While almost every activity in Jasper National Park seems to qualify (yes, I’m biased – I like Jasper National Park), here’s a hidden gem for those looking for a unique hiking experience:

• A guided ice walk on the Athabasca Glacier

Imagine hiking on a glacier.  Where else could you do that?

The guided ice walk offers a way to intimately experience the Athabasca Glacier.   Starting from the entrance just off the Icefield Parkway near the Athabasca Information Centre, the ice walk involves a guided hike where you’ll learn about how the glacier came to be as you hike right on the glacier.

There are 2 tours given by trained guides, a 3-4 hour “Ice Cubed” tour and a day-long 5-6 hour “Icewalk Deluxe” hike.  Both have frequent stops for rest, talks about glaciers, and enjoying the scenery.  The 3-4 hour Ice Cubed hike should be a good way to hike if you are in shape and able to hike but don’t want to be too tired out the next day.

Walking on ancient ice of the glacier is surely a different experience from any other hike in Jasper National Park.

There’s a certain element of danger to getting up close to this amazing ice sculpted landscape.  The waiver you’ll have to sign explains some of the potential dangers, such as:

“‘…Deep millwells, crevasses, or other holes, fissures or crevices may be hidden from view and not apparent to hikers.   Glacier ice can be very slippery, and ice conditions can change rapidly, without warning, in a short time or distance….”

Don’t be put off.  You’ll be in good hands with the experienced guides.

Athabasca Glacier Icewalks will teach you what you need to know at the beginning of the hike.  They’ll even provide crampon spikes that fit over your shoes.   Glacier streams also can make for some slippery areas so you’ll need to wear boots or hiking shoes.    They’ll also provide boots if you want.

Learn more at the Ice Walk website where you should make advance reservations if you plan on doing the walk this summer.

The aptly named Glacier View Inn is rare in its ability to offer a view of a glacier from a hotel room.

Its location at the Columbia Icefield Centre on the Icefield Parkway on the southern border of Jasper National Park makes it a desirable hotel in Jasper for spending the night on the way to or from neighboring Banff National Park.

And the Glacier View Inn’s view of the Athabasca Glacier makes for one of the most unique hotels in Canadian Rockies or the world, for that matter.

Other than that, the Glacier View Inn is a typical hotel.  The hotel has 32 rooms – all on the 3rd floor of the Icefield Centre.  Some rooms have a glacier view.  Other slightly cheaper rooms have only a mountain view.  Either way, the price is on the high side for the facility.

The price (about $275 a night during peak season) seems like a lot (I’m a cheapskate when it comes to accommodations).  But a location like this can ask that kind of money and still be filled to capacity during the peaks summer months.  You’re paying for the view and location versus luxury.

Also, be aware that facilities are limited in this area of the park.  The only dining is in the Columbia Icefield Centre on the 2nd floor which has a restaurant open for breakfast and dinner.  It also has a cafeteria open during icefield tour operating hours during the day.

Then again, doing the Columbia Icefield Snocoach tour is really convenient – just walk downstairs to the bus first thing in the morning.

So the location has its pluses (location, location, location) and minuses (amenities, services, price).  As a one-nighter, it may make a good choice for some Canadian Rockies travel itineraries.  Otherwise, there are plenty of convenient hotels in the centrally located Jasper townsite area or in Banff from which day trips to the Columbia Icefield may end up being an experience more fitting of your needs and tastes.

It is amongst the most popular activities in Jasper National Park – and many Banff National Park visitors drive up for the Columbia Icefield Glacier Experience too.

The bus is called a “Snocoach”.  Only a handful of them are in existence.  These monster buses tread delicately over the snow while the driver tells you the story of the Athabasca Glacier on the Columbia Icefield.

The views are awe-inspiring.

The tour starts with a shuttle bus driving from the Icefield Centre to the edge of the Athabasca Glacier where you do a quick transfer to a Snocoach bus.  The Snocoach bus rides on the snow, driving a long way up and stopping at a look-out area.

Everyone gets out of the bus at the look-out area, looks around in awe, and most people touch the snow.  The air feels so clean up here.

Some people even try to drink some of the blue glacial melt water.

After hanging out on the glacier, everyone gets back in the bus and heads back.

It’s a relaxing, comfortable drive. It’s an attraction that anyone can do. It’s a way to experience a glacier, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And, like just about everywhere in Jasper and Banff, the views are incredible. Pictures cannot do it justice.

Here’s the official video from Brewster, the company operating the tour.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Enjoy the glacier experience!

While at the Icefield Centre (where you get on the shuttle to the Snocoach), you can take a time-out and view the glacier exhibit to learn about glaciers, the climate and the Canadian Rockies environment.  Afterward, have a meal at one of the two restaurants in the Icefield Centre.

Related posts:

1. Make time for the Icefield Parkway during your Canadian Rockies vacation

To get a taste for the travel experience, here are some recent videos taken by fellow Jasper National Park travelers riding the Brewster Ice Explorer bus on the Athabasca Glacier. These videos are taken by Jasper National Park travelers with video cameras and the skills to put together a video and share it on YouTube.

One could argue that these videos are a little bit of a spoiler and reveal too much. Don’t worry! In the case of the Athabasca Glacier, anyone who has been there and taken pictures or video will always say that there is no way to truly capture the experience. The scale of the place is beyond comprehension.

So we should thank our fellow camera-toting travel video makers. They provide a taste of the Athabasca Glacier, but it is just a small sample – hopefully motivation for your own Athabasca Glacier experience. If you want a true taste, you can actually eat the snow.

This Athabasca Glacier video (narration in Chinese), taken from the driver’s seat of a Brewster snocoach, offers a unique perspective. Try to get a front sear on the bus for a similar experience.

This final video shows that visiting the Athabasca Glacier on a snowy day might not be such a good idea. The view just isn’t the same.