Treat yourself to a stay at the gorgeous Glacier View Lodge on the Icefields Parkway. Stunning views of the Columbia Icefield, decadent dining, and epic adventures await!
Driving the legendary Icefields Parkway from Lake Louise to Jasper is a must when visiting the Canadian Rockies. With glaciers, waterfalls, and turquoise lakes around every corner, it’s impossible not to be awestruck by nature’s splendor (and appreciate why the drive is consistently touted as one of the world’s most scenic drives!). The only thing that could make this experience better is to stay a while, at the heart of the parkway, and explore the magnificent terrain around the Canadian Rockies’ largest icefield.
From Glacier View Lodge, you can adventure by day and relax in your Scandinavian-chic room at night. The recently remodeled hotel has 32 luxurious glacier- and mountain-view rooms directly across from the Columbia Icefield. With dining onsite, and transportation provided to/from The Columbia Icefield Adventure and Columbia Icefield Skywalk, you can park your car and relax.
If you’d like to explore the attractions without crowds, upgrade to the Columbia Icefield Guided Experience package. This package includes a Welcome Reception (cocktail + hors d’oeuvres), guided evening tour of the Columbia Icefield Skywalk, and guided morning tour with hot beverage on the Athabasca Glacier.
Here’s what to expect when you stay at the gorgeous Glacier View Lodge at the Columbia Icefield.
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Our Stay at Glacier View Lodge
As we cross the bridge to the alpine chalet that is home to the Glacier View Lodge and Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre, we stop for another photo. Although we’ve been here several times, and it’s raining, nothing can take away from the grandeur of the scene before us. Athabasca Glacier, the star of show, is straight ahead and Dome Glacier towers above it on the right. These are two of six major glaciers that make up the massive Columbia Icefield which is approximately 325 square kilometres (125 square miles).
At check-in, we’re invited to a welcome reception and cocktail in the spectacular Moraine Lounge. With floor-to-ceiling windows, comfy chairs, and gas fire, its hygge (Danish for ‘sense of coziness’) game is on point. The lounge is the perfect place to read, play games (they have Jenga!), and sip cocktails with a killer backdrop.
While we warm up with cocoa and hot tea, we wonder how it can taste so good. Is it the ambience or unparalleled location? We later learn from McKenna, our Skywalk tour bus guide, that the lodge uses spring water from Ripple Lake. “You should get a coffee here if you haven’t already; it’s the best,” she says. Mystery solved! (I still feel like the setting makes everything taste better though.)
Our glacier-view room shares the same stunning view as the lounge. It’s surreal watching clouds drift across the peaks from the comfort of our beds. Around 5:30 pm, we notice that most of the day trippers have headed home, so we head over to the Columbia Icefield Skywalk bus and end up having it all to ourselves!
Reserve a room at Glacier View Lodge here.
Columbia Icefield Skywalk
On the 10-minute drive to the Columbia Icefield Skywalk, our tour bus guide McKenna tells us about the glaciers and rivers they feed, how alpine lakes get their colour, how and when the Icefields Parkway was built, and about our destination: a glass walkway jutting out from a cliff 280 metres / 918 feet above the Sunwapta Valley. “Are you scared?” McKenna asks us. “No, I love it!” my youngest hollers. She’s been there before and doesn’t fear heights. It’s cool (and reassuring) to hear that the Skywalk, is so strong “it can hold 21 Ice Explorers at 3 tons each… or 4 million squirrels.”
From the bus stop to the Skywalk, there’s a scenic 1-kilometre interpretive trail with six stations. For an enriched experience, we recommend taking a free guided tour (available on a first come, first served basis unless you’ve booked the Columbia Icefield Guided Experience). It’s way more fun than reading every sign, and and the guides do a great job of sharing the history, geography, and geology in an interesting way. Plus, you get a local’s advice on cool things to do in the area.
Our guide, Keira, points out the huge Mount Kitchener rockslide which took place 1,000-10,000 years ago, and shares what fossils have been found here, how thick the glaciers are (300 metres!), and what animals call this area home. Mountain goats, often seen at Skywalk, are so agile, one “can put all four hooves on your smartphone and turn around.” To our delight, we see three mountain goats clambering across the cliffs below the Skywalk, including a mama and baby. The mama goats often bring their kids here because the walkway “shelters them from golden eagles.”
Since we are the only ones on the Skywalk, we savor every moment and take our time watching the mountain goats, waterfalls, and river rushing below our feet. It’s such a different experience visiting after hours when there’s no one else around; and major advantage of staying at Glacier View Lodge!
The Columbia Icefield Skywalk is open May 6 – October 9, 2023 weather permitting. Reservations recommended.
Dining at Altitude
Altitude Restaurant offers delicious dining with a stunning view of the Columbia Icefield. Decadent breakfast offerings include eggs benedict; smoked salmon and egg sourdough toast; and French toast made with brioche, whipped Nutella cream, molasses coffee drizzle, apple compote, and Spolumbo’s maple sausage. For dinner, try lamb with white beans, Thai basil & cashew pesto; boneless beef short ribs with Yukon Gold potato mille-feuille and red wine reduction; grilled salmon with beluga lentils, triple smoked bacon, and dashi cream sauce; Cornish hen with farrotto and savory soubise sauce; or a vegan pasta dish with cashew truffle cream sauce, roasted wild mushrooms, and almond parmesan. Save room for dessert; the cakes and chocolate mousse are divine!
Trinity, our server, is stoked to be working here this summer. She tells us she “loves [her] walk to work past the pond where fish are jumping.” While she hasn’t seen a bear in this part of Jasper yet (she saw lots at Maligne Lake where she used to work), she often sees “bighorn sheep and mountain goats around here.” It’s hard not to be excited about the landscape and wildlife that is right outside your window. We watch the fish jump as we finish our dinner, and come back in the morning for breakfast while the mist rises.
Breakfast is served at Altitude from 7:30 AM – 9:30 AM. Dinner service is from 6 PM – 9:30 PM. (Chalet Restaurant next door serves lunch from 11:30 AM – 4 PM.) Both Altitude Restaurant and Chalet Restaurant, have gluten free, dairy free, nut free, vegetarian, and vegan options.
Things to Do at the Columbia Icefield
The best thing about staying here – besides the wonderful rooms, service, and views – is having the attractions and trails to yourself at the prettiest times of day (early morning and evening). Bring a tripod so you can get gorgeous sunrise and sunset photos or do some astrophotography.
Guided Experiences at the Columbia Icefield
Columbia Icefield Adventure (including Skywalk) by Pursuit: Ride the Icefield Explorer on to the Athabasca Glacier and learn more about how glaciers shaped the landscape, and the significance of the Columbia Icefield (which includes the Athabasca Glacier). Audio tours are available in 9 languages. Download the app here and bring headphones. Next, visit the Columbia Icefield Skywalk and step out onto a glass walkway over the Sunwapta Valley. Transportation to both attractions is included. Tours run May 6 – October 9, 2023.
Columbia Icefield Skywalk by Pursuit: The interpretive walk to the gorgeous glass walkway describes the geography, history, and biology of the area. Take a self-guided or free guided tour, then stand on the glass walkway and look down at waterfalls in the canyon 274 metres (900 feet) below. If you’re lucky, you might spot mountain goats too! Book the Columbia Icefield Skywalk or Icefield Adventure (includes Glacier + Skywalk experiences) tickets from May 6 – October 9, 2023.
Guided Ice Walks by IceWalks: Hike on the glacier with professional ACMG certified guides and learn local geography and history as well as how the glaciers formed. Half-day, full-day, and Indigenous-led tours, are available from May 20 – October 9, 2023.
Self-Guided Activities in the Area
Hike Toe of the Glacier Trail to the edge of the Athabasca Glacier: 1.8 km return; 60 m elevation gain. Park at the second parking lot across the street from Glacier View Lodge. FOR YOUR SAFETY, STAY ON THE TRAIL & OFF THE GLACIER! People have fallen into crevasses and died exploring the glacier on their own. If you would like to hike on the glacier, do so on a Guided Ice Walk.
Visit Tangle Creek Falls: 7.2 km north of Glacier View Lodge (look for pullout on the left side of the road 1.2 km past the Skywalk). The falls are across the highway; cross carefully.
Wilcox Pass is an awesome hike only 3 km from the Glacier Discovery Centre. Hike 1.7 km to the Red Chairs or 4 km to the pass.
Hike Parker Ridge to a spectacular viewpoint of the Saskatchewan Glacier: 5.4 km return; 250 metres elevation gain. Look for the “Parker Ridge” parking lot 9 km south of the Icefield Centre.
For more information, see our story: The Best Stops on the Icefields Parkway.
Going Further
If you’d like to explore further, the town of Jasper is only an hour north of Glacier View Lodge. Tangle Creek Falls, Sunwapta Falls, and Athabasca Falls are a few highlights of the drive. You can see Tangle Creek Falls from the roadside pullout; and it’s a short walk to Sunwapta and Athabasca Falls.
Getting Here
Glacier View Lodge is located at the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre on the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93N): 130 kilometres north of Lake Louise or 104 kilometres south of Jasper.
For More Information / Book Now
Glacier View Lodge is open from May 6, 2023 until October 9, 2023 (weather permitting).
To get more information, or book your stay now, visit Pursuit Banff Jasper | Glacier View Lodge.
Partnership Disclosure
This story was written in partnership with Pursuit Banff Jasper Collection, but all words and opinions are my own.
Related Posts
- The Best Stops on the Icefields Parkway
- Hiking Parker Ridge, Jasper National Park
- Wonderful Wilcox Pass, Jasper National Park
- Discover the Legends of Jasper with Open Top Touring
- Experience the Maligne Lake Cruise & Dine at Maligne Canyon
