The Columbia Icefield Centre and Athabasca Glacier in Banff National Park

The Columbia Icefield Centre and Athabasca Glacier

Begin your exploration of the area here, at the Columbia Icefield Centre.

Plan Around The Columbia Icefield Centre and Athabasca Glacier

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The Columbia Icefield Centre and Athabasca Glacier Details

The Columbia Icefield Centre is a terrific place to begin your exploration of the Columbia Icefields - it has the Glacier Gallery, an exhibit hall complete with giant glacier model, interactive exhibits and audio visual programs and entry to the centre is free of charge! You can also hop the free shuttle from the centre to the Glacier Skywalk - a glass-floored platform 918 feet above the glacier-formed valleys and waterfalls below. And, stay the night at the Glacier View Inn. The centre is open daily mid-April through mid-October, and completely shuts down in the wintertime, and the Glacier View Inn is closed November - April. Athabasca Glacier is the most accessible glacier in all of North America, and comes within walking distance of the Icefields Parkway. Though the glacier is retreating at a rate of 16 feet per year, it's still huge: six kilometers (3.7 miles) long and one kilometer (0.6 mile) wide.

Difficulty

Low

Distance

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Estimated time

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Nearby Parks Around The Columbia Icefield Centre and Athabasca Glacier

Compare nearby parks around The Columbia Icefield Centre and Athabasca Glacier when deciding whether to expand the route after this stop.

70.7 mi away

Banff

National Park · Canada

292.5 mi away

Glacier

National Park · MT

303.1 mi away

North Cascades

National Park · WA

395.2 mi away

Olympic

National Park · WA

426.3 mi away

Mount Rainier

National Park · WA

619.2 mi away

Yellowstone

National Park · WY

Nearby Points of Interest Around The Columbia Icefield Centre and Athabasca Glacier

Use nearby POIs to quickly expand your options beyond The Columbia Icefield Centre and Athabasca Glacier while the map context is still fresh.

1.3 mi away

Wilcox Pass

Hike from the Wilcox Creek Campground to Wilxcox pass on the historical outfitter trail.

1.5 mi away

Wilcox Pass

Keep an eye out for bighorn sheep when hiking this trail.

5.0 mi away

Parkers Ridge and Saskatchewan Glacier

Stop by Parker Ridge for a spectacular view.

5.0 mi away

Parker Ridge

Switchbacks lead you to this trail's final destination.

5.1 mi away

Nigel Pass

Take in the views of Banff and Jasper on this hike to Nigel Pass.