CAN: Columbia Icefield Skywalk

Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

How many of you've had the experience of walking on a glass-floor walkway? For someone who's afraid of heights, the idea seemed rather daunting to me. The cliff-edge Columbia Icefield Skywalk offers a spectacular view of Sunwapta Valley at Jasper National Park.


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The bus ride from Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre, to Columbia Icefield Skywalk took about 10 minutes.



When not purchased under the Columbia Icefield Adventure bundle, the entrance ticket to the skywalk costs C$37.00 (~S$38.60) per adult. There's a 10% discount for advance purchase of at least 48 hours. Anyway, there doesn't seem to be a lot of audio guides there, but my BFF and I were lucky to get the last two available at the entrance.



Enjoy the view splendid view of the glacier-formed valley and the ice-capped mountain peaks.



Sunwapta River is a major tributary of Athabasca River.

Learn more about glaciology as you make your way to the skywalk.



One of the lines says "you're now standing on what was once an ancient seabed".


Cambrian explosion that happened approximately 541 million years ago was when
most major animal phyla appeared in the fossil record.
One section of the linear trail focuses on some of the characteristic animals that live in the valley.



The valley has a rich ecosystem that straddles a triple continental divide.
 

Have you seen a pika, a small mountain-dwelling mammal, in real life? I haven't.

Grizzly bear (left) and black bear (right)
Time to hit the skywalk that's 280 m above the valley, extending about 30 m from one end to another!

Every part of the skywalk was custom-built from individual plates of steel.


Be careful not to drop your camera when taking a photo, especially when there are lots of visitors.


Guess what? My feet didn't tremble at all!

There's a small tent with a staff member explaining the difference between grizzly and black bears, and what to do when you happen to encounter them in the wild.

Bear spray contains capsaicin, a natural chemical found in chili peppers.



There's a solitary solar panel there.


There are panels telling about the construction of the skywalk, which was first opened to the public in 2014, three years after the original design was floated for the ambitious project. The use of steel, glass and wood echoes the natural environment, while the absence of paint and other toxic finishes ensured the the project had a near zero carbon footprint.


Like the branch of a mighty Douglas Fir, the skywalk extends straight out from the cliff
with cantilevers or horizontal beams supported at only one end.


Snow Dome Mountain in the Canadian Rockies is the hydrological apex of North America.


The glaciers in this region eventually melt and flow thousands of kilometres to other parts of the world.

We spent about an hour there.



The bus ride back to the discovery centre is on a first-come-first-served basis. I recall waiting for about 10 minutes to hop into one.


I believe there are guided walks in the morning if you're interested.

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