Escaping the Summer Heat on the Columbia Icefields
The Snocoach poised and ready to embark on the Columbia Icefields.
JASPER, Alberta – My life as a mountain man in the Canadian Rockies has taught me to expect the unexpected. Here’s a prime example; it’s a beautiful warm sunny summer day and you are standing on the Athabasca Glacier. Two opposite and pristine worlds collide on the Columbia Icefields, somewhere between a prehistoric ice world and the pleasant summer weather.
I love visiting the Columbia Icefields on the edge of both Jasper and Banff in the summertime. As most of you know, I’m an awful driver, so I like to leave the heavy lifting up to Jasper Vacations. They always deliver me safe and sound to the Columbia Icefields Visitor Center where I have the option of taking the Snocoach Tour across the glacial fields. The Snocoach is a modern marvel, somewhere between a bus and a tank, it is built for scrambling on the glaciers so you can get up close and personal.
The trip to the Columbia Icefields is also a great chance to see some native Canadian Rockies wildlife. Jasper National Park is home to big horn sheep, caribou, moose and even the famed grizzly bear. I snapped some great pictures of those rugged little guys running up and down the slopes last time I visited. So if you are looking for something to cool you off on a summer day, I would definitely recommend taking a tour on the Athabasca Glacier.
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Tags: Banff National Park, Glacier Tour, Jasper National Park, wildlife sightings | 1 Comment »
[...] This is a favorite ice climbing area for winter adventurers. Take some time to visit the Columbia Icefield and to take a SnoCoach tour on the Althabasca Glacier. While on the highway, you can easily see [...]