CAN: Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre

Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

One of the highlights of Jasper National Park is Columbia Icefield Adventure, which comprises a visit to Athabasca Glacier and an experience at Columbia Icefield Skywalk. The adventure starts from and ends at Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre, a destination in itself to learn about the largest ice field in the Rocky Mountains.


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The drive from Sunwapta Falls Resort to the discovery centre took slightly more than half an hour.



Athabasca Glacier has lost over half of its volume in the past 125 years.


The glacier currently loses its depth at a rate of about 5 m per year and has receded over 1.5 km.
There are a few signs along the way to show where it used to extend to many years ago.
I'm not too sure of the opening hours of the discovery centre, but together with the glacier experience, it only operates from end April or early May to mid-October every year.



Let's go inside the building.


There's a sizeable gift shop on the first floor.



Too bad I didn't have coins that day and the coin dispensing machine wasn't working properly.
While waiting for our guide, Dave, to get our tickets, we went to take a look at the gallery downstairs.


The theatre was closed that day as the venue was used for staff training.


Covering an area of 325 square kilometres, Columbia Icefield lies partly in the 
southern end of Jasper National Park and partly in the northwestern tip of Banff National Park.




I'm not going to be your friend if you say that global warming isn't real.



There are a couple of tactile exhibits there.


Some researchers predict that Athabasca Glacier will be gone by 2100.


One section of the gallery receives lots of sunlight.


Athabasca Glacier in 1917

1: Accumulation zone: where a glacier grow
2: Ablation zone: where a glacier lose ice by melting
3: Moraine: mounds of rubble as glacial ice flows and picks up rocks
4: Crevasse: a crack in the surface of glacier

There are eateries on the second floor of the discovery centre.



You can enjoy the magnificent view of the surroundings from the al fresco area.

Not many people were outside as the winds were really chilly that afternoon.


I'd be going to Athabasca Glacier first before heading to Columbia Icefield Skywalk.

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