Columbia Icefield

The Columbia Icefield is located in Jasper National Park. The Athabasca glacier is one of the largest remaining, and has been a tourist attraction for decades.


The "toe" of the glacier has retreated about 300 yards since 1860.


It is 1,000 feet thick in the middle.


The dirty brown look is crondulites (or somthing like that) - the little particles that snowflakes form around. When the snow melts, the particles remain.

The "Ice Experience" buses drive right out onto a designated area of the glacier where people can get out and walk around.

The blue cones indicate the "safe" boundary beyond which you might fall into a crevass.

These buses were specially built for Brewster - the Gray Line tour company of Canada.

Yes... it's cold and wet, and time to get back on the bus.

I'd like to get some tires like this for the rig, except they cost $5,000 each!

Early August, and it's winter here already.