Icefields Parkway
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| Icefields Parkway (Highway 93) |
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| Length: | 230 km (143 mi) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | 1940 | ||||||||
| North end: | Highway 16 at Jasper | ||||||||
| South end: | Highway 1 northwest of Lake Louise | ||||||||
| Major cities: | Jasper, Lake Louise | ||||||||
| System: | Alberta provincial highway | ||||||||
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>The Icefields Parkway (French Promenade des Glaciers), also known as Highway 93, is a scenic road in Alberta, Canada. It parallels the Continental Divide, traversing the rugged landscape of the Canadian Rockies. It travels through Banff National Park and Jasper National Park, linking Lake Louise and Jasper. Highway 93 runs concurrently with Highway 1 between Lake Louise and the Castle Mountain junction, where it continues into Kootenay National Park in British Columbia as the Banff-Windermere Highway.
The parkway, 230 km (143 mi) long, was completed in 1940; it is named for features such as the Columbia Icefield, visible from the parkway.
The parkway is busy in July and August with up to 100,000 vehicles a month. The parkway is mainly two lanes with occasional passing lanes. It minimizes grades and hairpin turns but travellers must look out for wildlife, and vehicles stopped on the shoulder. Extreme weather is common in winter.
A national parks permit is required to travel on the Icefields Parkway; stations near Lake Louise and Jasper enforce the law. Commercial trucks are prohibited. The speed limit is 90 km/h (55mph) although the limit is reduced at Saskatchewan Crossing and the Columbia Icefield area. In winter, chains or all-season radial tires are required by law and road closures are not uncommon.
[edit] Route
Going northwest from Lake Louise, the Icefields Parkway passes the following points of interest:
- Crowfoot Glacier
- Bow Summit [altitude of 2,088 m (6,850 ft)] and Peyto Lake
- Mistaya Canyon
- Saskatchewan River Crossing
- Parker Ridge
- Columbia Icefield (Athabasca Glacier)
- Icefield Centre
- Athabasca Falls
- Sunwapta Pass and Sunwapta Falls
Campgrounds spot the length of the Parkway, and offer water and firewood. The Parkway is easily bicycled between Banff and Jasper over a three to five days and self-supported riders are common in summer. Bicycle tour operators also use the Parkway, often extending the ride to five days to leave time to drive back to the start.
Limited services are available at Saskatchewan River Crossing and the Icefield Centre, and only from April to October. Gasoline is only available at Saskatchewan River Crossing.
 View from the Icefields Parkway going North from Lake Louise, Alberta in Banff National Park |
 Icefields Parkway |
[edit] Highway 93A
Just south of Jasper, a short spur of the parkway branches off as Highway 93A, providing access to businesses on the south side of Jasper and an alternative route into the town. Another 93A spur farther along the parkway provides alternative access to viewpoints and other attractions within Jasper National Park.
The highway south of Jasper is narrow and the pavement uneven, with an average limit of 60 km/h. Brush grows up to the side of the highway so animals can be difficult to see.
[edit] External links
- Icefield Parkway.ca
- National Geographic - Icefield Parkway driving tour
- Travel Alberta - The Icefields Parkway
