Experience Glaciers and More on the Icefields Parkway

Seeing wolves in the wild is an uncommon experience, but Jasper is one of those rare places where there is still a healthy population of wolves roaming free. One place a visitor might encounter them is by taking a hike off of the main road that stretches across the Canadian Rockies between Jasper and Banff national parks.

The Icefields Parkway is known to be one of the most magnificent drives in a country full of awe-inspiring scenery. The 143-mile trek between Jasper and Banff includes views of crystal blue mountain lakes and snow-capped glaciers that reach toward the sky.

Although you can make it between the two cities in about two and a half hours, most people find that it takes longer as side trips call them to experience nature first hand – whether that means having the opportunity to view wolves traveling a natural wildlife corridor or to stand in the spray of thunderous waterfalls. The 75-foot tall Athabasca and the Upper and Lower Sunwapta Falls can all be approached just off the Icefields Parkway.

All of the land in this area is within the Columbia Icefield, which includes eight major glaciers covering an area approximately 125 square miles making it one of the largest agglomerations of snow and ice south of the Arctic Circle.