Driving among towering mountains and massive pine forests with the high likelihood of seeing wildlife on the way, the Icefields Parkway is one of North America’s most spectacular drives.  During our time in the Canadian Rockies, we set aside a day for the drive.  The Icefields Parkway lead us from where we were staying in the town of Banff up to the Athabasca Glacier, located in the southern end of Jasper National Park.  We compiled a list of stops to make along the way and highly recommend them all.  In this guide, we share our full itinerary driving the Icefields Parkway from Banff to Jasper.

ABOUT THE ICEFIELDS PARKWAY

The Icefields Parkway is a 144 mile span on Highway 93 in the Canadian Province of Alberta.  While on the parkway you can see some of the area’s best sites such as glacial lakes, canyons, and waterfalls all in a days drive.  While in Banff, driving the Icefields Parkway is not to be missed.  

Below is a map with all of our stops, from the town of Banff to the Columbia Icefields in Jasper National Park:

Our Stops on the Icefields Parkway:

• The town of Banff
• Johnston Canyon
• Peyto Lake
• Mistaya Canyon
• Athabasca Glacier at Columbia Icefields

How Long Does Driving the Icefields Parkway Take?

Depending on how many stops you make, it can take a full day.  However, if you drive straight from Banff to the Columbia Icefields, it takes approximately 2 hours.  So, depending on your schedule, you can add in multiple stops or just a few.

Some of the beautiful scenery | Icefields Parkway

OUR EXPERIENCE

Our Glacier Adventure experience was booked at the Columbia Icefields for 1:45 p.m. so we built our schedule backwards from that.  

Timeline of Our Drive on the Icefields Parkway:

• Depart Banff at 7:15 a.m.
• Arrive at Johnston Canyon at 7:45 a.m.
• Depart Johnston Canyon at around 8:35 a.m.
• Arrive at Peyto Lake at 9:45 a.m.
• Depart Peyto Lake at 10:15 a.m.
• Arrive at Mistaya Canyon at 10:40 a.m. 
• Depart Mistaya around 11:30 a.m.
• Arrive at the Columbia Icefield at 12:30 p.m.

STOP # 1 – JOHNSTON CANYON

Our first stop of the day after leaving Banff was Johnston Canyon.  It took approximately 30 minutes to arrive at Johnston Canyon from where we were staying in Banff.  We arrived around 7:45 a.m. and easily found parking in the large lot.  

The beginning of the trail | Johnston Canyon

The trail was accessible the whole way, with a nice paved path taking you high above the rushing water. 

The trail | Johnston Canyon

It took us about 30 minutes to hike the half-mile trail to the Lower Falls, as I stopped to take a lot of photos!

Johnston Canyon

Once you reach the Lower Falls, you can cross over a short footbridge and wait your turn to enter a small cave where you’ll pop out next to the waterfall.  In the photo below, you can see the railing to the far right.  This is where you enter the cave next to the waterfall.  You definitely feel the spray while next to the falls!

Lower Falls | Johnston Canyon

From here, it is about one mile to the Upper Falls.  We heard they are spectacular, however we had a full day ahead and wanted to make sure we made all of our stops.

All in all our time here took just about 50 minutes, from the time we arrived to the time we left.  This includes the one mile round-trip hike to the Lower Falls, lots of stops for photos, and a restroom break.

STOP # 2 – PEYTO LAKE

We had just a little over an hour’s drive on the Icefields Parkway between Johnston Canyon and our next stop, Peyto Lake.  The trail to the viewpoint of Peyto Lake is paved and is accessible.  

The trail then begins an abrupt climb, so there is a spur to the left that eases into the climb.  

The “easier trail” | Peyto Lake

We stayed on the main path and it took us about 10 minutes to get from the trailhead to the viewpoint.   

Peyto Lake is unique in that it looks just like a wolf!  

The viewing platform for Peyto Lake

Peyto Lake

There is another trail taking one up to an even higher viewpoint.  We did not have time to do this additional hike due to our packed schedule, but we wanted to share it here just in case you do have time.

STOP # 3 – MISTAYA CANYON

This is probably one of my favorite stops of the day, and it’s the one we almost missed!  It was the last stop before the Columbia Icefields and we discussed skipping it if we were short on time.  Well, we made it and I’m so glad we did!

The trail is not accessible, as it is a steep dirt path with rocks and roots attempting to trip you up along the way. 

The rough trail | Mistaya Canyon

It is only a little over one mile to the bridge, where you get your first view of the canyon.

Mistaya Canyon as seen from the bridge

Coming off the bridge, you can access a variety of rock ledges to take in the views even closer.  Of course, be very careful not to slip as the water is rushing fast.  However, there are many levels of rock ledges so we felt safe the entire time. 

We had a picnic snack on the rocks while marveling over the falls.

STOP # 4 – THE COLUMBIA ICEFIELDS

The crowning glory on the Icefields Parkway trip is the Columbia Icefields and the Athabasca Glacier.

The Athabasca Glacier is the most accessible of the six glaciers that make up the Columbia Icefield.  One can visit as part of the Glacier Adventure Experience.  The adventure begins at the Columbia Icefield Glacier Discovery Center, which overlooks the Athabasca Glacier.

At the visitor’s center, overlooking the Athabasca Glacier

While here, you can visit the museum (closed when we were there) and enjoy food and drink on the outdoor patio with views of the glaciers in the distance.  There are also restroom facilities and a gift shop on site as well as a Starbucks.  A hot latte was especially good after our chilly glacier adventure!

We lined up to board our bus around 1:30 p.m. for the 1:45 p.m. departure.

The bus to take to the next bus, the Glacier Explorer | Columbia Icefields

It was a five minute drive across the road where we got off the bus and onto a glacier explorer bus.  There are currently 24 of these Glacier Explorers in the world, with 2 in Antartica and the other 22 at the Athabasca Glacier!  The wheels are about 5 feet tall and they are capable of traversing the very steep grades.

Passing another Glacier Explorer | Columbia Icefields

Once the glacier bus is parked, you have about 20-30 minutes to explore. 

The Ice Explorer Vehicles | Athabasca Glacier, Columbia Icefields

There is a marked area of where visitors are to stay.  Walk around on the glacier, snap some photos, and be sure to fill an empty water bottle with glacier water.  

The Glacier Adventure | Athabasca Glacier, Columbia Icefields

After arriving back at the visitor’s center, we boarded a shuttle to the Columbia Icefield Skywalk, which is about a five minute drive down the road. 

The Skywalk features a glass-bottomed floor and transparent wall so you have an unobstructed view of the Sunwapta Valley. 

The Skywalk, jutting over the valley | Columbia Icefields

The Skywalk sits 981 feet high above the valley.  Take in the views of the mountains blanketed with towering pines and the glaciers in the distance.  Keep your eye out for wildlife, too.  As you make your way around the Skywalk, there are interpretive signs.  You can spend as little or as much time as you like here. 

The Skywalk | Columbia Icefields

When you’re ready to head back, simply head back to the shuttle bus area and wait for the next bus to bring you back to the Glacier Discovery Visitor’s Center.

HOW TO DO THIS DRIVE WITH LAKE LOUISE AND MORAINE LAKE

While we were in Banff, we visited Moraine Lake and Lake Louise on separate days from the day we did the Icefields Parkway Drive.  We gave each lake its deserved day, adding in extra hikes at each lake.  While this is what we recommend doing, if you only have a short time here, you can do this drive with adding in Lake Louise and Moraine Lake.  Note that you will be starting very early in the morning to make it work.  We then also recommend staying in Jasper rather than returning to Banff.  Our experience had us going from the town of Banff up to the Columbia Icefields (southern end of Jasper) and then back to Banff with just the four stops.  Our itinerary took about 8 hours.

We have a full guide to visiting Moraine Lake and Lake Louise, including our timelines each day, planning info, photo tips, and our full experience.  Click here to check it out for more detailed information.

So, if you want to drive the Icefields Parkway with adding in a stop at Moraine Lake and Lake Louise, here is how we suggest doing it.  Note that it will be a very jam-packed day, with not much time for exploring beyond taking a few photos at each place.

First, it is imperative that you secure your shuttle to either one of the lakes.  If you have a shuttle booked with Parks Canada to Lake Louise you can then hop on the Lakes Connector Shuttle to also visit Moraine Lake.  And vice versa:  If you have a Parks Canada shuttle booked to Moraine Lake, then you can just simply hop the Lakes Connector Shuttle to Lake Louise.  

On this agenda you will visit the following:

• Banff Town 
• Johnston Canyon 
• Lake Louise Summer Gondola, to park your vehicle 
• Lake Louise 
• Shuttle connector to Moraine Lake
• Shuttle back to Lake Louise Summer Gondola to retrieve your vehicle
• Peyto Lake 
• Mistaya Canyon 
• Columbia Icefields 

In order to do this itinerary, you need to book the last slot for the Columbia Icefields Adventure, which is 4:00 p.m.  We recommend arriving by 3:30 so you have plenty of time to park, get to the visitor’s center, and then get on the bus to begin the adventure.  Work your way backwards on the agenda, to figure out timing of the rest of the day, given our timeline during our experience above.  That will help you figure out what time you need your shuttle ticket to Lake Louise or Moraine Lake.  My advice is to plan to depart the Lake Louise Summer Gondola (so have visited Lake Louise and Moraine Lake by this time) and continue on the Icefields Parkway by 12:00 p.m.  That will give you 3.5 hours to visit Peyto Lake, Mistaya Canyon, and arrive at the Columbia Icefields by 3:30 p.m. for the 4:00 p.m. Adventure.  If you plan to depart Banff at 6:00 a.m., this jam-packed day is doable.

What to Book Ahead of Time

You will have to have one of the shuttles booked for either Lake Louise or Moraine Lake in order to visit them.  Again, for more in-depth information regarding visiting Moraine Lake and Lake Louise, including transportation options, check out our Guide to Visiting Moraine Lake and Lake Louise.

WEBSITE:  Parks Canada – Lake Louise & Moraine Lake Shuttle Info

You also need to book your Columbia Icefields Adventure:  

WEBSITE:  Columbia Icefields Glacier Adventure