1846: Paul Kane sketched his way across the mountains.1811: David Thompson established Athabasca Pass as the key route to the Pacific.Glaciers can move between 25 to 15 meters a year.īefore the road opened, horse outfitter Jack Brewster led annual “Trail of the Glaciers” packhorse trips between Banff and Jasper.The ice at the centre of the Athabasca Glacier is as thick as the Eiffel Tower is tall.Its less accessible brother, the Saskatchewan Glacier, is nearly twice its size. The Athabasca Glacier is the only glacier on the Columbia Icefield accessible by road.The Great Divide icefields meltwater provides critical summer flow for rivers that deliver water to Western North America’s farms, prairies, industrial areas, cities and towns.The longest known cave system in Canada, the Castleguard Caves, lies hidden underneath the Columbia Icefield. Water flowing through and from the glaciers creates underground rivers and caves.Only the highest peaks were poking through the ice. The valleys surrounding the Icefields Parkway were filled with ice 8,000 years ago.The mountains along the Great Divide were once the ocean floor. Early mountaineers and geologists found fossils of sea creatures high on the mountain peaks.Mountains, glaciers and all things nature There are 13 campgrounds, 6 hostels andģ resorts along the Icefields Parkway ready to host visitors for the night.The waters from the Columbia Icefield flow to three different oceans: the Arctic, the Atlantic and the Pacific.Only one tractor was allowed per work crew. It took 600 men 10 years to build the highway using hand labour and horses.More than 1.2 million visitors travel the Icefields Parkway each year.The Icefields Parkway is the 93 N it and stretches for 230 km. If you’re lucky you might even spot a grizzly bear or a gray wolf.īaby mountain goat at Goat Lick viewpoint You might spot bighorn sheep, mountain goats, deer, black bears, wolverines, eagles and marmots. The wilderness around the Icefields Parkway is home to several at-risk plant and animal species including the star of the Canadian 25-cent coin: the elusive Woodland Caribou.The Great Divide is home to two national historic sites: Howse Pass and Athabasca Pass national historic sites.The Icefields Parkway has been recognized as one of the top ten scenic drives in the world.The Icefields Parkway travels through two of the highest passes accessible to drivers: Bow Pass (2,067 m) and Sunwapta Pass (2,030 m).Given that the route runs along the Great Divide, the journey took weeks by horse pack prior to the completion of the road.Located in Alberta, Canada it links Lake Louise in the south to Jasper in the north.The Icefields Parkway travels through two national parks: Banff National Park and Jasper National Park.Hotels: Num-Ti-Jah Lodge, The Crossing Resort, The Glacier View Inn, Sunwapta Falls Rocky Mountain Lodge. Hostels: Rampart Creek Hostel, Mosquito Creek Hostel, Hilda Creek Hostel, Beauty Creek Hostel, Athabasca Falls Hostel, Jasper International Hostel. Jasper National Park : Wilcox, Icefield Tents, Icefields RV Centre, Jonas, Honeymoon Lake, Kerkeslin, Wabasso, Wapiti and Whistlers. Athabasca Pass – 98 km (7 to 10-day trip)īanff National Park : Mosquito Creek, Silverhorn Creek, Waterfowl Lakes, Rampart Creek.Here's some of our favorites along the Icefields Parkway. Jasper National Park offers a range of backcountry opportunities. Trailhead: Across from the Icefield Centre, at end of Toes of the Glacier Road. Toe of the Glacier – Trail 52 (moderate) 1.8 km return 60 m elevation gain/loss 1 hour.Trailhead: 9 km south of the Icefield Centre on the Icefields Parkway, past Hilda Creek Hostel. Parker Ridge – Trail 51 (moderate) 5.4 km return 250 m elevation gain/loss 3-hour round trip.Trailhead: 13 km south of the Icefield Centre, park at the start of a gated road on the east (left) side of the Icefields Parkway. Nigel Pass – Trail 130 (moderate) 14.4 km return 365 m elevation gain/loss 5-hour round trip.Trailhead: The parking area on the left-hand side of the Wilcox Creek Campground entrance road, 3.1 km south of the Icefield Centre. Wilcox Pass – Trail 50 (moderate) 3.4 km return to the red chairs, 1 hour 8 km return to the pass, elevation gain/loss 390 m, 2-3 hours.Trailhead: 9 km south on the Icefields Parkway. Valley of the Five Lakes – Trails 9, 9a and 9b (moderate) 4.5 km loop 66 m elevation gain/loss 2 hours.Columbia Icefield Area and Athabasca Glacierįor these popular hikes, travel 15 to 120 km south from Jasper along the Icefields Parkway.
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