SW DS-300 Columbia Icefield, Alberta, Canada

The Columbia Icefield is an icefield located in the Canadian Rockies. The icefield lies partly in the northwestern tip of Banff National Park and the southern end of Jasper National Park. It is about 325 km² in area, 100 to 365 metres (328 to 1,197 ft) in depth and receives up to seven metres (275 in) of snowfall per year. The icefield feeds eight major glaciers, including:

Athabasca Glacier

Castleguard Glacier

Columbia Glacier

Dome Glacier

Stutfield Glacier

Saskatchewan Glacier

Some of the highest mountains in the Canada Rockies are located around the edges.

Parts of the Icefield are visible from the Icefields Parkway. The Athabasca Glacier has receded significantly since its greatest modern-era extent in 1844. During the summer months visitors to the area can travel onto the glacier in the comfort of large "snowcoaches".

Personal note:

In 2009, we travelled onto the Columbia Icefied in this giant snow coach during our tour of the Canadian Rockies.