Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Glacier Lake
• Length: 9 kilometers/5.6 miles (2.5-3 hours) one-way
• Elevation gain: 220 meters/770 feet
• Rating: moderate
• Trailhead: an old gravel pit on the west side of the highway, 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) west
of Saskatchewan River Crossing
This three-kilometer-long (1.9-mile-long) lake is one of the park's largest lakes not access-
ible by road. Although not as scenic as the more accessible lakes along the parkway, it's a
pleasant destination for a full-day or overnight trip. For the first one kilometer (0.6 mile),
the trail passes through an open forest of lodgepole pine to a fancy footbridge across the
rushing North Saskatchewan River. From there it climbs gradually to a viewpoint over-
looking the Howse River and the valley beyond, then turns away from the river for a
long slog through dense forest to Glacier Lake. A primitive campground lies just over 300
meters (0.2 mile) from where the trail emerges at the lake.
Saskatchewan Glacier
• Length: 7.3 kilometers/4.5 miles (2 hours) one-way
• Elevation gain: 150 meters/490 feet
• Rating: moderate
• Trailhead: small parking lot, 35 kilometers (22 miles) northwest of the Saskatchewan
River Crossing (just before the highway begins its “Big Bend” up to Sunwapta Pass)
The Saskatchewan Glacier, a tongue of ice from the great Columbia Icefield, is visible
from various points along the Icefields Parkway. This hike will take you right to the toe of
the glacier. After crossing an old concrete bridge, the trail disappears into the forest to the
right, joining an overgrown road and continuing up the valley along the south bank of the
river. When the toe of the glacier first comes into sight it looks deceptively close, but it's
still a long hike away over rough terrain.
Nigel Pass
• Length: 7.4 kilometers/4.6 miles (2.5 hours) one-way
• Elevation gain: 365 meters/1,200 feet
• Rating: moderate
• Trailhead: Icefields Parkway, 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) north of the switchback on the
“Big Bend”
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