Columbia Icefield Tour with Glacier Skywalk from Calgary

Calgary, Canada

14 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Explore the majestic scenery along the Icefields Parkway, including a trip out onto Athabasca Glacier by all-terrain vehicle, during this 14-hour day trip from Calgary. Visit iconic sites like Lake Louise before enjoying a drive along the Icefields Parkway, admiring the road's jaw-dropping scenery, before arriving at the Columbia Icefield, where you'll have the chance to visit the amazing Athabasca Glacier up close on board the all-wheel-drive Ice Explorer.

Full-day tour from Calgary to the Columbia Icefield
Enjoy one of the greatest mountain drives in the world, the Icefield Parkway
Ride the all-terrain Ice Explorer (included)
Take a stroll around Lake Louise
Explore and dine in the quaint town of Banff

What's Included

Hot buffet lunch
Ride in the Ice Explorer
Air-conditioned vehicle
Pick-up and/or drop-off at multiple locations available
Local Taxes
Columbia Icefield Skywalk Admission

Gratuities
Food and drinks

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

Sandman Hotel Calgary 6:00 am pickup Calgary Marriott Downtown 6:15 am pickup

Operating hours
.6:15 am

Itinerary

Discover the incredible mountain scenery and ancient glaciers of the Icefields Parkway during this day trip with lunch departing from Calgary. This excursion offers a great chance to get up close and personal with the massive ice formations that have shaped the geography of this region's wild landscape over many thousands of years.

Start your day trip with pickup from hotels in Calgary between 5:50 and 6:15am. Check with your tour operator for exact departure points and schedule. Then continue by coach out into the prairie and rolling hills of the Trans Canada Highway, watching as the scenery changes to foothills and then to the towering mountains of the Rockies as you enter Banff National Park.

Stop for a photo break at the picturesque shores of the brilliant-blue Lake Louise, with Mount Victoria and its Victoria Glacier visible in the distance. Proceed back onto the road, where you'll make additional stops at Crowfoot Glacier, Peyto Lake and Big Hill for more sightseeing and great photo opportunities.

Continue your ride out onto Canada's iconic Icefields Parkway, a scenic road that winds past some of the world's most impressive alpine scenery, stopping at the Athabasca Glacier. Upon reaching this massive ice sheet, climb aboard the Ice Explorer for an up close and personal ride out onto the glacier itself. You'll even get to step onto this ancient ice for a short walk.

Please note: This tour is seasonal and only operates from May through to October.

Lake Louise

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Brewster Sightseeing (Pass By)

Crowfoot Glacier (Pass By)

Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Columbia Icefield Skywalk

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Infants must sit on laps
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Transportation is wheelchair accessible

Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Prior to your travel date, your hotel details must be advised to tour operator so they may arrange your pickup. If you do not indicate this at the time of booking, you will be required to call and advise them of this information directly. The contact details will be on your voucher once you have a confirmed booking
Guests may depart this tour in Lake Louise or Banff if accommodation has been arranged
The return transfer back to Calgary departs at 7:30pm
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Susy_C

This is an amazing day, thanks Colin our driver and guide and Jamie our host, best guys to do our tour. Funny, kept us engaged, no trouble to slow down and spot the bears. Honestly informative about the glacier, great buffet lunch, just a great day, this is a must do tour.even the driver to the glacier Rocco, informative and careful. Thanks everyone!!

Reviews

4.6

based on 72 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Amazing experience! A...

Mariam_S, Aug 2025

Amazing experience! A must try when visiting the Rockies. Breathtaking views all the way from Calgary to Columbia icefield parkway. The tour operator was great as well.

Great day out!!

Susy_C, Aug 2025

Great experience

Nicola_H, Oct 2024

This was a fab tour - Rob and Grace were great guides for the day and Ewal made the Columbia ice field tour very enjoyable.

Journey was bit long....

Sujiramki, Sep 2024

Journey was bit long. Could avoid few stops Icefield was fantastic Guide was very good Overall had a great day

Spectacular time

Pouya_S, Aug 2024

We want to share how amazing Dave and Kiran managed this trip. What a spectacular experience. We never forget this trip . Everything was organized. They were both so knowledgeable and we learnt so much in one day . We recommend this experience to everyone . Regards Pouya and Mona

Glacier.....

Kumara_P, Jun 2024

Wonderful trip Glacier experience unbelievable Well organized Very good lunch I would love to do again

Awesome Day!

Callum_S, Sep 2019

Getting to see a whole lot of Banff and even some of Jasper in just one day was amazing! The trip onto the glacier was the highlight of the day, and our guide and driver Reeve was super friendly and helpful, she made the trip 100x better.

Best Day Trip Ever! Worth every Penny!!!!

Elisa_B, Jul 2019

We stopped at every point listed. The tour guide and driver were both very knowledgeable and funny! Worth every penny and long day. Never a dull moment. A must do on your vacation!!!

Excellent & Value for money

TANJEETSINGH_W, Jul 2019

Everything was perfect, whatever promised was delivered, Good lunch, Knowledgable driver, good care. Wonderful trip. Columbia icefield driver Rusty is an amazing guy.

It was a fabulous day. got to see...

michael_n, Apr 2018

It was a fabulous day. got to see lake Louise, Banff and ice field as well as sky walk. the lunch however was not good, cheap asian buffet.

I can't imaginge missing this tour. I...

Sharon F, Oct 2017

I can't imaginge missing this tour. I posted a picture of the bus as my screen saver.

Having scaled a glacier in Alaska...

Richard M, Sep 2017

Having scaled a glacier in Alaska, this tour was really COOL. You rode in an Ice Explorer whose tires were almost five foot tall. This vehicle transported us to the ice field as we listened to commentary from our young Brewster Travel guide. Once on the ice, we were allowed to walk within the safety zones. A glass of glacier water could be had. The glacier skywalk was less spectacular as you walked over a glass bottomed pathway.

The tour was pretty good for the...

SUSAN D W, Jul 2017

The tour was pretty good for the most part. Lunch buffet was so so, not as nice as I expected. Our driver was great except we had trouble understanding his accent. We were dropped off at the depot to wait 90 minutes and never got to see downtown Banff. Lake Louise and the scenic parts were wonderful

We were picked up at 6am and...

Linda J, Jul 2017

We were picked up at 6am and returned to Calgary at 9pm so it was a very long day. Apart from about 30 minutes at Lake Louise, 2 hours at the glacier and a couple of brief stops, the rest of the day was spent travelling, but this did give us fabulous views of mountains, rivers, turquoise lakes and glaciers The buffet lunch was very nice, lots of choice. The trip onto the glacier was fun. Our driver, Nick gave us some interesting information about the vehicle and the glacier. Actually walking on the glacier was amazing, though crowded. The Skywalk was scary, unless you like walking on a glass floor. Our coach driver gave a running commentary and was able to name many of the mountains and glaciers we were passing.

This was an awesome tour. Driver...

Ralph W, Jul 2017

This was an awesome tour. Driver and hostess the best! The beauty of Banff, Lake Louise, the scenery during this tour amazing and the Ice field and glaziers beyond description. Highly recommend, The only improvement would have been the buffet lunch at the glacier. There were always empty items and when asked staff did not seem to be concerned. After a long trip a tasty lunch would have been appreciated.

Clayton, out Guide was very...

Wendy R, Jun 2017

Clayton, out Guide was very knowledgable. We would have preferred to have an extended stay in Banff area. Columbia Icefields were over crowded. Area where we were allowed to walk on, was very small and limiting. Lunch was mediocre. Although we arrived 20 minutes early for our return trip to Calgary, we did not have enough time to enjoy dinner in Banff as advertised. Feel this excursion was overpriced.

I enjoyed this trip, you'll get to...

Roly A, Oct 2016

I enjoyed this trip, you'll get to see the scenic views of rocky mountains, emerald lakes and glacier.

Excellent and well worth it, the...

Gian_S, Oct 2016

Excellent and well worth it, the Driver was very knowledgeable and made the long trip seem shorter with his informational sessions about the area, and other tidbits of information.

Really beautiful landscapes, the ice...

MariaLucia_R, Oct 2016

Really beautiful landscapes, the ice walking was really nice, the tour guides were very nice, it was completely worth it !!

It was a great day. The only...

Gerard C, Oct 2016

It was a great day. The only negative was that it was a very long day. We did the return trip from Calgary it would have been better to do the trip from Lake Louise or Banff as it is not so far. It was wonderful to walk on a glacier!

Great tour, driver and tour guide...

Clara C, Aug 2016

Great tour, driver and tour guide.. thank you for such a great experience. Highly recommended.

This experience was one of the...

NicoleJ_M, Aug 2016

This experience was one of the coolest I have done in my life. It was great to be part of the tour group due to the long waits for line during the time I was there. I was very pleased with the tour, long day of driving but well worth it.

Driving through the Rocky mountains...

ANILVIJAISINH_A, Jul 2016

Driving through the Rocky mountains is an experience in itself thankfully the weather was great. The beauty of the mountains, numerous glaciers and lakes are captivating. Perhaps the most exquisite in its pristine glory is turquoise lake Lake Peyto which drew gasps from everyone as we approached. The color is simply unbelievably pure. The Ice field trip is a once in a life time - the detailing by the driver sorry about the name as we approached was very informative. The exhilarating experience as we take our first steps on A GLACIER ! and after all the photos, a drink of glacial water from the source and a little bit for home. The sky walk is great but the Mountains,Lakes and Ice field are greater. Organisation perfect, Driver and host sorry names forgotten tremendous - their detailing impressive !!! the lunch plentiful and varied - which is great on such long trips. On way back, a happy silence as we absorbed the experience,

I took this tour on 31 May 2016, and...

Jenna T, Jun 2016

I took this tour on 31 May 2016, and it was incredible! There is a lot packed into the day which itself is long - around 6am to 9pm if you're travelling from Calgary, like I was, but it really was sensational and worth every penny. I was in Calgary for a conference, and so decided to book this tour because I didn't have much time for sightseeing, and wanted to fit in as much of the Rockies as possible. The day certainly didn't disappoint, and, as well as all the sights listed on the itinerary, we were also treated to the site of two grizzly bears, and one brown bear with her two cubs! The whole day was very well-organized from start to finish, and I will definitely be back to Canada for more adventures in the future. Special thank you to Frank our driver and Rebecca our Brewster rep, who did a brilliant job. Frank was a fountain of knowledge!

Outstanding experience despite the...

Lucien D, May 2016

Outstanding experience despite the cold and snowy weather. Breathtaking scenery, an amazing glacier walk and even two bears thrown in for added effect! Do be prepared for a very long day - a 6 a.m. start and return to Calgary at 9 p.m.

Seeing and standing on the ancient...

Nuning O, Aug 2015

Seeing and standing on the ancient icefield were amazing experience. Although it was raining, the experience was incredable! The glacier skywalk was not so spectacular. I expect more on this.

This was a great tour, and the...

Stacey V, Aug 2015

This was a great tour, and the guides did a great job keeping everyone together and timely so that we were able to enjoy all the activities. There was traffic slow down on the way back due to an unfortunate accident so did not get as much time for dinner as expected but did not go hungry as there is a Tim Hortons in the bus terminal to get dinner.

The tour was amazing and Alister was...

Mary O, Aug 2015

The tour was amazing and Alister was full of knowledge and was also a great driver. Brewster bus didn't have our reservations even though we had a confirmation from viator which caused some distress. The Columbia Icefield was unbelievable and breathtaking and I would recommend this trip to others.

Summary: Great trip but the time in...

Nien, Jul 2015

Summary: Great trip but the time in the Glacier is ridiculous. Details: Unlike most reviews this was not easy to write or rate. I had a very important reason for my rating and I will make sure that everything is clear. Pros: Organization was perfect, the guide/driver was perfect and polite, the route is very good covering a very long extension in very good time. Most trips only attend one or a few of the destinations that this trip covers and the attractions on the way are fantastic, definitely worth seeing. Cons: I would state only ONE con but that was a huge turn down. One of the most important things for me in this trip was the possibility to be in the Columbia Icefield, more specifically, the Athabasca Glacier. This is without questions the most relevant item in the trip no wonder it is the photo of the trip itself. HOWEVER, unlike all the other destinations of the trip, such as Lake Louise, Peyto Lake and the Skywalk, which consisted in a stop of around 30 - 45 minutes to explore the area, the time allowed on the Athabasca Glacier the icefield itself was of merely 15 minutes. The Athabasca Glacier is fantastic. It is by far one of the most amazing places I have ever been and that is what I paid for, so I expected to be able to enjoy it at least some reasonable time. The necessary time for everyone to get off the huge bus already consumes about 5 minutes and its not easy to walk on the ice, you must be careful not to slide. There are natural mini waterfalls to fill bottles of water, there are hundreds of photography possibilities, there is a huge area that you can walk and enjoy this unique place in the world and you only have about 10 minutes. That is far, FAR from being even close to acceptable. Nobody informs you that you will only have that time when you buy the trip. The trip is good but the time on the icefield is horrible. Makes you feel like a sample of something instead of a real experience.