Icefields Parkway, Alberta Canada
Icefields Parkway, Alberta Canada
Rachaelp
"The Icefields Parkway is one of the world’s most scenic drives, offering up everything from ancient glaciers and turquoise lakes to mountain-framed valleys and raging waterfalls. If there ever was a road trip that is more about the journey than the destination, it is the Icefields Parkway drive. In only 233 kilometres, you’ll experience what feels like an endless amount of stunning natural wonders as you drive the Icefields Parkway through the heart of Banff and Jasper national parks."
Park Pass: You will need to purchase a park pass to drive the Icefields Parkway, since it goes through two national parks. You can buy one at the entrances to Banff and Jasper national parks, as well as at the two booths on the Icefields Parkway (just outside of Lake Louise and the Jasper townsite).
Best to start this road trip with a full tank of gas since there is only one gas station on the Icefields Parkway (at Saskatchewan Crossing, which is 80 km from Lake Louise and 153 km from Jasper). Prices are usually higher here than in Lake Louise or Jasper.
Information sourced from:
- Adventure Alberta - https://adventurealberta.ca/
- The Banff Blog - thebanffblog.com
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Popular Viewpoints
Bow Lake Viewpoint
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Crowfoot Glacier Viewpoint
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Waterfowl Lakes Viewpoint
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Stutfield Glacier Viewpoint
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The Stutfield Glacier viewpoint is worth a quick photo stop, even though it’s not one of the top things to see on the Icefields Parkway. From this roadside pullout, you can gaze across the Sunwapta River’s wide valley to the Stutfield Glacier flowing down from Stutfield Peak.
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Lakes & Glaciers
Herbert Lake
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Distance to Lake Louise: 6km
Distance to Jasper: 227km
Enjoy panoramic views of Mount Niblock
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Crowfoot Glacier
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The Crowfoot Glacier viewpoint is a pullout along the highway where you can gaze across the southeast end of Bow Lake at what used to be a “three-toed” glacier resembling a crow’s foot.
This viewpoint offers great views of the remaining ice and the 3,055 m tall Crowfoot Mountain.
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Bow Lake
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Bow Lake is one of the best Icefields Parkway stops thanks to its magnificent scenery, shoreside picnic sites, and surrounding hiking trails.
This beautiful blue lake collects meltwater from the Bow Glacier in the Wapta Icefield and is bordered by several prominent peaks including Mount Jimmy Simpson, Mount Thompson, and Crowfoot Mountain.
Bow Hut Route
Distance & Elevation: 15km return | 660m
Difficulty: Hard
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Peyto Lake
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Note: One of the most popular attractions on the Icefields Parkway, so it can get crowded at the viewing deck that overlooks the lake.
For a quieter space to admire the views, consider hiking up to the Bow Summit Lookout (about 3.1 km one way), or down to the south shore of the lake (about 2.8 km one way, but very steep).
This incredibly striking lake has milky turquoise water and is shaped like a fox’s head at one end. Adding to the lake’s allure is the mountain-framed valley in which it’s situated, nestled between Cauldron Peak, Peyto Peak, and Mount Jimmy Simpson.
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Athabasca Glacier
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The most famous (and popular) attraction on the Icefields Parkway is the Athabasca Glacier.
The glacier can be viewed from across the road at the Columbia Icefield Centre, or closer up at the Toe of the Glacier Trail and Forefield Trail.
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Valley of the Five Lakes
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This is one of the most popular hikes in Jasper since it visits five beautiful blue-green lakes on the floor of the Athabasca Valley. There’s a short loop and a long loop, but most people do the short loop since it still goes by all five lakes.
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Waterfalls & Cascades
Bow Glacier Falls
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A little further up the road at Num-Ti-Jah Lodge, you can walk along the lakeshore trail, perhaps even going as far as Bow Glacier Falls
Distance & Elevation: 8.7km return | 266m
Difficulty: Moderate
Time: 2 – 4 hours
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Mistaya Canyon Trail Head
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Just a short downhill walk from the Icefields Parkway is MISTAYA CANYON, a scenic limestone slot canyon carved by the Mistaya River.
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Panther Falls
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One of the most powerful waterfalls on the Icefields Parkway. Here the water of Nigel Creek forcefully pushes through a small opening in the rockface then crashes down the cliffside into a valley, sending a spray of water onto the trail. Prepare to get wet!
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Stanley Falls
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BEAUTY CREEK AND STANLEY FALLS is a hidden gem on the Icefields Parkway that most people drive past without a second thought.
You can see several cataracts on Beauty Creek from the top of the canyon, but the highlight is Stanley Falls at the end of the trail.
Distance from Carpark:
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Sunwapta Falls
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SUNWAPTA FALLS is not to be missed when driving the Icefields Parkway, as it’s one of the most beautiful and photogenic waterfalls in Jasper National Park.
Allow about an hour to complete the round trip hike to Lower Sunwapta Falls.
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Athabasca Falls
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ATHABASCA FALLS is a major attraction on the Icefields Parkway, and while the crowds can be frustrating, it is absolutely worth visiting.
This relatively short but mighty waterfall on the Athabasca River roars over a cliff into a limestone canyon that has been beautifully carved from centuries of swirling, rushing water.
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Walks & Hiking Trails
Bow Lake
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Bow Lake is one of the best Icefields Parkway stops thanks to its magnificent scenery, shoreside picnic sites, and surrounding hiking trails.
This beautiful blue lake collects meltwater from the Bow Glacier in the Wapta Icefield and is bordered by several prominent peaks including Mount Jimmy Simpson, Mount Thompson, and Crowfoot Mountain.
Bow Hut Route
Distance & Elevation: 15km return | 660m
Difficulty: Hard
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Cirque Peak via Helen Lake
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Distance & Elevation: 16.1km return | 1,111m
Difficulty: Challenging
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Helen Lake Trail
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Distance & Elevation: 12km return | 540m
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
🥾 12km return
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Parker Ridge
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Distance & Elevation: 6.4km return | 338m
Difficulty: Challenging
Note: If you only have time for one hike during your Icefields Parkway road trip, then this is a great one to choose because it only takes about 2 hours.
The PARKER RIDGE HIKE is popular because it offers wonderful views of several notable mountains along the Icefields Parkway as it zigzags up to a lookout point across from the Saskatchewan Glacier.
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Wilcox Pass Trail
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One of the best hikes on the Icefields Parkway is the HIKE TO WILCOX VIEWPOINT VIA WILCOX PASS TRAIL.
As you hike through pretty alpine meadows, you’ll have incredible panoramic views of glacier-covered peaks in the Columbia Icefield. Once you reach Wilcox Viewpoint you’ll be directly across from the Athabasca Glacier.
If you don’t want to hike all the way to the main viewpoint, there’s a set of Parks Canada’s iconic red chairs less than 2 km up the trail where you also get a nice view of Athabasca Glacier.
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Valley of the Five Lakes Trailhead
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"This is one of the most popular hikes in Jasper since it visits five beautiful blue-green lakes on the floor of the Athabasca Valley. There’s a short loop and a long loop, but most people do the short loop since it still goes by all five lakes."
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachaelp
Hi there, I'm Rachael!
Countries I've traveled to: Austria, Australia, England, France, Germany, India, Italy, Nepal, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand
Upcoming Trips: Canada, France, Spain, South America, Central America
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