Athabasca Glacier hiking tour

Get an up-close look at the ice formations and vibrant blue crevasses of Athabasca Glacier on this walking tour.

The Icefields Parkway between Jasper and Lake Louise is Canada’s most well-known scenic drive for its staggering mountains, plentiful glaciers, and sparkling lakes. The most accessible and popular glacier is the Athabasca Glacier, part of the Columbia Icefield. On this small group tour, you’ll venture onto the river of ice yourself, taking samples for scientific research, and exploring the vibrant blues of the ice.

You’ll meet your guide and the rest of your group at a dedicated staging area near the Columbia Icefield visitor centre. You’ll be given an overview and equipment for the tour, including crampons and mountain boots. You’ll also be told of the various science projects happening on the glacier. You’ll then follow your guide to the edge of the ice and make your first steps onto the ancient river of ice.

As you step out onto the glacier, you’ll get a close-up view of the way the light creates different blue tones in the ice, the various ice formations, and the deep crevasses. You may aid the local scientists by helping to collect samples, and depending on conditions, use ropes to get down into one of the crevasses for a more intimate view of the ice.

No two tours are the same on this journey, and the programme offers a more environmentally friendly way of experiencing the glacier, than the mass bus tours onto the ice. The tour will be about 1 to 8 km (1.2 to 5 miles) depending on the group and conditions and lasts about four hours in total.