Athabasca Glacier

Seen the Athabasca Glacier from the Icefields Parkway

The Athabasca Glacier is one of the six main tongues of the Columbia Icefield in the Canadian Rockies. The Glacier flows from the ice field in northeast direction to the Icefields Parkway. He is flanked on one side by the 3550 meter high Snow Dome and the 3450 m high Mount Andromeda. The melted water flows over the Sunwapta Lake from the Sunwapta River.

Due to the climatic warming, the glacier has retreated in the last 125 years by 1.5 miles and lost more than half its volume.

Due to its proximity to the Icefields Parkway, he is one of the most visited glacier in North America. From the Icefield Parkway Icefields located at the center guided tours with special buses are ( the Snow coaches ) offered on the Athabasca Glacier in summer.

Nearby Glacier Skywalk is under construction; an accessible platform with glass bottom ca.280 m above the Sunwapta Valley. The builder, Brewster Travel Canada wants to open the new attraction on the Icefields Parkway in May 2014.

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Snow Coach on the Athabasca Glacier

Ride over the glacier