Icefields Parkway to Travel the Icefields Parkway Is to Experience One of Canada's National Treasures and Most Rewarding Destinations

Home , Athabasca Falls, Athabasca River, Bow Lake (Alberta), Columbia Icefield, Hector Lake, Lake Louise (Alberta)

RV Traveler's

Roadmap to Icefields Parkway To travel the Icefields Parkway is to experience one of Canada's national treasures and most rewarding destinations. Stretching 144 miles through the heart of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site, this world-class journey offers access to a vast wilderness of pristine mountain lakes, ancient glaciers and broad 1 sweeping valleys.

Highlights & Facts For The Ideal Experience Moraine Lake, Banff National Park

Trip Length: Roughly 180 miles, not including side trips

Best Time To Go: Spring & Summer

What To Watch Out For: A daily per person Parks Pass is required to enter Canadian National Parks. Passes can be purchased at the parks' gate entrances or at visitor centers. From March-December the only filling station on the Icefields Parkway is at the Saskatchewan Crossing.

Must See Nearby Attractions:

Moraine Lake

Spirit Island in Maligne Lake

Traveler's Notes

Sunwapta Falls

The Icefields Parkways, known as Highway 93 North, offers spectacular sightseeing of pristine turquoise lakes, tumbling waterfalls, ancient glaciers and the Columbia Icefields. Along the stretch, big horn sheep, deer, black bears, and coyotes are frequently spotted. Wolves, grizzlies, and goats less so. But witnessing a truly wild sight, like a trio of infant bear cubs under the protection of their mother, is not unlikely.

More than a drive, the Icefield Parkway is a journey through natural history and captivating landscapes. It is rated as the #1 attraction in Banff National on TripAdvisor with the Columbia Icefield Tour as the #6 most popular activity. It is possible to travel this route in 3 hours but it is a crime to do so because of the jaw-dropping scenery. Needless to say, a visit to the Canadian Rockies would be incomplete without experiencing the splendour of the Icefields Parkway and the Columbia Icefields.

You can pull over on the Icefield Parkway roadside and at the Columbia Icefield or park in the many trailhead parking areas to really venture into this spectacular wilderness of the Canadian Rockies.

What To See Along the Way

Banff National Park & Town Weeping Wall Banff Upper Hot Springs Big Bend & Big Hill Tunnel Mountain Road Parker Ridge Lake Minnewanka Scenic Drive Jasper National Park Castle Mountain Viewpoint Columbia Icefield Lake Louise Sunwapta Falls Moraine Lake Kerkeslin Goat Lick Herbert Lake & Hector Lake Viewpoint Athabasca Falls Bow Lake Cavell Road Peyto Lake Jasper Mistaya Canyon Maligne Lake Road Saskatchewan River Crossing

Facts & More Information To

Plan Your Trip! Mountain goats along Icefields Parkway

Banﬀ National Park & Town: Banff is a resort town in the province of Alberta, located within Banff National Park. The peaks of Mt. Rundle and Mt. Cascade, part of the Rocky Mountains, dominate its skyline.

Banﬀ Upper Hot Springs: At 1,585 meters of elevation (5,200 feet), the Banff Upper Hot Springs is the highest in Canada.

Tunnel Mountain Road: This is a scenic route to drive around. You can take Buffalo Street to go to Surprise corner and keep going to the top of the hill. There is a viewpoint on your left where you can see town of Banff. Keep going North, once you get to the junction you can take a left to get back to the town or turn right to go towards the Hoodoos. After the Hoodoos, keep going and you will end up at a “T” junction, take a left to get on Banff Ave which takes you back to town.

Lake Minnewanka Scenic Drive: A wonderful scenic drive toward the Lake Minnewanka, in the heart of the Canadian Rockies in the eastern area of Banff National Park.

Lake Louise: Lake Louise is a hamlet in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies, known for its turquoise, glacier-fed lake ringed by high peaks and overlooked by a stately chateau.

Mistaya Canyon: Mistaya Canyon is a canyon in the western part of the Alberta province of Canada. It is formed by the Mistaya River.

Parker Ridge: Although dwarfed by the surrounding peaks, Parker Ridge is a popular ski- touring destination in the winter and hiking destination in the summer. Located adjacent to Sunwapta Pass and the Icefields Parkway, the ridge is nearly entirely above treeline.

Athabasca Falls: Athabasca Falls is a waterfall in Jasper National Park on the upper Athabasca River.

Ready, set, go!

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