June 10, 2025

Hi adventurer!

My name is Jasmine, I’m originally from Australia, and currently living in Canada on a working holiday visa. My goal here is to say “yes” to as many opportunities as I can and make the most of this beautiful slice of paradise called Canada.

Today, I want to share with you my experience visiting a glacier — I hope you enjoy the read!

The Columbia Icefield Adventure was an epic day full of lots of sightseeing and adventure. It’s a day I will never forget, and I truly believe that while visiting the Bow Valley, an absolute must-do activity.

The day started at 8:30am in Banff, where our tour guide picked us up in a Brewster Coach. Our guide was very informative and knowledgeable on the local area, and I can say I learnt a lot about Banff, Lake Louise, wildlife, as well as the glaciers. We got to enjoy the scenic drive from Banff to our first stop in Lake Louise, where we picked up the final group of passengers. Along the way, we drove past lots of mountains, including Sulphur, Rundle, and Castle Mountain.

From here we started the journey on the Icefield Parkway which was nothing short of incredible. We got to learn all about the history of the icefields as well as the wildlife. Our next stop was Peyto Lake, which was just incredible! If you get to enjoy this beautiful stop, try to guess what shape the lake appears as before the guide tells you!

After Peyto Lake we continued the beautiful drive through the icefields spotting some wildlife, I was even lucky enough to see my first black bear! We drove past Bow Glacier which is perfectly situated above Bow Lake as well as Crowfoot Glacier which has a pull in area to view. Our next stop was at The Big Bend Lookout and we had stunning views of the surrounding glacial valley.

Then came the main event: the Columbia Icefield and Athabasca Glacier. We enjoyed lunch at the Glacier View Lodge before boarding the Ice Explorer—an enormous all-terrain vehicle that ferried us right onto the glacier. Standing on ancient ice and sipping fresh glacier water was surreal and exhilarating.

Next up was the Glacier Skywalk. If you’re into adrenaline-pumping moments, you’ll love walking across the glass-floored platform suspended above the Sunwapta Valley. The panoramic mountain views are absolutely mind-blowing.

After soaking up the last views of the day, we made our way back to Banff, arriving around 6 PM. The entire experience was seamless, immersive, and completely awe-inspiring. I’d do it again in a heartbeat—and highly recommend it to anyone wanting to see the Canadian Rockies at their most majestic!

Thank you for your time. I hope you enjoy your trip. Cya-later!