Day Trip Columbia Icefield, Parkway, Bow Lake from Calgary, Banff

Explore Banff and Jasper National Parks, walk on Athabasca Glacier, and enjoy a stress-free journey with expert guides.

Duration: 12 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Banff National Park - Transfer from Calgary to Banff. Meet up at the hotel then head to Banff National Park. Banff National Park is Canada’s first national park, and is a destination on innumerous people’s bucket lists from all around the world. It was built in 1885 and is located in the northern part of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada.

  • Crowfoot Glacier - Attached to the Northeast side of the Crowfoot Mountain and overlooking the Bow Lake lies the Crowfoot Glacier. This huge mass of ice was named a century ago because its appearance resembled that of a three-toed crowfoot. Be sure to take lots of photos because the next time you visit Crowfoot Glacier, it might not look the same anymore!

  • Icefields Parkway - Joining the hamlet of Lake Louise in Banff with the Town of Jasper in Jasper National Park is one of the most scenic highways in the world — Icefields Parkway. Along the 230 km mountain road, every corner on the Icefields Parkway reveals another one of nature’s splendor, from the ancient glaciers and cascading waterfalls to the vivid colours of lakes and lush forests. Many stops along the Icefields Parkway deserve a stop.

  • Peyto Lake - Located along the Icefields Parkway, approximately 40km north of Lake Louise, is the vibrant glacier-fed lake, which has a beautiful shape like a Maple. The lake is nestled in majestic mountain ranges which lie on each of its sides. This jaw-dropping view is the best reward for an intense scrambling hike. From the viewpoint, the scenery looks like a carefully painted piece of art. Peyto Lake’s beauty is comparable to the famous Moraine Lake without as many crowds. (If the attraction is under maintenance or other force majeure, we will go to Waterflow Lake as an alternative attraction)

  • Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre - Columbia Icefield is the world’s largest ice remains outside the Arctic Circle. The glacier lies partially in Jasper, extends between the summits of Mount Columbia, and reaches the paved highway of Banff. That covers approximately 230 square km. Due to the glacier’s high ice density, sunlight cannot be retracted. This results in a crystal-like blue light radiating out of the surface, presenting a magnificent view. Explore this magnificent Athabasca Glacier on the Ice Explorer (additional charge) and venture the glacier as you step onto the glacier itself. When you step foot onto this glacier, you will truly be astonished by how massive this chunk of ice is.

  • Bow Lake - Bow Lake is a stop you will not regret taking while you are travelling across Icefield Parkway. When the lake thaws in the summer, it becomes a vivid blue colour from the glacier melt of the Crowfoot Glacier. Speaking of the Crowfoot Glacier, the Bow Lake is also the perfect place to view the Crowfoot Glacier, Wapta Icefield, bow glacier, crowfoot mountain and Mount Thompson. It really seems like the ultimate all in one package!

  • Calgary - Transfer Banff to Calgary

Drop off at Calgary approximately at 19:30.
Please ensure that your flight departs after 10:30 pm. (Please understand that depending on the situation, your arrival time in Calgary may be adjusted

What's Included
  • Bilingual guide service (Mandarin/English)
  • Traffic Accident Liability insurance
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Gratuities
What's Not Included
  • Meals & All Personal Expenses such as laundry, phone & travel insurance.
  • Optional activities with additional fees mentioned in the itinerary
  • Any additional expenses due to force majeure factors.
Additional Information

Give the day over to a professional team passionate about the Canadian Rockies, just travel in the stunning natural beauty of two great national parks [Banff National Park] and [Jasper National Park].

-Explore the ancient Athabasca Glacier on a giant Ice Explorer (Additional charge), discovering glaciology and stepping right on to the glacier itself.
-Some little things to take home: Luggage tags for souvenirs.
-Complimentary: a bottle of water a day
-Our tour guide and driver will also provide you with professional services to ensure a comfort and safe journey.
-Set aside the stress of driving and parking, and join us in immersing yourself in the gifts of nature.

  • Our products offer various pick-up and drop-off locations. Please kindly be informed.
  • Guests under 16 years old, must be accompanied by an adult (Age 18 or above).
  • Highly recommend purchasing a travel insurance.
  • The schedule and itinerary could be impacted by extreme weather and road conditions, while we may make necessary adjustments. We appreciate your understanding in case of any delays or changes.
  • If you have a connecting international flight after the tour, please ensure that your flight departs after 10:30 pm in YYC Airport.(Please understand that depending on the situation, your arrival time in Calgary may be adjusted
  • If for any reason you need to leave our group during the trip, you must fill out a “Letter of Liability Release”, no exceptions.
Location
Elk + Avenue Hotel
Banff Avenue
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
3.7
(16 Ratings)
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1 star
769ezl
Jul 16, 2023
Wonderful experience, Icefield - I'd like to express my utmost appreciation for our tour guide, Ray! Throughout the entire journey, he displayed outstanding leadership and expertise, making the trip an absolutely unforgettable experience for all of us. Ray's deep passion for the destinations we visited was evident in how he enthusiastically shared captivating stories and historical anecdotes. His warm and approachable nature created a friendly and inviting atmosphere for everyone. Ray's meticulous attention to detail and flawless organization ensured that we made the most of our time at each attraction without feeling rushed. His unwavering commitment to ensuring everyone had a fantastic time was truly commendable. We couldn't have asked for a better guide! Thank you, Ray, for your exceptional efforts and for making this adventure an extraordinary one for all of us! p.s. A bottle of water and luggage tag
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cchu1964
Jun 23, 2023
Icefield trip with family - My family booked this trip. It was a good one especially with our nice tour guide Ray. Really enjoy time with Ray! However the schedule is too many spots and no time to enjoy every spot. And Ray has to deliver the bottle water and luggage tag, everything all by himself. Too much loading.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
481liuy
Jun 23, 2023
Nice trip - We had a nice journey with Westar travel Ray Chen is a kind and thoughtful tour guide. I'd like to see you again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Departure35349202178
Jun 23, 2023
Love this trip - I am here with family and had a wonderful experience. And our guide, Ray is authenticity , optimistic, carefoul guide. I like him. Good job, Ray!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alexis_c
Jun 20, 2023
Nice tour - Bow lake and Peyto lake were really cool sights! Going to the ice fields was also fun, the skywalk was less so. Overall the trip was worth it. Great tour guide too, Tina is awesome!
Review provided by Viator
Sandhya_g
Sep 18, 2022
PROS..The weather was... - PROS..The weather was really exceptional and we got great views. Driver needs some props in the Van to be able to describe the places we visited..did not get much knowledge from him. The 10 seater Van was old and seats not comfortable. Badly needs upholstery. We did not get a text message..it would be good to have a Whatsapp number ( rather than a link ) upfront for communication purposes..specially as you might not have a local contact number or Sim card. The places were out of this world..Would recommend more time for lunch and better choices.. we had informed that we don't eat pork and beef, but that was the only option..and so we had to resort to cheese pizza and cold Chips..better buy and eat at the Columbia Icefield centre directly.
Review provided by Viator
Yuenyee_c
Sep 11, 2022
Great experience - Great experience and amazing scenes. The drive was a bit long but the driver was nice and knowledgeable.
Review provided by Viator
Orit_g
Jun 1, 2023
Great views that make up for traveling in an old, annoying and not really comfortable car. - The car that took us was very old. Very noisy and every bump in the road is noticeable. It also had an unpleasant smell. The loudspeaker that the guide spoke on was barely audible in the back bench. And it was hard to understand what he said. The level of explanations was basic. The guide is nice but spoke mainly Chinese with Chinese speakers. And his explanations were at a low level. Fortunately, the views were spectacular and it made up for everything. But I expected from a company like yours a much higher level of explanations and guidance and also a more pampering level of travel. The guide was an excellent driver. very carefully. Very nice and friendly.
Review provided by Viator
Rama_a
Jul 11, 2024
Bad tour Columbia icefield. - Bad tour overall across many items. Viator tour: - Westar Travel Ltd.. - Guide: QiuShi Lu (Daryl) - Viator Confirmation number: 1526964053 - Viator Booking reference number: 1141631577 1. The tour got us to the glacier too-late, we missed the Bus that is suppose to take us to the glacier point. - The whole point of going to the Columbia icefield was to get on the glacier to see it up close. - Instead we had to see from nearly 2 miles away. The tour guide was not willing to wait for us to take a later bus since it would delay his return schedule. 2. The tour guide knew some of the people on the tour had tickets for the Icefied bus, he did not tell the rest of us. As a result we had a group of people who were simply stranded at the bus-station. - When I asked him about this problem, he claims he told us to book- online but we never heard him say this. - Asking if we had tickets for the icefield bus should have been the FIRST thing he should have confirmed.. 4. The tour guide was a good driver & nice person but he barely spoke english. - We could barely understand what he was saying, we understood about at the most 25% of what he said. - He did however seem to speak good chinese, & was communicating with the chinese people on the tour. 5. Bottom line the important thing is that we did not get a chance to explore the Columbia Icefield.... 6. Please refund the cost of the tour for the 3 of us...
Review provided by Viator
Journey90337
Aug 25, 2023
Horrible bus driver - Firstly, we did do all the activities on time, but the journey was just horrible. I have never seen such a reckless driver, for a personal vehicle or driving a bus with 20 or so people on board. He cut in and out lanes and even crossing the solid line on his side. Honking and cursing everyone who was in his way. At some point, he was at least 40 km/hr over the limit. On the return trip, we stopped at the town of Banff and while we were waiting for other customers to unload, another fellow bus driver caught up and complaining him cutting him off and he just joke about it. We end up at the same location so what's the point of such reckless driving. It might be because of this abusive use of the vehicle, about 50 km from the airport when we return, there was a loud cranking noise underneath the car. After a few minutes of inspection, he decided to keep going at half of the speed, ironically. It has to be the longest 40 minutes of my life and probably also true for the rest of the 20 passengers. With the company logo on the side of the vehicle, it cannot be good for the reputation.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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1 Adult
September 2024
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