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  • Most Popular Summer Adventure

Tread Lightly Glacier Hike

Glacier hike adventure with an ecological focus. Deepen your connection with the Athabasca Glacier on this guided hiking tour.

At A Glance

Hour Glass Duration: 4.5 hours

Clock Departure: 10:30 am, 12:00 pm, & 4:30 pm

Check Calendar Offered: June 1 – September 30

Map Marker Meeting Location: Rockaboo Interpretive Trailer; Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre, lower parking lot. See Map

User  Ages: 12 & up. (Younger explorers may be accommodated with their parents on a private booking.)

Users  Group Size: Maximum 10

Star Outline  Fitness Level: We hike between 2 – 8 km depending on conditions and the group. Although the hiking is never strenuous, it does gain about 150m elevation from a starting elevation of 1900m. We recommend that people are fit enough to hike slowly for 4 hours and that you do not have any injuries or medical conditions that could impair your enjoyment. If you would like to hike faster to cover more ground, or would like to modify the duration of the trip due to fitness concerns, we recommend a private booking. 

Checkmark What is included: Mountain boots, crampons, hiking poles, sunglasses, all technical equipment used to explore glacier features such as crevasses. 

Info  What is not included: Clothing and lunch. As this is an upper elevation alpine area, the weather can be an important factor. This can be a very memorable and powerful experience, as long as you have the right clothing. We recommend a warm insulating layer and good rain protection. For a complete list of clothing recommended for the Athabasca Glacier hike, please see here.

Dollar Price: $175/person + 5% GST

Per Person
CA$175

Tread Lightly Glacier Hikes

About the Athabasca Glacier

  • Jasper National Park is home to some of the world’s most impressive glaciated terrain. The Columbia Icefield is a sea of ice covering over 300 square km perched on the spine of the continent – the Continental Divide. Meltwater from this icefield travels to 3 different oceans from the hydrological apex of the country, and is a truly powerful place.
  • The Athabasca Glacier is an easily accessible tongue of ice flowing from this massive icefield and provides a unique opportunity to explore an actively changing glacier. Although there are a variety of ways to experience this glacier, we pride ourselves in our program design that focuses on small groups, glacier science, sustainability, efficient travel, and even the opportunity to descend into the ice using ropes if the conditions allow. 

Your Ecologically Sustainable Glacier Walk in Jasper

  • After meeting your guide at our staging area, you will be given an overview, we will highlight some glacier science projects for the day and you will be issued with equipment for the trip. This includes mountain boots, crampons, and any other safety equipment based on conditions. Then, your guide will walk you up to the toe of the glacier while introducing you to the dynamic alpine landscape. After stepping on to the glacier, your guide will lead you up the ice and show you some of the fascinating formations produced by ice and time including crevasses, millwells, and drainage channels.
  • Depending on conditions, we look for an opportunity for people to increase their connection with this landscape by taking scientific samples or using ropes to explore some of these features more intimately in a safe and controlled manner. Our goal is to provide each group with a unique and authentic trip onto the ice, and share the marvels of this landscape in the hope of fostering connection with the natural world.

ACMG Release Waiver Form

  • All guests participating in any activity with Rockaboo Mountain Adventures will be required to read and sign a digital or paper copy the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) Release Waiver form.  Your ACMG Certified Guide will review this waiver with all participants before each trip.
  • To review the ACMG Release Waiver form prior to booking your trip, click here

Book your Tread Lightly Glacier Hike on the Athabasca Glacier today and contact us for inquiries.