Icefields Parkway
Encyclopedia
The Icefields Parkway also known as Highway 93 north, is a scenic road in Alberta
, Canada
. It parallels the Continental Divide
, traversing the rugged landscape of the Canadian Rockies
, travelling through Banff National Park
and Jasper National Park
. It links Lake Louise
with Jasper
to the north. At its southern end, the Icefields Parkway terminates at Highway 1. Highway 1 west goes to Yoho National Park
in British Columbia and Highway 1 east to Lake Louise and the Town of Banff. A second parkway, the Bow Valley Parkway also links Lake Louise and the Town of Banff. Known as Highway 1A, this road parallels Highway 1 and, at the midpoint, passes the Castle Mountain junction where Highway 93 south, or the Banff-Windermere Highway, branches southwest into Kootenay National Park
in British Columbia.
The Icefields Parkway, 230 km (142.9 mi) long, was completed in 1940. It is named for features such as the Columbia Icefield
, visible from the parkway
.
The parkway is busy in July and August with up to 100,000 vehicles a month. The parkway is mainly two lanes with occasional passing lanes. It minimizes grades and hairpin turn
s but travellers must look out for wildlife
, and vehicles stopped on the shoulder. Snow can be expected at any time of year and extreme weather is common in winter.
A Canadian national parks permit is required to travel on the Icefields Parkway; stations near Lake Louise and Jasper enforce the law. Commercial trucks are prohibited. The speed limit is 90 km/h (55 mph) although the limit is reduced at Saskatchewan River Crossing and the Columbia Icefield area. In winter, chains or all-season radial tires are required by law and road closures are not uncommon.
Campgrounds spot the length of the Parkway and offer water and firewood. The Parkway is easily cycled between Banff and Jasper over three to five days and self-supported riders are common in summer. Bicycle tour operators also use the Parkway, often extending the ride to five days to leave time to drive back to the start.
Limited services are available at Saskatchewan River Crossing
and the Icefield Centre, and only from April to October. Gasoline is only available at Saskatchewan River Crossing, at a considerably higher price than elsewhere in Alberta.
Just south of Jasper, a short spur of the parkway branches off as Highway 93A, providing access to businesses on the south side of Jasper and providing an alternative route into the community. Another Highway 93A spur farther south along the parkway provides alternative access to viewpoints and other attractions within Jasper National Park.
Highway 93A south of Jasper is narrow and the pavement uneven, with an average limit of 60 km/h. Brush grows up to the side of the highway so animals can be difficult to see.
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It parallels the Continental Divide
Continental Divide
The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Gulf of Division or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain...
, traversing the rugged landscape of the Canadian Rockies
Canadian Rockies
The Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range. They are the eastern part of the Canadian Cordillera, extending from the Interior Plains of Alberta to the Rocky Mountain Trench of British Columbia. The southern end borders Idaho and Montana of the USA...
, travelling through Banff National Park
Banff National Park
Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains. The park, located 110–180 kilometres west of Calgary in the province of Alberta, encompasses of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine...
and Jasper National Park
Jasper National Park
Jasper National Park is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies, spanning 10,878 km² . It is located in the province of Alberta, north of Banff National Park and west of the City of Edmonton. The park includes the glaciers of the Columbia Icefield, hot springs, lakes, waterfalls and...
. It links Lake Louise
Lake Louise, Alberta
Lake Louise is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada within Improvement District No. 9 Banff . It is named for the nearby Lake Louise, which in turn was named after the Princess Louise Caroline Alberta , the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria, and the wife of John Campbell, the 9th Duke of Argyll, who was the...
with Jasper
Jasper, Alberta
Jasper is a specialized municipality in western Alberta, Canada. It is the commercial centre of Jasper National Park, located in the Canadian Rockies in the Athabasca River valley....
to the north. At its southern end, the Icefields Parkway terminates at Highway 1. Highway 1 west goes to Yoho National Park
Yoho National Park
Yoho National Park is located in the Canadian Rocky Mountains along the western slope of the Continental Divide in southeastern British Columbia. Yoho NP is bordered by Kootenay National Park on the southern side and Banff National Park on the eastern side...
in British Columbia and Highway 1 east to Lake Louise and the Town of Banff. A second parkway, the Bow Valley Parkway also links Lake Louise and the Town of Banff. Known as Highway 1A, this road parallels Highway 1 and, at the midpoint, passes the Castle Mountain junction where Highway 93 south, or the Banff-Windermere Highway, branches southwest into Kootenay National Park
Kootenay National Park
Kootenay National Park is located in southeastern British Columbia Canada covering in the Canadian Rockies and forms part of a World Heritage Site. The park ranges in elevation from at the south-west park entrance to at Deltaform Mountain...
in British Columbia.
The Icefields Parkway, 230 km (142.9 mi) long, was completed in 1940. It is named for features such as the Columbia Icefield
Columbia Icefield
The Columbia Icefield is an icefield located in the Canadian Rockies, astride the Continental Divide of North America. The icefield lies partly in the northwestern tip of Banff National Park and the southern end of Jasper National Park. It is about 325 km² in area, 100 to 365 metres in depth and...
, visible from the parkway
Parkway
The term parkway has several distinct principal meanings and numerous synonyms around the world, for either a type of landscaped area or a type of road.Type of landscaped area:...
.
The parkway is busy in July and August with up to 100,000 vehicles a month. The parkway is mainly two lanes with occasional passing lanes. It minimizes grades and hairpin turn
Hairpin turn
A hairpin turn , named for its resemblance to a hairpin/bobby pin, is a bend in a road with a very acute inner angle, making it necessary for an oncoming vehicle to turn almost 180° to continue on the road. Such turns in ramps and trails may be called switchbacks in American English, by analogy...
s but travellers must look out for wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
, and vehicles stopped on the shoulder. Snow can be expected at any time of year and extreme weather is common in winter.
A Canadian national parks permit is required to travel on the Icefields Parkway; stations near Lake Louise and Jasper enforce the law. Commercial trucks are prohibited. The speed limit is 90 km/h (55 mph) although the limit is reduced at Saskatchewan River Crossing and the Columbia Icefield area. In winter, chains or all-season radial tires are required by law and road closures are not uncommon.
Route description
Going northwest from Lake Louise, the Icefields Parkway passes the following points of interest:- Crowfoot GlacierCrowfoot GlacierCrowfoot Glacier is located in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, northwest of Lake Louise, and can be viewed from the Icefields Parkway. The glacier is situated on the northeastern flank of Crowfoot Mountain....
- BowBow RiverThe Bow River is a river in the Canadian province of Alberta. It is a tributary of the South Saskatchewan River, and is considered the headwater of the Nelson River....
Summit [altitude of 2088 m (6,850.4 ft)] and Peyto LakePeyto LakePeyto Lake is a glacier-fed lake located in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. The lake itself is easily accessed from the Icefields Parkway... - Mistaya CanyonMistaya CanyonMistaya Canyon is a canyon in the western part of the Alberta province of Canada. It is formed by the Mistaya River. Tourists who are visiting Banff National Park often visit it because of its distinctive curvy canyon walls and because it is easy to access, being just off the Icefields Parkway...
- Saskatchewan River CrossingSaskatchewan River Crossing, AlbertaSaskatchewan River Crossing is a place name in western Alberta, Canada. It is located in the administrative area Improvement District No. 9 , at the junction between Icefields Parkway and David Thompson Highway....
- Parker Ridge
- Columbia IcefieldColumbia IcefieldThe Columbia Icefield is an icefield located in the Canadian Rockies, astride the Continental Divide of North America. The icefield lies partly in the northwestern tip of Banff National Park and the southern end of Jasper National Park. It is about 325 km² in area, 100 to 365 metres in depth and...
(Athabasca GlacierAthabasca GlacierThe Athabasca Glacier is one of the six principal 'toes' of the Columbia Icefield, located in the Canadian Rockies. The glacier currently recedes at a rate of per year and has receded more than in the past 125 years and lost over half of its volume...
) - Icefield Centre
- Athabasca FallsAthabasca FallsAthabasca Falls is a waterfall in Jasper National Park on the upper Athabasca River, approximately 30 kilometres south of the townsite of Jasper, Alberta, and just west of the Icefields Parkway...
- SunwaptaSunwapta RiverThe Sunwapta River is a major tributary of the Athabasca River in Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada.-Course:The headwaters of the Sunwapta River are near the Columbia Icefield in the valley west northwest of Sunwapta pass, which divides Jasper National Park from Banff National Park...
Pass and Sunwapta FallsSunwapta FallsSunwapta Falls is a waterfall of the Sunwapta River located in Jasper National Park, Canada.It is accessible via a short drive off the Icefields Parkway that connects Jasper and Banff National Parks. The falls have a drop of about 18.5 metres. Sunwapta is a native word that means turbulent water...
Campgrounds spot the length of the Parkway and offer water and firewood. The Parkway is easily cycled between Banff and Jasper over three to five days and self-supported riders are common in summer. Bicycle tour operators also use the Parkway, often extending the ride to five days to leave time to drive back to the start.
Limited services are available at Saskatchewan River Crossing
Saskatchewan River Crossing, Alberta
Saskatchewan River Crossing is a place name in western Alberta, Canada. It is located in the administrative area Improvement District No. 9 , at the junction between Icefields Parkway and David Thompson Highway....
and the Icefield Centre, and only from April to October. Gasoline is only available at Saskatchewan River Crossing, at a considerably higher price than elsewhere in Alberta.
Highway 93A
Highway 93A south of Jasper is narrow and the pavement uneven, with an average limit of 60 km/h. Brush grows up to the side of the highway so animals can be difficult to see.
External links
- "Spectacular Scenic Highway Built In Clouds" Popular Mechanics, August 1937 - early article on highway being planned and built
- Icefield Parkway.ca
- National Geographic – Icefield Parkway driving tour
- Travel Alberta – The Icefields Parkway
- 2010 Provincial Highways 1 – 216 Series Progress Chart (map, 8 MB) by Alberta Transportation.