We came in for a quick cafeteria lunch. My husband had a sandwich, I got a veggie burger, friends…read moregot tomato soup, chicken fingers and fries. Lunch was pretty expensive, tasteless & disappointing.

The food here is overpriced and tastes so bland I'd rather eat the snow on top of the mountains…read more The poutine is fire but let this be a warning to not get the chicken sandwich. They only got like 1 server at a time so.? Ok I guess.... It's really clean and cute and they play some nice music so if you want some vibes it's alright

An excellent experience. Maybe once in a lifetime. Dress warmly and bring extra socks if possible…read more The glacier experience is truly remarkable. 5 stars!

We went on a Saturday during Labor Day weekend and the parking lot by the lodge was super crowded…read more We ended up parking along the road on the Glacier side. There are 2 pitted toilets that were pretty clean and did not smell at all. Probably because it was cooler here. It was quite windy walking up to the Glacier so keep your things in check when you get here. It wasn't too cold, especially after you climb that hill to get to the top. It was pretty steep and for those with issues walking, it might be a challenge. Coming down can also be an issue so make sure you are wearing good gripping shoes. Surprisingly, the cellular service here was fantastic. I was getting way better speeds than in the town of Banff. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to walk on the Glacier from here. To be honest, it was a little bit underwhelming, but still a nice place to visit if you are on your way to Jasper from Banff or vice versa.

We stayed here after finishing the Glacier Tour and the Sky Walk tour. The inn seems to be able to…read moreaccommodate 30 groups at a time -- we counted and there are 30 rooms available. It is a convenient place to stay after the tours--which are a must Do if you visit the national park. Overall. The price seems expensive for what you get but not when compared to lodging at this national park generally.

Review from Tripadvisor posting…read more----------------------------------------- Located right AT the Columbia Icefield centre is your hotel. You can't miss it! Google this place before you come here so you know you're in the right place and don't end up driving towards the other side of Jasper to find your hotel! (That's obviously not what we did....) We ended up checking in at 1am. The place is super dark. There's not a single street light in the parking lot and with the humongous mountains on both sides, the experience was pretty eerie. There's only one staff member working at that time but he was kind enough to lend us a flashlight so that the rest of the members could disembark and carry our luggage in some light. Although the "hotel" portion is only on the 3rd floor at the Columbia Icefield centre since the first 2 floors are for the centre, our room was two floors. For a 4 people booking, we got a queen sized bed on the bottom and two twin beds upstairs. The place was super comfortable and cozy (perhaps it was the 2am settling down that made me fall asleep so quickly). Despite it having no cell service here, there is wifi at the inn. Just get it from the front desk. I had this fascination that I wanted to see the sun rise at the mountains cause heck, I'm waking up smack dab in the middle of literally the mountains so why not! The day was cloudy with light showers so the view wasn't the same as the beauty we saw the day before :( For breakfast, you'll probably be having it at the second floor cafe unless you're planning on driving out to Banff or Jasper to have breakfast! There's only two places so that's all the options you get. Of course, since this space is open to the people visiting the Columbia Icefield centre, don't expect kind prices. The panini I got in the morning was around $14 and it definitely was not worth it's money. I enjoyed my stay at the hotel. It wasn't a terrible experience but the dining options could be better!

We really enjoyed our stay here and greatly appreciated the private tour of the Sky Walk and…read moreGlacier which they provided for guests only. That made life much easier and we avoided the crowds. The beds were great and the rooms were nicely appointed. A very special treat at a fair price.

We were here a part of a Rocky Mountaineer Rail tour. After having lunch at the Altitude…read moreRestaurant, we stopped at the Skywalk. It was early in the season, so there were very other people visiting. There a long walk from the bus drop off to the actual skywalk. To me that is a very good design. It cuts down the the congestion of large crowds, and also allow the curation of other information about the geology, wildlife and history. There were park rangers narrating some of the displays. The skywalk itself if amazing. Not only is it impressive from an engineering perspective, but the views are amazing. It might seem scary at first, but once you set foot on it, and realize how well built it is, your confidence will urge you forward. It's literally breathtaking. After the tour, they did a nice job of providing a instagram photo op, and the guides are happy to help you with picture taking. Definitely a bonus if you are out this way.

This is one of the main attractions at the Columbia Icefield Visitors Center. It is included in…read morethe price of your icefield visit and is apparently a mandatory stop for your tour here. I thought it was optional but your bus from the icefield will take you straight here afterwards. I don't know why anyone who bothered to come here would want to miss it anyway. It's an overhanging structure that will provide for some great views of the canyon and surroundings. Depending on the crowd size, there could be a wait of maybe 30 minutes to catch the bus back to the visitors center. Overall, an impressive attraction and must-do!

I'm about to see my very first glacier, out in the vast wilderness of the Columbia Icefields, and…read morewhat do I see? A Starbucks! That is both ridiculous, and funny. The Starbucks is part of the larger lodge which also contains a couple of restaurants. The views from the windows or outside on the patio are amazing. They did a great job on my custom chai latte. It might be asking for a lot, but what about a special glacier drink?

Honestly may be silly to review a Starbucks but this is such a great spot for snacks, coffee, and…read moremeals in a pinch after doing the glacier discovery adventure. There also isn't a decent place to eat for an hour so this is awesome. Vegan, veg, and gluten free options with beautiful scenery and amazing service! Super sweet and fast can't recommend enough!

One of the most picturesque roads in the world…read more The road stretches from Athabasca Falls in Jasper National Park to Vermillion Pass in Banff National Park. 150 miles long, the drive takes 3 hours one way, or a 6 hour round trip with no stopping. 8 hour round trip from Calgary, so you may want to stay overnight in Banff, Lake Louise or Jasper. Note that the only gas station on the Icefields Parkway is at Saskatchewan River. You can get gas in Banff, off the roadway. Our tour group started from Jasper, and viewed Maligne Lake and Maligne Canyon the first day, before returning to Jasper. Glacier fed Maligne Lake, was the first of several glacier fed mountain lakes, turquoise colored waters. Maligne Canyon, with water rapids through a narrow limestone walled canyon. There is a daily park fee to enter either park, but that fee was waived in 2017 due to the 150th anniversary of Canada. The next day we drove from Jasper to Athabasca Falls, with a first hand view of the violent water falls from just a few feet away. Saw elk on the highway. From here we drove on the Icefields Parkway, a mostly straight two lane road, along the Continental Divide. Towering mountains on both sides of the road, and the occasional glacier feeding water into the turquoise colored lake or river alongside. An hour later, our bus stopped at the Columbia Icefield Discovery Center. Multiple restaurants, souvenir stores, restrooms with flush toilets, and tickets for the Columbia Icefield ride and Glacier Skywalk, a glass walkway over the Sunwapta Valley. We boarded a heavy duty 30 ton Icefield Explorer vehicle, each with six 5' tires, for a ride onto the Athabasca Glacier, the largest glacier south of the Arctic Circle. Walked on the glacier, in a cordoned off safe zone, together with hundreds of others. Got back onto the Icefields Parkway for the drive to Peyto Lake, another glacier fed mountain lake, with postcard pictures of turquoise waters amid surrounding mountains. 2 hour drive from the Icefields Discovery Center to Lake Louise, passing Saskatchewan River, the only gas station on the 150 mile Icefield Parkway, with gas at an astronomical $1.70 CAD per liter, or $6 US per gallon! We arrived at Lake Louise and stayed overnight at the world famous Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, overlooking the green blue Lake Louise, with mountains adjacent to the lake, and a glacier in the background. The next day we drove the short distance to Morraine Lake. This was not a sure thing on the itinerary, as the road to the Lake is often closed once the small parking lot and parking along the road is full by mid morning. Morraine Lake is another post card glacier fed turquoise lake surrounded by mountains, and is the most photographed lake in the Canadian Rockies, after Lake Louise. Short trip to Banff, the largest city along the Icefields Parkway, where we stayed two nights at the Fairmont Banff Springs, the castle looking hotel overlooking the city. Rode the gondola, but view obscured by forest fire smoke. Checked out Bow Falls and the Hoodoo Viewing Point. 90 minute trip from Banff to Calgary, leaving the Icefields Parkway behind, but with a lifetime of memories of the towering mountains, majestic glaciers, and bright turquoise alpine lakes. All 21 pictures taken from a moving tour bus on the Icefields Parkway, hence some reflections on the windows, and trees photobombing!

This is Wilcox Pass Trail located in the Columbia Icefield section of Jasper National Park…read more It's an 8 kilometer (or 5 mile) moderate, roundtrip hike offering rewarding views of Athabasca and Snow Dome Glaciers set in the distance. Basically...if you'd like to capture a landscape/panoramic perspective of this ultra popular, Icefields Parkway area from high above...then you'll appreciate venturing along Wilcox Pass Trail. The hike ends when you have reached Wilcox Ridge, the "pinnacle of it all" where you'll have undisturbed, vista point sceneries. Here at Wilcox Ridge...some hikers were taking selfies as well as sitting and relaxing while having water and snacks. Btw, an added bonus midway through the hike was...passing by a family of bighorn sheep while they were lying and grazing in the grass right along the path towards Wilcox Ridge. Now...I highly recommend you proceed onto Wilcox Pass Trail in the morning to be afforded time with the sun at your back and making for worthwhile picture opportunities. Funny...unfortunately for me, the first time I arrived here, I stopped in the afternoon and the sun was staring me straight in the face. I was barely able to admire the setting because I was blinded by the sun and couldn't see. Welp...with a 2nd chance to make things right, lol, I woke up the following morning (at 6am!) and was the first hiker onto the trail. This made all the difference. With the sun's positioning in the sky exactly where I wanted it, I was now able to have wonderful moments breathing in the fresh Canadian air while enjoying the glacial surroundings. Overall, it made for a fulfilling morning and first half of my day. One extra note...right nearby here (just a few kilometers down the road) is another 1/2-day hike I'd recommend called - Parker Ridge Trail. And, of course, don't forget to spend time at the Columbia Icefield Lodge and taking a tour out onto Athabasca Glacier (which almost every tourist does). Alright, well, this is Wilcox Pass trail situated in the heart of Jasper NP, Alberta, Canada.

This trail is probably the nicest short trail in Banff-Jasper area, especially when there are no…read moreforest fires or low clouds, so you get perfect views of mountains Athabasca, Andromeda, North Twin, and Columbia icefields. I don't think any other trail in the Rockies is that rewarding in terms of the views from the top. We didn't see any wildlife except for lone elk and some pikas, but people report seeing marmots and mountain goats. Someone told us that there are some fossils right at the top, we tried to find them but couldn't. I recommend starting your hike early in the morning as by 2pm the sun will be right behind the mountains and you would see anything. Also, by noon, the trail will be crowded, we met over 30 people on the way down.

I took the 3.5 hour drive from from Canmore to Jasper to visit the Columbia Icefield Discovery…read moreCenter. It was here where I got a ticket to tour the Athabasca Glacier via their Ice Explorer. The Ice Explorer is a massive all-terrain vehicle designed specifically for traversing glacial ice. There are 23 Ice Explorers in the entire world and 21 of them are here in Jasper while the other 2 are in Antartica and New Zealand. The Athabasca Glacier covers a little over 2 square miles but despite its size, the Athabasca Glacier is an impressive sight to behold. Information on the actual vertical thickness of the ice varies depending on source but per Wikipedia the glacial ice is roughly 300-980 ft thick. Given that it seems safe enough to drive/walk through, guides mentioned that the glacier is losing about 16 feet per year due to climate change. If you do visit the Athabasca Glacier, make sure to follow the signs telling you where it's safe to walk. Glacial Crevasses are deep, unstable cracks in a glacier. Per Wikipedia and the antarticglaciers.org websites: "The presence of water in a crevasse can significantly increase its penetration. Falling into glacial crevasses can be dangerous and life-threatening. Hypothermia is often a cause of death when falling into a crevasse." "In temperate valley glaciers, crevasses are frequently no more than 20-30m deep. Crevasses may be deeper in cold, stiff glaciers. Water can create extra pressure, making crevasses deeper when they are water-filled." Adhere to the marked areas (yellow and red signs) where it's unsafe to cross over. Unless you are certain of what you're doing, don't be stupid and attempt to cheat death. Lastly some websites and vloggers may state that it's safe to drink glacier water. Don't do it. Glacier water is not a pure source. It's comprised of Rock Flour. Rock flour per the National Snow and Ice Data center is: "A fine powder of silt- and clay-sized particles that a glacier creates as its rock-laden ice scrapes over bedrock." It's uncertain how long we will have the Athabasca glacier given that half of its volume was lost in the last 125 years. Awareness and reduction of further erosion is crucial to preserve the continuity of this precious landscape. If you are able to make the trek out to Jasper, enjoy and appreciate the beauty of this glacier while it still exists. It's one of the rare gems this world has to offer.

Can get windy but so beautiful! Outhouses available for bathrooms. You can see several glaciers…read morefrom the far parking lot.

The Icefields Parkway is along Alberta Highway Route 93 and is not to be missed if you're on your…read moreway to visit Jasper from either Banff or Canmore. The 288-kilometer route through the Canadian Rockies is one of the most scenic routes in the world when it comes to stunning mountain ranges and lake backdrops. I've witnessed this firsthand and am guilty of doing the same but resist the urge to take photos or videos while driving. Use a GoPro or have someone else capture the footage. The beautiful views are distracting and I've seen people swerve while driving trying to get that Gram worthy photo. It's not worth getting into an accident or even worse, lose your life over it. There is one lane for traffic going in and outbound. I guarantee you will encounter a slow poke during your travels through this stretch of road. Oftentimes it's a slow RV or camper. Just overtake when appropriate and use caution. If you run into wildlife, also proceed with caution. Lastly I'll leave you with a few tips... #1) Make sure you have gas. Fill up your gas tank at Lake Louise before entering through the Icefields Parkway a.k.a. Alberta Route 93. There is a second opportunity if you still have about 150km left in your tank to fill up at the Crossing Gas station near the Saskatchewan River Crossing. This will be your last opportunity to get gas. You will be sorry and stranded if you don't do this. If you're ultra paranoid, carry an extra portable fuel tank and fill that up too. #2) There is no cellphone service for a good portion of this highway. Your phone will go dead for the most part and only Emergency SOS calls are allowed with very limited signal. The reason being is due to Parks Canada restricting infrastructure development. Also the Canadian Rockies are protected wilderness. Google maps will still work and get you to your destination but that's pretty much it. #3) Prepare to make unexpected stops and allow for a few hours on top of your expected commute to make it to your destination. As mentioned earlier, there are several breathtaking points of interest along the way that will lure you out of your car and satisfy your wanderlust. Thankfully there are a bunch of overlook rest stops along the way where you can park your car and enjoy the views.

Pretty decent mode of travel; sometimes it can be annoying to be stuck in a slow moving group and…read moreunable to pass. If that happens, pull over at an overlook and take a break.