Icewalks and Glacier Views
The breeze is picking up and you hear the crunch of snow beneath you. You look over in every direction, the scene in front of you is vast, with no sign of civilization, except for the road miles below. You are standing on a sheet of ice that has been here for over 10,000 years.
The Athabasca Glacier is part of the Columbia Icefield, the largest mass of ice in North America, located in the Canadian Rockies. It is a six-kilometer tongue of ice flowing to the Icefields Parkway in Jasper. The leading edge of the glacier is accessible to tourists via walking distance, but accessibility onto the glacier is prohibited to the public. To step foot on the glacier, you have two options: a guided Icewalk or a specially designed snow coach.
Before visiting the actual glacier, I suggest going to the tourist center across the street to first educate yourself. Here you will find a timeline of the Athabasca Glacier, as well as a mapping of it’s recession. You can also go upstairs and stand on the deck overlooking the entire Glacier. Although impressively large, the glacier has been slowly shrinking for about 150 years. When visiting, you will see various markers across the field, dating back as early as 1890, marking the spots of the glacier’s toe. Losing half its volume and retreating more than 1.5 kms, it is clear that the shrinking glacier will not be here forever. It is undeniable evidence of the effects of climate change on our planet. Make sure to see the wonder while you can.
How you visit the Glacier, depends on the time of the year, time allowance, as well as personal preference.
Huge crowds of people choose to pile on to the snow coaches, ride up to the glacier, step out, take some photos, and pile back in to descend. I have not used this method, so I can’t speak from experience, but something about the connections of air pollution to global warming really turns me away from getting in a big automotive bus to see a melting glacier.
If you’re there in the summer season, you can instead choose a guided Icewalk. There are full-day, or half-day tours depending on your time schedule. We chose the half day tour, and ended up going a little further up for a little longer, as our group was more than ready and willing, and we had an absolutely beautiful day for it. Normally, I don’t like booking guided tours, but this is the only way to get up on that Glacier, and the tour not only allowed for safety (there are plenty of melted weak spots in the ice that you can’t see until you step!), but it allowed for an educational experience. Our 3 hour hike was with Icewalk’s owner and founder Peter, and his Glacier dog George. We had a fit group, but Peter still made sure everyone was at a comfortable pace, chatting with everyone on the tour individually at some point. He also made stops here and there to educate us on the Glacier (how it was formed, why its receding, etc).
Please note: We had a warm and sunny day, so we were warm up there. But I would say dress in layers just in case. It was a bit windier higher up. We also used sunblock, but we still got a bit of color – the sun really reflects off the snow and ice! Lastly – there are no bathrooms (and no trees!) so make sure you go before the walk begins. These are all things they make sure to tell you when you book, but just to reiterate! They do a great job of making you feel prepared, informed, and comfortable!
For more info on Athabasca Glacier Icewalks, visit their site here.
After our tour ended, we had booked a room at the hotel across the street, above the visitor’s center, the Glacier View Inn. Unfortunately we did not have a “Glacier View” room, only “Mountain View,” which was really more rocks and employee parking than anything, but it was a nice comfortable loft room which was perfect for our mid-trip relaxation night after days of hiking. We had dinner at the newly renovated hotel restaurant, Altitude, and while the sun set, we had wine out on the deck, overlooking the glacier.
If you’re staying at the hotel and don’t want to eat at Altitude, make sure to bring your own food. There is nothing else within close proximity. The cafeteria closes early and there are no stores nearby either.
