Icefields Parkway Adventure

Recommended by 98% of guests
98% of guests rate their experience 5★
1% for the Planet
Your booking helps protect this place
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Flexible cancellation Day Tours: Free 24 hour cancellation
Private Tours: Free 7 day cancellation
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The road into another world.

Most people never make it up the Parkway. The ones who do come back with something they weren’t expecting. Out here, the glacier has been moving since before written history. The mountains swallow the horizon whole. Peyto Lake glows a blue that genuinely doesn’t look real. The Columbia Icefields stretch further than your eyes can follow.

One staggering, otherworldly view after another, for eight hours straight. The scale of this place makes you feel small in the most freeing way. Your guide has spent years learning every layer of this road, the hidden stops the buses miss, the stories behind the ice, the places where the Parkway reveals something even the photos never captured. All you have to do is venture in.

For those ready to disappear into the wildest road on earth.

The Rad Experience

Explore in Comfort

Skip the crowded bus. Max 12 guests, premium vehicles and a pace that actually lets you take it all in.

Legendary Local Guide

Guides who turn mountains into stories and feel like a friend by day's end. They know the wildlife, the hidden lookouts, and the stories no guidebook has.

Secret Stops Only We Know

Some of the best moments happen off the itinerary. Your guide knows exactly where to find them.

Picnic Lunch Included

A gourmet sandwich, piece of fruit and sweet treat is included. Choose from Turkey, Roast Beef, Ham, Chicken Tikka, or Vegetarian at checkout.

Your Booking Protects This Place

1% of every booking goes straight to conservation. You're not just exploring the Rockies. You're protecting them.

Guest Reviews


Itinerary

Hotel Pick-up in Banff, Canmore & Lake Louise

Settle in as your guide sets the scene for one of the most scenic drives on earth, the Icefields Parkway unfolding ahead of us, with plenty of chances to spot wildlife along the way.

30 minutes
Peyto Lake

The viewpoint that stops everyone in their tracks. That blue shouldn’t exist in nature, and yet there it is, stretching beneath the mountains. Your guide shares the story behind the colour and the Indigenous significance of this glacier-fed lake.

10 minutes
Waterfowl Lakes

The hidden gem most Parkway visitors drive straight past. A secluded viewpoint, postcard-perfect reflections, and the kind of quiet that only exists out here.

1 to 1.5 hours
Columbia Icefields & Athabasca Glacier

One of the largest ice masses in North America, right in front of you. Explore the Discovery Centre, walk the viewpoints, or simply stand at the edge of something ancient and let the scale land..

15 minutes
Bow Lake

Still water reflecting dramatic peaks, stories of early explorers, and a shoreline walk that earns its place between two of the most spectacular stops on the Parkway.

Hotel Drop-off

We’ll drive you back to Banff, Canmore, or Lake Louise as the Parkway fades behind you. Your guide will point you toward whatever comes next, but honestly, today already delivered.

What's Included

Small group experience (max 12 guests)

Comfortable, premium transportation

Local guide trained in photography and storytelling

Hot drinks (hot chocolate, coffee, or tea) – winter only

Fresh water refills (BYO bottle)

Polaroid souvenir

Picnic lunch

Hotel pick-up and drop-off at select locations

Guide gratuities (optional)

Pick-up and Drop-off

Select your preferred location at checkout

Make this adventure private

Your group. Your pace. An itinerary built entirely around you.
Call or email our concierge, we handle every detail.

FAQs

This experience involves some light walking on uneven surfaces, so a reasonable level of mobility is recommended. That said, you’re always welcome to sit out the walks and enjoy the exhibits at the Columbia Icefield Centre instead, the choice is entirely yours.

Honestly, this is one of those drives that genuinely makes you feel like you’ve stepped into a movie. You’ll stop at Peyto Lake (the turquoise one that looks just like a wolf’s head from above), Bow Lake, Waterfowl Lakes, and the Columbia Icefield, including the Athabasca Glacier, one of the largest chunks of ice in all of North America. And your guide will fill in all the stories and science along the way to bring it to life.

You can get right up close to the glacier and walk through the public viewing area. If you’d like to go further out onto the ice itself, the on-site Glacier Experience tour is available to book separately (extra cost, not included), and your guide will leave you plenty of time to explore the area properly. If walking on the glacier is high on your list though, we’d recommend our Icefields Parkway Adventure: Columbia Icefield Edition, which is built around giving you that full glacier experience.

Not a lot at all, just some light walking on uneven surfaces at the various stops. And if you’d rather not walk at any point, you’re always welcome to stay in the vehicle or relax at the viewing areas instead. No pressure whatsoever. At its heart, this is a scenic drive first and foremost.

It’s a full day, with some long stretches in the van through remote terrain. It’s a genuinely stunning experience, but it works best for kids who can appreciate a longer trip and stay engaged during the drives. Younger ones sometimes get a little restless, which is exactly why we suggest a private tour for families travelling with little ones, so you can set the pace yourselves.

In winter, yes, hot chocolate, coffee, and tea are all included. And in summer, we keep your water topped up throughout the day. Either way, your guide always has a good supply on hand.

Hotel pickups from right across Banff, Lake Louise, and Canmore. Just choose yours at checkout and you’re set.

The Columbia Icefield sits right on the boundary between Banff and Jasper National Parks. The good news is your Parks Canada pass covers both, so you’re completely sorted.

A picnic lunch from Bare Bistro is included, ready for you to enjoy whenever you are. Just choose your lunch option at checkout.

Nice and stress free. As long as you contact us by email or phone at least 24 hours before your booking start time, you can cancel or make changes without any penalty at all. Easy as that.

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Banff's top rated Dates fill fast, reserve your spot
Flexible cancellation Day Tours: Free 24 hour cancellation
Private Tours: Free 7 day cancellation
No risk
Bundle & save
Get 10% off a 2nd tour at checkout
10% OFF
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