The Icefields Parkway: planning the drive from Lake Louise to Jasper

The Icefields Parkway (Highway 93 North) links Lake Louise in Banff National Park with the town of Jasper, running about 230 km along the spine of the Canadian Rockies past glaciers, turquoise lakes and waterfalls. It's one of the world's great scenic drives, but it's also remote: there's only one place to buy fuel, almost no mobile signal and a real chance of meeting a bear on the verge. With a little planning it's an easy and unforgettable day. Here's how to do it well.

The quick overview

• Distance: roughly 230 km from the Trans-Canada Highway junction at Lake Louise to Jasper.
• Driving time without stops: around three to three and a half hours. The maximum speed limit is 90 km/h, and lower in places.
• Time to allow: a full day with stops, or two days with a night along the way.
• Park pass: you need a valid Parks Canada pass to stop anywhere on the parkway. Passes are checked at the entrance kiosk just north of Lake Louise.
• Fuel: one seasonal station, at Saskatchewan River Crossing, roughly a third of the way north. Fill up before you leave.
• Mobile signal: absent for most of the route.

How to time the drive

Start early. The most popular viewpoints, especially Peyto Lake and the Columbia Icefield, have limited parking that fills from mid-morning in summer, and wildlife is most active around dawn and dusk. A realistic summer day looks like this: leave Lake Louise soon after sunrise, reach Peyto Lake before the crowds, stop for lunch at Saskatchewan River Crossing or the icefield, and arrive in Jasper in the late afternoon.

Either direction works. Head north if you're staying in Jasper; finish in Lake Louise if you're flying home from Calgary.

Rule of thumb: plan for about twice the pure driving time. Most people spend seven to nine hours on the parkway once stops, short walks and wildlife slow-downs are added.

Lake Louise to Saskatchewan River Crossing

The southern section climbs gradually to the highest point on the parkway.

• Herbert Lake: a small lake just north of the junction, known for still-water reflections early in the morning.
• Crowfoot Glacier viewpoint: a hanging glacier on the cliffs above the road. It has lost much of its original shape as it has retreated.
• Bow Lake: a large lake beside the road, with Bow Glacier visible at its head. An easy lakeshore path and a longer hike to Bow Glacier Falls start here.
• Peyto Lake from Bow Summit: the highest point on the parkway, a little over 2,000 metres. A short, paved uphill walk from the car park leads to a viewing platform above one of the most photographed lakes in Canada, famous for its vivid glacial blue. The colour is usually at its strongest in mid-summer, when meltwater carries fine rock flour into the lake.
• Waterfowl Lakes: broad lakes with a campground and views of Mount Chephren.
• Mistaya Canyon: a short walk downhill from the road to a narrow, twisting limestone canyon carved by the Mistaya River.

At Saskatchewan River Crossing, Highway 11 heads east towards Abraham Lake and the foothills. This is also the only place on the parkway with fuel, food and a shop, and it's seasonal, so don't count on it outside the main travel months.

Saskatchewan River Crossing to the Columbia Icefield

North of the crossing, the road follows the North Saskatchewan River, then climbs in a series of switchbacks known as the Big Bend.

• Weeping Wall: a cliff where streams of meltwater pour down the rock in summer; in winter, it freezes and attracts ice climbers.
• Parker Ridge: one of the best short hikes on the parkway. The trail zigzags up above the treeline to a ridge overlooking the Saskatchewan Glacier. Allow two to three hours for the return trip, and expect snow on it into early summer.
• Sunwapta Pass: the boundary between Banff and Jasper National Parks.

The Columbia Icefield and Athabasca Glacier

The Columbia Icefield is the largest icefield in the Rocky Mountains, and the Athabasca Glacier flows down from it almost to the road. The Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre, across the highway, has a Parks Canada information desk, food and toilets. It's open seasonally, roughly spring to autumn.

• Toe of the Athabasca Glacier trail: a short, fairly steep walk from the car park towards the glacier. Markers along the way show where the ice ended in past years, a striking record of how far it has retreated.
• Glacier tours: a private operator runs tours in specialised vehicles onto the glacier itself, and a glass-floored cliff-edge walkway nearby, in the summer season. Book ahead in July and August.
• Wilcox Pass: a longer hike with wide views of the icefield, and frequently bighorn sheep.

Safety: never walk onto the glacier beyond the barriers without a qualified guide. The surface hides crevasses and meltwater channels, and people have been seriously injured and killed on it.

The Columbia Icefield to Jasper

The final stretch descends into the Sunwapta and Athabasca valleys and has some of the parkway's best waterfalls.

• Tangle Creek Falls: a tiered waterfall right beside the road; park carefully, as the pull-out is small.
• Sunwapta Falls: a short walk to a waterfall plunging into a narrow gorge, with a trail to lower falls if you have time.
• Athabasca Falls: a powerful waterfall forced through a narrow canyon, about 30 km south of Jasper. Paths and bridges give good views, but stay behind the barriers; the rocks are slippery.

Jasper town lost part of its buildings to a large wildfire in 2024. Visitors have returned, but check current accommodation and services before you book.

Fuel, food and phone signal

• Fuel: fill the tank in Lake Louise or Jasper. The seasonal station at Saskatchewan River Crossing can be expensive and is closed in winter. Electric vehicle charging along the parkway is very limited, so charge fully at either end and check a charging map before you set off.
• Food: bring a picnic, snacks and plenty of water. Cafés are limited to Saskatchewan River Crossing and the icefield, and they're seasonal.
• Accommodation along the route: a few seasonal lodges, rustic hostels and Parks Canada campgrounds. They fill early in summer.
• Phone signal: download offline maps and any tickets before you leave. Don't rely on your phone for navigation or emergencies.

Seasons and road conditions

• Summer (July and August): everything is open, the lakes are at their bluest, and traffic, tour buses and cyclists are at their peak.
• Late spring (May and June): quieter, but higher lakes, including Peyto, can stay frozen into June, and trails hold snow.
• Autumn (September and October): fewer crowds and crisp light, but services start closing and early snow is possible at higher elevations.
• Winter (November to April): the road stays open but isn't maintained around the clock, may close for avalanche control, and has no services at all. Parks Canada requires winter tires or chains on the parkway during the winter months. Drive only in daylight, carry an emergency kit and check conditions immediately before you go.

Road rules and seasonal requirements change, so check Parks Canada's official site and the provincial road report before you travel.

Wildlife on the road

Grizzly and black bears, elk, bighorn sheep, mountain goats and moose are all seen from the parkway, and bears often feed on roadside vegetation in spring and early summer.

• Never stop in the driving lane. Pull completely off the road at a safe spot, and turn on your hazard lights.
• Stay in your vehicle when animals are near the road.
• Keep your distance: Parks Canada advises at least 100 metres from bears, wolves and cougars and 30 metres from elk, deer, sheep, goats and moose.
• Never feed wildlife. It's illegal and often leads to animals being killed.
• Slow down at dawn and dusk, when animals are most active and hardest to see.

Practical tips before you go

• Buy your Parks Canada pass online before you arrive; a single pass covers both Banff and Jasper.
• Book accommodation at both ends early. Our guide to Banff and Lake Louise compares Banff town, Lake Louise and Canmore as bases for the start of the drive.
• Pack layers: Bow Summit and the icefield can be much colder than the valleys, and it can snow in any month.
• Carry bear spray on any hike, and know how to use it.

Fill your tank, start early and allow a whole day, and the Icefields Parkway will likely be the highlight of your Rockies trip.

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Cover photo: Ethan Sahagun, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons