Guided Glacier Hike on The Athabasca with IceWalks

Discover the Athabasca Glacier with IceWalks. Enjoy a guided hike, explore ice formations, and learn natural history. Perfect for active families.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Athabasca Glacier - IceWalks’ ACMG certified guides will meet you in the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre parking lot and gear you up for an unforgettable 3 hour interpretive glacier adventure. You will be shuttled a short distance to the trailhead. This 5 km roundtrip walking tour will take you onto the Athabasca Glacier and into the incredible landscape that is the Canadian Rockies. You will learn the rich history of the glacier and you will have spectacular views of the glaciated mountains. You will learn about and explore the many incredible ice formations on the glacier, which include: crevasses, mill wells (waterfalls into the depths of the ice), meltwater streams, and icefalls (from a safe distance). This will be the highlight of your trip on the Icefields Parkway. The pictures you take will capture the memories of a lifetime. No technical climbing experience required! Our tours are moderate in difficulty, suitable for young children who enjoy hiking and active seniors.
What's Included
  • Micro-spikes (crampons) for ice traction
  • Rain gear
  • Hiking boots
  • Gloves
  • Hat
What's Not Included
  • Warm layers - bring your own insulating layer
Additional Information

This will be the highlight of your trip through the Icefields Parkway! A great way to explore a glacier. The Athabasca Glacier is easily accessible and the tours are moderate difficulty suitable for active people seeking a meaningful experience. Great value for families, we supply all the gear required to comfortably explore the glacier. IceWalks’ guides are ACMG certified. Your friendly and informative guide will explain the natural history of the area and show you the many ice formations on the glacier.

Location
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Arrive 20 minutes prior to your departure. Meet in the West parking lot of the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre. Look for the white vans with IceWalks logo as you pull off the highway. From there you will be shuttled a short distance to the trailhead.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(230 Ratings)
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Robert_c
Aug 30, 2024
Unique experience! - Beautiful views! Awesome view of formations created in the glacier! The guide provided a good pace. I didn’t feel rushed.
Review provided by Viator
Nik_d
Aug 24, 2024
Excellent experience - We had an excellent time as a family of 4 on this trip. Being on the ice itself was very memorable and the education around the walk was really interesting. Id recommend this trip.
Review provided by Viator
Russell_b
Aug 22, 2024
Worth the hype - Great experience hiking up the glacier with Corin. He made the experience great, very knowledgeable and attentive to the group and kept everyone safe and happy. The experience is unlike anything else and was much more than just a hike.
Review provided by Viator
Sarah_g
Aug 21, 2024
Highly Recommend - Amazing experience, highly recommend. Great tour guide who was very friendly and knowledgeable about the glacier. Learned a lot and loved the experience.
Review provided by Viator
Rochelle_h
Aug 21, 2024
Awesome experience! - Walking on the glacier was great! Coryn our guide, showed us many features, glacier waterfalls, holes, etc and explained how they all form. So much nicer than those poor people riding a bus up only to walk about 10 feet on glacier. He went at a gentle pace for those of us that would be easily winded. They provided rain pants, gloves, hats and crampons for those who needed it! Wonderful tour!
Review provided by Viator
Rebeccadl5517mr
Aug 19, 2024
A great glacial experience - After researching the options, we booked onto a three hour hike on the Glacier with Ice Walks. We were really glad we did. The team were friendly and professional, easy to find, and made sure that we were well prepared with the appropriate safety equipment. They provided everything from gloves and hats to crampons and poles. Our leader was Heather - she was brilliant. Hugely knowledgeable about the area, and very engaging. We were all very happy following her instruction and felt safe under her direction. We were in a group of twelve in all. The first part of the hike up to the glacier is the most challenging, so a fair level of general fitness is needed for the section in particular. If that’s not you, then perhaps have a look at one of the vehicle trips. Once up at the glacier, we kitted up and started out. Heather pointed out key features, helped us look at the way the glacier changes, and understand how it is receding. My two young teens found it just as exciting and interesting as we did. The time flew by. We would definitely recommend this experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nicole_p
Aug 16, 2024
Once in a lifetime experience - Of the many things to do in this area, this was a truly once in a lifetime experience. Our guide, Tyler, was knowledgeable and helpful. The experience really brought to life how fragile and impacted these glaciers are due to global warming.
Review provided by Viator
Tracy_v
Aug 11, 2024
great experience - i originally booked a 2pm slot, but i changed my reservation to 9:45am. when i checked in at before 9:45, the tour guide couldn't find my name even though i had an email confirmation. i guess the tour operator didn't update their list; however, the tour guide was still able to let us join the 9:45 trip. our tour guide, tom, was the best. he made sure everyone in my group had the proper equipment and helped us so much. i had two older people in my group and they were struggling to keep up a little because he was leading the group a little too fast, but tom made sure to check in with us and make sure we were ready to go when we caught up. overall, really recommend this tour experience because we would not have been able to go on the glacier otherwise and see the many features the glacier has to offer.
Review provided by Viator
W7249osemilym
Aug 9, 2024
Walking guided tour on the glacier AMAZING !! - This definitely was an absolute highlight of our western Canada trip. Our guide Stu was well informed and very knowledgeable. I would recommend anyone of any age to do this tour. Being on the glacier and experiencing the different temperatures and the absolute beauty of the ice was amazing. We even got to taste the purity of it. Go and experience the glacier before we lose it :) Great tour Stu thank you we loved it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pornlada_l
Sep 5, 2024
We had a great time with... - We had a great time with Larry, our guide. We hiked along the lateral morraine for ~ 1km before we actually stepped onto the ice. It's sad that the lake gets bigger and bigger every year due to a rapid glacier recession. The glacier is stunning, worth every dollar!
Review provided by Viator
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up to 12 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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