Athabasca Glacier — Local services in Alberta

GOD'S CREATION Genesis 1:1-2

I happened to visit the legendary Athabasca Glacier during my Banff trip in the summer of 23'. The Athabasca Glacier is one of the six principal 'toes' of the Columbia Icefield, located in the Canadian Rockies. Once upon a time, this was the largest glacier ever in Canada, but due to constant human intervention and global climatic changes, this beautiful natural creation of God is receding at the rate of 16 feet per year! Quite worrying right? What was more instrumental was, there were milestones on the way to this glacier that indicated the glacier once existed up to that point in the corresponding year. Each milestone when you see, feels like a grave stone for this glacier and honestly we feel bad for it.

In the last 125 years, this glacier has receded more than 1.5 km and unfortunately there will be a time when Athabasca Glacier will be only written in our history books. I was quite fortunate to visit this place before it could be a doomsday for Athabasca. When I reached there, I could just see the massive humongous glacier present in front of me. Athabasca Glacier is also infamous for swallowing the ice skiers and novice explorers into its crevasses. Many unprepared tourists, who do not possess knowledge about this place just venture in and the consequences are not so good.

The road leading to Athabasca Glacier is dubbed as "The most scenic road in the world" a.k.a The Icefields Parkway. It is a highway joining Jasper National Park to Banff National Park. I was again given this opportunity to drive on this scenic road and witness the beauty of nature.

The Athabasca Glacier has nothing in its surroundings, just a couple of tea coffee shops around and few eateries that provide you the best Hot chocolate in this chilling weather. But, the main attraction is this glacier. Whenever, I see nature giving up to human kind I feel, the exploitation that we humans have caused...

Making the stop at the Athabasca Glacier on our journey from Banff to Jasper was an absolutely brilliant decision and easily one of the highlights of our entire trip! It truly is a beautiful and incredibly unique stop that offers an unparalleled natural wonder experience. Stepping onto the Athabasca Glacier felt like entering another world. The sheer scale of the ice is difficult to comprehend until you're standing on it, surrounded by vast expanses of ancient blue-white ice. It's truly mind-boggling to consider that this ice is reportedly over 300 feet deep in places, a frozen record of millennia. The deep crevasses and glacial meltwater streams create a dynamic and ever-changing landscape that is both powerful and serene. It's a humbling experience to walk on something so ancient and immense, a true testament to the forces of nature. The color of the ice itself, varying from brilliant white to deep, captivating blues where the ice is denser, is simply mesmerizing and unlike anything we've ever seen. The air felt crisp and clean, and the views stretching out across the Icefield Parkway were simply magnificent. It was a perfect contrast to the lush green forests and towering peaks we'd been admiring throughout the drive. This stop isn't just about seeing a glacier; it's about experiencing it. Whether you opt for the Ice Explorer tour that takes you directly onto the ice, or simply enjoy the views from the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre, it's an opportunity to connect with an active glacier in a way that's rarely possible. For anyone driving between Banff and Jasper, the Athabasca Glacier is far more than just a roadside attraction – it's a quintessential Canadian Rockies experience that adds an unforgettable dimension to your journey. Do...

Our 9-day trip in the Rocky Mountain was remarkable, left us with a lot of happy memories.

The only unpleasant episode was at ticket counter at Columbia Icefield late morning on Sept 5th. Between her not knowing how to handle Groupon voucher, our confusion at her loud request that 2 of our 4 people must go back to the end of the line ( we traveled as a group and we had gone through the line), our stress at her request to find Groupon email instead of paper ticket when we did not know fast enough (for her) that the building had internet connection, and the fact that we needed time to look at the Groupon printout to understand what was wrong, Erin was not patient, she was loud, rapid and perpetual in talking, she also talked over my friends assuming they did not understand English while in fact, we were just overwhelmed by her mannerism and the possibility that she might refuse our voucher after hundred of dollars we had spent on Groupon.

In the end, Groupon voucher was processed fine, but we left all sweaty and exhausted. We decided as a group that we needed to give this feedback.

She needs more customer service training and to learn to be patient. Her thousandth time saying something can still be the first time each...