Which Columbia Icefield Tour Is Right for You?
Skywalk ticket, combined glacier ticket, or a full-day tour from Banff or Calgary? Compare price, duration and what each one actually includes.
There are two questions hiding inside “which Columbia Icefield tour should I book”, and answering them in the wrong order is how people end up paying twice. The first is how you are getting to the Icefield. The second is what you want to do once you are there. The attraction tickets answer the second question and ignore the first; the day tours answer the first and, almost without exception, ignore the second.
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The quick comparison
| Option | From | Time | Includes the Skywalk? | Includes the glacier? | Gets you there? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skywalk ticket only | $37 | ~1 hour | Yes | No | No |
| Skywalk + Ice Explorer | $96 | ~3 hours | Yes | Yes | No |
| Parkway day tour | $54–$86 | 9–12 hours | No | No | Yes |
| Day tour + combined ticket | ~$150+ | Full day | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The bottom row is not a product anyone sells. It is what most visitors without a car actually end up buying, and knowing that in advance is worth more than any single recommendation on this page.
If you have a car
Buy the attraction ticket and drive yourself. The Icefields Parkway is one of the great mountain roads and driving it at your own pace — stopping at Bow Lake when the light is good rather than when a coach schedule says so — is most of the point of being there.
Which ticket depends on how much of a glacier person you are. The Skywalk on its own is $37 and takes about an hour: the shuttle out, a kilometre of interpretive boardwalk, and the glass platform 918 feet above the Sunwapta Valley. It is a striking piece of engineering in a spectacular place, and it rates 4.3 across more than a thousand guests, which is a fair reflection of an hour well spent rather than a day made.
The combined Skywalk and Ice Explorer ticket is $96 and adds the part people remember: an all-terrain coach that climbs onto the Athabasca Glacier and sets you down on ice tens of thousands of years old, with about twenty minutes to walk around and fill a bottle from the meltwater. It rates 4.6 from over 3,100 guests. If you have driven three hours to get there, the upgrade is the easier call than it looks on paper.
If you are not driving
You need a day tour, and then you need to buy the attraction ticket separately on top. Every Parkway day tour in this catalogue lists Skywalk and Ice Explorer entry in its exclusions. The tour covers the road, the guide, the national park pass and the lake stops; Pursuit covers the attractions.
Three tours are worth comparing, and they differ more than their near-identical titles suggest.
The Columbia Icefield, Skywalk and Peyto Lake tour is the most-reviewed of the group at 818 reviews and 4.7 stars, $62, running about twelve hours with pickups in Calgary, Canmore or Banff. It includes the park pass, snacks and water, and its reviews consistently name the guides rather than the itinerary — which is the signal that matters on a route where every operator visits the same lakes.
The Calgary and Banff Columbia Icefield and lakes day tour is the highest-rated at 4.9 from 195 reviews, $57, and the shortest of the twelve-hour class at about eleven hours. It adds Herbert Lake, the Mistaya Canyon bypass and Lake Louise on the return. Its Icefield arrival is built around a fixed afternoon attraction slot, so match your Pursuit ticket to it.
The Banff and Jasper national parks tour is the cheapest at $54 and the only one that crosses the boundary into Jasper National Park rather than turning back at the Icefield.
If you are travelling outside the season
The Skywalk and the Ice Explorer run May 1 to October 12 and are shut the rest of the year. Day tours still operate, and the good ones swap in an alternative itinerary rather than pretending otherwise. The Columbia Icefield and Abraham Lake tour is the clearest example: from May to mid-October it runs the standard Parkway route, and from December to March it goes to Abraham Lake instead, where methane rising from the lake bed freezes into stacked white discs suspended in clear ice. At nine hours it is also the shortest full-day option here, and it bundles professional photography.
If your dates fall in April or late October, check the operator’s own current dates before booking anything. The published season is weather dependent at both ends.
Know before you book
- Book the attraction ticket ahead if you are on a day tour. Departures leave every 15 to 30 minutes and sell out in peak season; buying at the Discovery Centre counter depends on what is left when your coach arrives.
- There is no parking at the Skywalk. The shuttle from the Discovery Centre is compulsory and is included in every Skywalk ticket.
- Budget three hours at the Icefield for the combined ticket, roughly one for the Skywalk alone.
- Dress for altitude. The Discovery Centre is above 2,000 metres and the glacier makes its own weather. Layers, gloves and a waterproof shell, even in July.
- Bring an empty bottle. Meltwater runs across the glacier surface in the visitor area and you are invited to fill up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Skywalk included in Columbia Icefield day tours?
No. Every Icefields Parkway day tour in this catalogue lists entry to the Columbia Icefield Skywalk and the Ice Explorer in its exclusions. The tour price covers transport, a guide, the national park pass and the roadside stops. The attraction tickets are sold separately by Pursuit and should be booked to match your tour’s arrival time.
What is the cheapest way to see the Columbia Icefield Skywalk?
Driving yourself and buying the $37 Skywalk-only ticket. If you are not driving, the cheapest combination is a $54 Banff and Jasper day tour plus the attraction ticket on top.
How long is a Columbia Icefield day tour?
Between nine and twelve hours door to door, depending on the operator and your pickup point. Calgary pickups run longest. The shortest full-day option in this catalogue is nine hours; the most common is around twelve.
Should I book the Skywalk or the combined ticket?
If you have already travelled to the Icefield, the combined ticket is the one guests rate higher — 4.6 against 4.3 — and the Ice Explorer is the reason. The Skywalk-only ticket makes sense if you are short on time, watching the budget, or the glacier excursion does not appeal.
Can I do the Columbia Icefield as a day trip from Banff?
Yes, and it is the most common way people do it. Banff to the Discovery Centre is about 180 km up the Icefields Parkway, roughly two and a half to three hours each way before stops. Self-driving that in a day is long but comfortable; a guided day tour is the alternative if you would rather not drive it twice.
Walk on the Glacier, Then Over the Valley
The combined Pursuit ticket puts you on the Athabasca Glacier aboard an Ice Explorer and out onto the Skywalk's glass floor, with shuttles between them. Rated 4.6 by more than 3,100 guests.
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