What You Must Know Earlier than Visiting Athabasca Glacier Columbia Icefield Glacier Journey
Our Expertise
Checking In
The expertise begins on the Columbia Icefield Glacier Discovery Centre. After check-in, you possibly can seize meals at one of many eating places, decide up some presents, or learn the interpretive shows to study extra concerning the space’s geology, nature, and wildlife.
We first checked into the lodge to drop our luggage off. Then we picked up lunch on the Chalet, a cafeteria-style restaurant. Jacob normally goes with the protected wager, whereas I like experimenting with my meals decisions. Why not have enjoyable with it? As a result of 90% of the time, it backfires. Should you’re ordering one thing right here, Jacob’s rooster tenders with fries have been your best option, particularly for the reason that fries have been precisely how we favored them.
After ending our meals, we lined up for the bus.
Native Tip: No restrooms can be found through the expertise, so make sure you go earlier than you allow!
ATHABASCA Glacier
The bus journey is a brief one from Discovery Centre. It takes you throughout the road to the glacier’s base, the place you switch to an Ice Explorer. These enormous transport automobiles appear to be one thing out of an area film and take you safely onto the glacier. There are solely 23 on this planet, one in Antarctica and the remainder on the Columbia Icefields.
Picture Tip: There are many home windows alongside the aspect and the roof so you possibly can benefit from the views as you go, and should you’re hoping to shoot pictures and video, get a row the place the window can open so you possibly can shoot with no glare.
After arriving on the glacier, your driver offers you the time to fulfill again on the Ice Explorer, and also you’re free to roam. We had about 25 minutes on the glacier, which was loads.
There may be an space roped off the place you possibly can roam freely. The ropes is perhaps annoying for pictures, however security comes first. Convey a water bottle so you possibly can style the glacier water.
Native Tip: It’s normally round 27° F (15° C) levels cooler on the glacier than on the Discovery Centre, and it’s usually windy, so pack accordingly! Jacob and Rob have been positively a lot hotter than I used to be of their sleeping bag onesies.
The Columbia Icefield Skywalk
When our time was up, the Ice Explorer took us again to the bus then we rode about 10 minutes north to the Skywalk. The glass-floor Skywalk takes you over the sting of a cliff 918 ft above the valley ground, the place you possibly can take within the views of the Canadian Rockies.
There are a number of interpretive indicators alongside the quick stroll, and should you’re serious about studying extra concerning the historical past and geology, they’ve guided excursions too! We didn’t do the guided tour however stopped by to take a look at the bones of a Large Horn Sheep and Mountain Goats..
In contrast to different Skywalks we’ve been to, we didn’t need to put on any shoe coverings. They ask that you simply wipe them off on the mats earlier than strolling on the glass. We additionally might shoot our personal pictures and stroll at our personal tempo.
After we have been accomplished, we headed again in the direction of the parking zone, the place they’ve buses a couple of instances an hour to choose up anybody completed and take them again to the Discovery Centre. You’ll be able to keep as lengthy or as quick as you need!
Native Tip: This season, a household of mountain goats lives underneath the bridge. We noticed one sleeping on the cliffside.
