Scenic Drive · Alberta
Icefields Parkway
232 kilometres of glaciers, turquoise lakes, and mountain theatre between Lake Louise and Jasper.
About
Icefields Parkway, Canadian Rockies
Highway 93 North — the Icefields Parkway — strings together the most concentrated mountain scenery in North America. Across 232 km between Lake Louise and Jasper, it crosses two national parks, climbs two Continental Divide passes, and passes more than a hundred named glaciers.
Highlights
What not to miss
No. 01
Peyto Lake
Otherworldly turquoise lake from Bow Summit's viewing deck.
No. 02
Bow Lake & Num-Ti-Jah Lodge
Red-roofed historic lodge on a glacial lake at the foot of the Wapta Icefield.
No. 03
Athabasca Glacier
Drive within metres of an active glacier tongue at the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre.
No. 04
Athabasca Falls
Powerful Athabasca River drop just south of Jasper, with quartzite gorges.
No. 05
Sunwapta Falls
Tributary plunge into a deep canyon halfway up the parkway.
Through the year
Seasons of Icefields Parkway
Spring
Road plowed through May but expect snow and limited services.
Summer
All services open; Glacier Skywalk and Columbia Icefield tours operating.
Autumn
Larches turn gold the third week of September — a magical, short window.
Winter
Open but treacherous; no fuel between Saskatchewan Crossing and Jasper.
Insider tips
Local knowledge
- 01
Fuel up at Saskatchewan Crossing — the only mid-route gas station, and it's expensive.
- 02
Park passes are required; buy at the Lake Louise gate before heading north.
- 03
Hike Wilcox Pass for the best glacier panorama on the entire road.