and wildlife. She kept our 4 kids (ages 5-12) completely engaged the whole time; they said they learned more from Bee than from their entire year of science classes. We actually missed her the rest of our trip, when we were navigating other Banff sites alone. I would not hesitate to book this tour!
Four bear sightings, four kids completely engaged all day and still missing B after the tour was over. That's the mark of something genuinely special. She brings that level of energy and care to every single tour and it's wonderful to hear it landed so powerfully for the whole family.
Simone was a fantastic guide, very knowledgeable about the science behind the Icefields and the history of the area. He adapted out day to include a trip to Panther Falls as well, which was a great bonus. I absolutely recommend this outing!
The science behind the Icefields, the history of the area and a bonus trip to Panther Falls thrown in on top. Simon reads the day brilliantly and makes sure no opportunity is wasted. Really glad it was absolutely recommend worthy and hope to have you back out here again sometime.
We highly recommend Radventures for informative and entertaining exploration of the Lake Louise/Banff/Jaspar areas. Be sure to ask for Liam who was an excellent guide for our trip to the explore the ice fields - he made quite a splash with our group.
Made quite a splash, we still love that line. Really glad Liam made the Icefields and Banff area such an informative and entertaining experience. Thanks for the recommendation and hope to have you back out here again sometime.
