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Finally it's time to make the beautiful Roadtrip along Canada's Icefields ParkwayAncient glaciers, turquoise lakes, forests full of wildlife and imposing peaks make this a wonderful route that you cannot miss.

On our route of 21 days through the Canadian Rockies, after our visit to the Banff National Park We are on our way to the Jasper National Park, which we were ultimately unable to access due to a large fire.

 To go from one national park to another, the road that connects is precisely this one, one of the most impressive in the world and one of the essentials of our Guide to travel to Canada.

On this occasion, as in almost all our trips, we do a Route through Canada in a motorhome, which makes the road trip along the Icefields Parkway even more special.

TIP: If you want to do this route by Canada by motorhome Like us, we recommend renting a motorhome. Do it in Calgary or Vancouver with Road surfers, a company we would repeat with. Roadsurfer  gave us un discount of 150 $ that you as readers can also benefit from applying the DISCOUNT CODE: KUCAVANAAMERICA

How to access and visit the Icefields Parkway 

La Icefields Parkway the whole world Lake Louise to Jasper National Park, in the province of Alberta, where along its route it is accompanied by the bow river and its fabulous valley, as well as the Sunwapta River valley, a little further up.

To get there, if you go by private transport, it is very easy. You have to go up to Lake Louise and then go on the road and make all the stops you want and like from those I detail below.

If you do not have a rental or your own car, or a motorhome or camper, or you would like to go with a guide, you can also make the visit in a A comprehensive 11-hour Icefields Parkway tour departing from Banff and which includes a visit to a glacier in an all-terrain vehicle and tickets to see the most interesting sites along the Icefields Parkway.

Why the Icefields Parkway is a must-see

La Icefields Parkway, Highway 93, is one of the most impressive roads in the world, with 232 kilometers asphalt, located in the heart of the Canadian Rockies and inaugurated in 1941.

It has been recognized as one of the ten best panoramic routes in the world.

It's a road located between the so-called ice fields, glaciers that you see along the road everywhere. Mainly, the columbia ice field It is the one that can be seen closest. In fact, there are two important glaciers in this ice field that we will see from the road trip just a few meters away: the athabasca, the only one that can be accessed by road, and its less accessible brother, the Saskatchewan Glacier, which is twice as large as the previous one. 

A road with impressive landscapes full of towering glaciers, scenic emerald-coloured glacial lakes and fairy-tale mountains.

If there is one thing that stands out about this road as a tourist attraction, it is undoubtedly the natural beauty of its landscapes, where every kilometre is worthwhile. For that reason alone, it is a must-see.

Also, you will see that everything is ready for your visit. There Viewpoints with parking lots well prepared in the main attractions and adapted to make this place a wonderful road trip.

Discovery Pass to access the Icefield

To access Canada's National Parks you must have a pass You must put it in the vehicle you are travelling in and carry it with you at all times. Just as you enter the Icefields Parkway, you will find ticket offices where you can buy the pass if you need it. This road runs through Banff National Park in the south and Jasper National Park in the north.

There are day passes and single national park passes, or if you are going to be like us for more than 7 days and through different National Parks, the one you have to buy that is worth it is the annual pass called Discovery Pass. 

De There are different Discovery Passes with different prices.If you are traveling as an adult there is one for $75 or if you are traveling in family or group other than $151 or if you are retired, it costs $64. However, this is only valid for one vehicle. In our case, we took the family/group Discovery Pass.

With the family Discovery Pass we can access more than 80 destinations of Canada's National Parks and Historic Sites up to 7 people in one vehicle.

Planning your road trip: tips for the Icefield Parkway

The Icefield Parkway is a beautiful road, but also one of the most wildest and most dangerous there are.

Fires, such as the one that closed the road this past July, or thawing, heavy snowfall or winds can affect traffic at any time of the year. 

Furthermore, it is a road where there is a lot of traffic every summer due to the large number of tourists. More than 100.000 vehicles circulate per month in July and August. In total, more than 1,2 million visitors travel the Icefields Parkway every year.

Finally, the big drawback of this road is that You won't have a drop of coverage or internet connection on almost the 232 km of road, so be careful and disconnect.

For all these reasons, we recommend you: plan your route well before setting out on the journey and follow these tips:

0 The first primordial advice

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1 Check the road conditions before setting off on the Icefield Parkway

The first thing we recommend you do before embarking on discovering this mythical road to Jasper is to check the condition of the road in the Alberta's official road information website.

Then also check the Alertable Canada's official alerts website, that there are no emergency alerts for fire, storm, tornado, etc…

Don't rely on your feeling and check the web first. Roads are often closed due to fires, snow or other reasons. Check and take the necessary precautions.

2 Fill up with gas before entering the Icefields Parkway

Fill up with gas in Jasper or Lake Louise before heading out onto the Icefields Highway. There is only one gas station located at Saskatchewan River Crossing Resort and the price is higher than in Jasper or Lake Louise and you can find a queue to fill up the tank.

3 Disconnect from your mobile phone on Icefields Parkway

Along the Icefields Highway There is no mobile coveragel, as is the case with Jasper and Banff National Parks, which also do not have cell phone towers outside of population centers. 

So enjoy the break and exchange it for the views.

4 Plan your visits, meals and accommodations on the Icefields Parkway carefully

Just like there is only one gas station, there are very few options for eating and sleeping on the Icefields Parkway route. So if you plan to eat or sleep on the route, plan ahead and book well in advance.

In total there is only 232 km of route 13 campsites, 6 hostels and 3 tourist complexes along the road.

What to do and see on the Icefields Parkway

In the following section I will try to list all the Attractions that you will be able to visit and see on the route from the Icefields Parkway. 

The order is the one you will find there when accessing from Lake Louise towards Jasper.

Bow Lake

At the headwaters of the Bow River that runs south through its valley to Banff and the city of Calgary, we find the glacial lake Bow.

This lake is the first stop you can make when you enter the road and it is a perfect place to see the Crowfoot Glacier (shaped like a crow's foot), Bow Glacier, Crowfoot Mountain, and Mount Thompson.

Peyto Lake 

This lake, without a doubt, is the most visited and photographed lake from the Canadian Rockies. Its bright emerald color It's brutal. For us, one of our favorites of our entire route. It totally mesmerized us.

The color is the result of the detachment, during the summer, of significant quantities of glacial rock sandstone that flows into the lake, and these suspended rock particles give the lake its impressive turquoise color.

To take your best photo you have to park in the Bow Summit Parking Lot at 2088 meters, which is also the highest point on this road and all those in Canada.

From this parking lot to the viewpoint there are some 400 meters on foot which are well worth it. And if you want a better viewpoint, there is another one 3 km away.

Waterfowl Lake

Another incomparable lake, with waters ranging from turquoise, green and emerald depending on the light that reaches it.

The car park is small, but it is right next to the road and you don't have to walk to get to the edge of Waterfowl Lake. Just go down a step and you can touch the spectacular water.

A beautiful lake, not as crowded as the other two above.

Mistaya Canyon

An impressive canyon with turquoise waters where the Bow River flows. From the parking lot on the road, in 1 km you can see the viewpoint from a wooden bridge.

It is a beautiful canyon, with thick rocks and a narrow path for the water, very curious.

Saskatchewan River Crossing

This Icefields Parkway crossing and location It is the ideal place to stop for a restroom, fill up with gas and eat at its restaurant. In fact, it is the unique service area that the road has.

Also, at this point it is They cross three impressive rivers: the Northern Saskatchewan, the Howse and the Mistaya.

Finally, from here you should know that they come out Routes to the Columbia Icefield.

Weeping Wall

The direct translation of Weeping Wall is Wall of Weeping. And it is that, since This location and stopping point you can see a famous wall of tears. A mountain with a river and waterfalls that seem to cry. The mountain is the Cirrus and from it you can see at this point how water falls 100 meters high from its waterfalls.

Parker Ridge 

 El Parker Ridge Trail Parking Lot, in the north of Banff National Park, is a must for those who want to do a little trekking to gain height and views. The goal of this path is to gain altitude to contemplate a multitude of mountain ranges and the Saskatchewan Glacier (the longest in the Rockies). There is a hike of 3 km round trip which lasts approximately two hours and ascends 250 meters (820 feet) to get a good view of the glacier and mountains. Although if you come in summer This trail is closed to preserve the landscape due to its fragility. So if you go in summer you will have to settle for parking and seeing the views from the car park.

Columbia Icefield

The next stop on the Icefields Parkways route is the Columbia Icefield Parking Lot. 

The Columbia Icefield is the largest ice field in the Rockies, straddling Banff National Park and Jasper National Park and is one of the largest south of the Arctic Circle.

At this point we find the Athabasca Glacier Tongue, the closest and most accessible from the road.

By 4×4 bus and from the Glacier Skywalk viewpoint 

 During the summer months you can travel to the glacier in the comfort of large "snow buses" that leave from this parking lot or simply admire them from here or from the Glacier Skywalk. A paid viewing platform at 280 meters, over the Sunwapta Valley, with a very nice glass walkway that is in the Columbia Icefield Center, where there is also a Museum of Natural History for an in-depth look at how glaciers form, grow, and shrink. 

On foot to the glacier tongue

Right in front of the Visitor Center we have a trail to walk to the glacier tongue Athabasca. A trail along which you can see evidence of the rapid retreat of glaciers over the past century, by different marks we find. In 2023, the Athabasca Glacier was measured to have melted more ice than any of the past 10 years. 

In this regard, Parks Canada works to foster understanding and appreciation of glaciers and their ecological integrity for present and future generations.

The trail is the one marked as number 52 (moderate) 1,8 km round trip and 60 m of unevenness

Bring a jacket, gloves and a warm hat to protect yourself from the bitter cold wind. Once you cross the bridge over a stream of meltwater from the glacier, you will walk at times on ice-smoothed limestone surfaces that were under the ice in the 1950s. The trail becomes steeper and reaches the top of a rock bench, where you can see the edge of the glacier just ahead.

Finally, be careful: the glacier is dangerous!

For your safety, do not cross the barriers. People have died after falling into deep, hidden crevasses called crevasses in the glacier.

Tangle Falls

Tangle Falls is a waterfall on the edge of the Icefields Parkway road. To visit it you have to park in the roadside parking and cross the road at the zebra crossing, right there we can see it.

The waterfall is popular with ice climbers in winter and a spectacle in summer that takes up little downtime.

Sunwapta Falls

 A little further on we found a parking to visit another waterfall 100 meters away, very close to Jasper city.

 The waterfall has a drop of approximately 18 meters. The falls are particularly impressive in late spring and early summer when snow runoff is high. These falls are just fed by the Athabasca Glacier and its melting ice.

Athabasca Falls

Now, finally, here we find the last stop of interest where we can park from the Icefields Parkway before reaching Jasper town. Other waterfalls. 

The most impressive and powerful waterfalls in the Canadian RockiesAthabasca Falls is located 30 kilometres south of the town of Jasper, right on its doorstep.

The falls are impressive for the volume and force of the water, but not for their height. You can visit and observe them safely from various platforms observation and walking trails that are well marked and marked.

What walking routes can you take on the Icefields Parkway?

Here are the 5 below walks most popular things to do along the Icefields Parkway.

• Valley of the Five Lakes:  Trails 9, 9a, and 9b (moderate); 4,5 km loop; 66 m elevation gain; 2 hours. Trailhead: 9 km south on the Icefields Parkway.
• Wilcox Pass –  Trail 50 (moderate); 3,4 km return to red chairs, 1 hour; 8 km return to pass, elevation gain/loss 390 m, 2-3 hours. Trailhead: Parking area on the left side of the entrance road to Wilcox Creek Campground, 3,1 km south of the Icefield Centre.
• Nigel Step –  Trail 130 (moderate); 14,4 km return; 365 m elevation gain/loss; 5 hours return. Trailhead: 13 km south of the Icefield Centre, park at the beginning of a closed road on the east (left) side of the Icefields Parkway. Do not block the gate.
• Parker Ridge –  Trail 51 (moderate); 5,4 km return; 250 m elevation gain/loss; 3 hours return. Trailhead: 9 km south of the Icefield Centre on the Icefields Parkway, past the Hilda Creek Lodge. Now closed in summer with more people.
• Toe of the Glacier   -  Trail 52 (moderate); 1,8 km round trip; 60 m elevation gain; 1 hour. Trailhead: Across from the Icefield Centre, at the end of Toes of the Glacier Road.

Icefields Parkway map what to see

Below is the Icefield map with everything you can do and see on the Icefield Parkway. It's a map we made to plan our route. Not only does it have the walking routes you can take and the points of interest on the Icefield Parkway, but it also has parking lots and campsites. I hope you find it useful.

Conclusions and final tips on the Icefields Parkway

Without a doubt, this road is A must on the road and route through Canada. One of the places where we were most captivated by its landscapes. It was a shame that it was cut off from the Columbia Glacier by the Jasper fires. We were not able to see it all.

We will definitely be back, we will finish seeing it and we will visit Jasper on another route to Alaska.

We hope you found the post useful. Remember to comment below the post.

Good route!