Between Lake Louise and Jasper winds one of the most spectacular mountain roads in the world. Called the Icefields Parkway, the road climbs through three deep river valleys, beneath soaring, glacier-notched mountains, and past dozens of hornlike peaks shrouded with permanent snowfields. Capping this 287km (178-mile) route is the Columbia Icefields, a massive dome of glacial ice and snow straddling the top of the continent. From this mighty cache of ice -- the largest nonpolar ice cap in the world -- flow the Columbia, the Athabasca, and the North Saskatchewan rivers.
Although you can drive the Icefields Parkway in 3 hours, plan to take enough time to stop at eerily green lakes, hike to a waterfall, and take an excursion up onto the Columbia Icefields. There's also a good chance that you'll see wildlife: ambling bighorn sheep, mountain goats, elks with huge shovel antlers, and mama bears with cubs -- all guaranteed to halt traffic and set cameras clicking.
After Lake Louise, the highway divides: Highway 1 continues west toward Golden, British Columbia, while Highway 93 (the Icefields Pkwy.) continues north along the Bow River. Bow Lake, the river's source, glimmers below enormous Crowfoot Glacier; when the glacier was named, a third "toe" was more in evidence, lending a resemblance to a bird's claw. Num-Ti-Jah Lodge, on the shores of Bow Lake, is a good place to stop for lunch and to take some photographs; this venerable lodge also offers accommodations in traditional guest rooms.
The road mounts Bow Summit and drops into the North Saskatchewan River drainage. Stop at the Peyto Lake Viewpoint and hike up a short but steep trail to glimpse this startling blue-green body of water.
The parkway then begins to climb up in earnest toward the Sunwapta Pass. Here, in the shadows of 3,490m (11,450-ft.) Mount Athabasca, the icy tendrils of the Columbia Icefields come into view. However impressive these glaciers may seem from the road, they're nothing compared to the massive amounts of centuries-old ice and snow hidden by mountain peaks; the Columbia Icefields cover nearly 518 sq. km (200 sq. miles) and are more than 760m (2,500 ft.) thick. From the parkway, the closest fingers of the ice field are Athabasca Glacier, which fills the horizon to the west of the Columbia Icefields Centre (tel. 780/852-7032), a recently rebuilt lodge with a restaurant open from 8am to 10pm and double rooms starting at C$215 (US$172). The Icefields Information Centre (tel. 780/852-7030), a park service office that answers questions about the area, stands beside the lodge. It's open May 1 to June 14, daily from 9am to 5pm; June 15 to September 7, daily from 9am to 6pm; and September 8 to October 15, daily from 9am to 5pm. It is closed October 15 to May 1.
From the Brewster Snocoach Tours ticket office (tel. 403/762-6735), specially designed buses take visitors out onto the glacier. The 90-minute excursion includes a chance to hike the surface of Athabasca Glacier. The Snocoach Tour is C$32 (US$26) for adults and C$16 (US$13) for children. If you don't have the time for the tour, you can drive to the toe of the glacier and walk up onto its surface. Use extreme caution when on the glacier; accidents can result in broken limbs or even death.
From the Columbia Icefields, the parkway descends steeply into the Athabasca River drainage. From the parking area for Sunwapta Falls, travelers can choose to crowd around the chain-link fence and peer at this turbulent falls, or take the half-hour hike to equally impressive but less crowded Lower Sunwapta Falls. Athabasca Falls, farther north along the parkway, is another must-see. Here, the wide and powerful Athabasca River constricts into a roaring torrent before dropping 25m (82 ft.) into a narrow canyon. The parkway continues along the Athabasca River, through a landscape of meadows and lakes, before entering the Jasper Townsite.
