Columbia Icefield Tour with Glacier Skywalk from Banff

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/9

Duration11h

GroupUp to 14

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Step onto the Glacier Skywalk and ride the Ice Explorer across ancient ice fields

A full-day guided tour from Banff to Columbia Icefield combines the mountain drive itself—one of the world's most celebrated routes—with access to the Skywalk, a ride on the Ice Explorer across the glacier, and views of three named peaks: Lake Louise, Victoria Glacier and Crowfoot Glacier. The tour includes hotel pickup, a local guide providing commentary throughout, a hot buffet lunch, and admission to all attractions; the 11-hour itinerary is built around the sequence of stops and the time the Icefield demands.

11h

Step-by-step itinerary

Full day tour to Columbia Icefield

Depart from Banff
Enjoy the view at Lake Louise
See views of Banff National Park
See views of Victoria Glacier
See views of Crowfoot Glacier
Experience the Glacier Skywalk

The Experience

The road from Banff to the Columbia Icefield is the draw itself. Universally regarded as one of the world's greatest mountain drives, it passes Lake Louise, Victoria Glacier and Crowfoot Glacier—each a stop where the guide explains what you're standing in front of. The Icefield itself is one of the largest masses of ice south of the Arctic Circle, and the tour gets you there with a local guide narrating the starkly beautiful Alberta Rockies the whole way.

Once at the Icefield, you board the Ice Explorer—a specialized vehicle that takes you onto the glacier itself—and then walk the Columbia Icefield Skywalk, a platform that extends over the ice. The guide stays with the group through both. A hot buffet lunch is included partway through the day, and the vehicle is air-conditioned for the long drive. Hotel pickup is arranged before your travel date; if you book without specifying your accommodation, the operator will contact you to confirm the details.

The full day runs 11 hours from pickup to drop-off. Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness for the walking sections and the Skywalk itself. If you're staying in Lake Louise rather than Banff, you can arrange to depart the tour there instead of returning to your starting point. Infants travel free but must sit on an adult's lap.

What’s included

Hotel pickup and drop-off at multiple Banff-area locations.
air-conditioned vehicle for the full 11-hour day.
a local guide in English providing commentary throughout.
admission to the Columbia Icefield Skywalk.
a ride on the Ice Explorer across the glacier.
a hot buffet lunch.
and local taxes.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Banff Jasper Collection By Pursuit

Is this one for you?Book this tour if the drive itself is as much the point as the destination—the route through the Rockies is what makes the full day worthwhile, and a guide who knows it removes the navigation and lets you watch the landscape unfold. The fixed itinerary and included lunch mean the day holds together without you arranging stops or meals along the way.