During our whole holiday in Calgary and the Rockies, we did and saw many things we will never forget, but this one was undoubtedly the highlight….
The drive from Lake Louise to Jasper takes you along the Icefield Parkway – aptly named as the mountain scenery is just fantastic! Hard to keep eyes on the road! Of course there are many glaciers but the Athabasca Glacier has been made into a visitor attraction. As you approach, you can make out the huge buses that take visitors right up on to the glacier itself. They stop, you get out, and walk on the glacier itself. Not exactly something you do every day…! It’s a wonderful experience and a unique feeling to be walking around on a sea of ice. A photo opportunity that you may never get again. Take shoes/boots with good grips! You can fill your water bottle with icy glacier water, and if you believe the driver (as my 7-year old grandson did), it will make you grow a foot taller by the time you get back home!
The visit concludes by driving down from the glacier and along the road to the Glacier Skywalk. This is a huge metal construction (with a glass-floored walkway) that stretches out over the river valley, affording fabulous views of the surrounding mountains and glaciers. It’s a bit of an unusual experience to walk out over the valley on a glass floor, but it definitely rivals the same thing at the Grand Canyon. There is a lot of information via audio guide and display boards about the flora, fauna and geography of the area which was really interesting. Our grandson couldn’t put the audio guide down!
The whole visit was just marvellous and left us with unforgettable memories.
“Link to the glacier website”:https://www.brewster.ca/activities-in-the-rockies/brewster-attractions/columbia-icefield-glacier-adventure/