The Glacier Is Just One Toe Of The Giant Icefield Beyond.
Going up the Athabasca Glacier in a Snow-Coach was one of the highlights of our Rocky Mountain trip experience. In reality the glacier was just one protruding toe of the giant Columbia Icefield.
After traveling a few hundred meters up the glacier in the Snow Coach we realized the true enormity of the Columbia Icefield which stretched into the horizon between the two mountains. It is the largest ice field in the Rocky Mountains. It straddles the Continental Divide and spills over into the province of British Columbia. The Icefield feeds five other major glaciers besides the Athabasca Glacier which we were standing on.
This was our first ever experience of walking on a glacier, and we then understood the importance of preserving the icefields on the top of mountains. It is these icefields which hold the snow and ice in winter, to slowly melt and supply us with water to drink and to irrigate the land so that farmers can grow the crops and plants which feed us throughout the year.
Be prepared to face the chilly winds and maybe some snow when going up the glacier. The temperature drops quite drastically even in mid-summer.
Show lessAfter traveling a few hundred meters up the glacier in the Snow Coach we realized the true enormity of the Columbia Icefield which stretched into the horizon between the two mountains. It is the largest ice field in the Rocky Mountains. It straddles the Continental Divide and spills over into the province of British Columbia. The Icefield feeds five other major glaciers besides the Athabasca Glacier which we were standing on.
This was our first ever experience of walking on a glacier, and we then understood the importance of preserving the icefields on the top of mountains. It is these icefields which hold the snow and ice in winter, to slowly melt and supply us with water to drink and to irrigate the land so that farmers can grow the crops and plants which feed us throughout the year.
Be prepared to face the chilly winds and maybe some snow when going up the glacier. The temperature drops quite drastically even in mid-summer.
Date of experience: August 2019
Ask EkMusafir about Columbia Ice Field
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
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