Description: On the eighth day of our trip to Canada, we crossed the entire Banff National Park Jasper National Park to reach our destination for Jasper. There are many places to visit to walk a little and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Along the way we came at the Athabasca Glacier in Jasper National Park..

The Athabasca Glacier is one of the glaciers of the Columbia Icefields. Due to its convenient location near the road, the Athabasca Glacier is the most visited glacier in North America. It has a length of just over 5 kilometres. However the glaciers due to global warming get smaller and smaller. In the last 125 years, it has lost more than half of its volume and retreated by almost 2 kilometres.

You can view the glacier from a cordoned-off area. You shouldn’t go on the ice because the ice is constant moving. Nevertheless, in some places it will be offered to go with a guide and participate in special vehicles in an expedition on the ice. This will cost a lot of money and of course, is not without its dangers. Without a guide one should not dare to go on the ice. The Athabasca Glacier is located in Jasper National Park. Glacier tours are only offered in the summer and cost about 50 CAD (approx. 37 EUR).

The Athabasca Glacier is located in Jasper National Park, specifically at the southern entrance of the park, a few kilometres after the transition from Banff National Park Jasper National Park. In the immediate proximity of the Icefields Parkway passes from where the glacier is well signposted, so you can not miss it. To the main town of the national park, the town of Jasper, there are still over 100 kilometres.

A few kilometres after we Banff NP had left behind us, we saw the sign on the Athabasca Glacier. Because we wanted to see have, we turned and drove over a short, well-built road to the parking lot. Along the way, we passed several stones marking that indicated the year in which the glacier had been where. Even when driving to the parking lot we noticed then that the glaciers in the last 125 years had melted away a good bit. And by the global warming less than two kilometers will have been not the last.

We parked our car in the parking lot, which, although still alive, but was not overly full. We also had a clock now 16 and probably also by many visitors come early to attend one of the tours. In high summer the tours start every 15 to 30 minutes. For the above mentioned price of $ 50 you can then use a special bus that can go on the ice, be chauffeured half hours across the ice. When we arrived shortly after 16 clock, there was a booth where you look for the last tour that will start at 16:30 clock could be registered. Since this offer is not really attracted us, we started walking on the way to the edge of the ice tongue.

To get from the parking lot to get to the glacier, you have to walk uphill for about 5 minutes. On one of the photos I've uploaded one sees that the way is quite steep and therefore only suitable for visitors with good shoes. Even small children would probably trouble here. With a stroller or wheelchair is not the way to cope.

Shortly after we began to climb up the hill, the ice broke away from one of the mountains, crashing down. My impression, confirmed that the glacier was gray, as though we reached the top. The glacier is really dirty gray. As I learned later, this gray colour comes from exhaust fumes. As impressive as the glacier itself is, I think it is a pity that is caused by excessive tourism, the natural colour of the ice displaces a dirty gray. But with the tour of course the money comes in and not with visitors like us who go bravely to barricade, and then take a look at everything again.

After we walked along the fence, and had read all the signs, we headed back on the way back to the car. It was also always something fresh, because despite the summer temperatures radiates from the ice quite cold. A light jacket and long pants, you should wear so even if you come in summer ago. We spent about half an hour on the glacier, much more time you spend here will also apply if you book any tour. But even without a tour of the glacier is well worth seeing. When you come already so close to one ice tongue?

If you are in Jasper National Park on the way, you should definitely appeal to a stop at the Athabasca Glacier, a glacier as seen from so close is quite impressive. However, one must forget warm clothes not, here it can be quite cool even in summer. Too bad, I find that the ice is colored as gray as can be by far too many tourist buses, their waste gases in the snow tours. For this I subtract a point. By global warming, the glacier moves more withdrawn, so that it can be seen in some years there are fewer and fewer - but that's another topic. I forgive for the Athabasca Glacier, thus, four out of five stars and a recommendation.
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