Icefields Parkway

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Athabasca Glacier on the Columbia Icefield. The Parkway is in the foreground. The glacier used to extend to about the road, and is disappearing at a rate of about 1 cm a day.

The Icefields Parkway (French Promenade des Glaciers), also known as Alberta Highway 93, is a scenic road in Alberta, Canada. It parallels the Continental Divide, traversing the rugged landscape of the Canadian Rockies. It is within Banff National Park and Jasper National Park, linking Lake Louise and Jasper.

The parkway, 230 kilometres (143 miles) in length, was completed in 1940; it is named for the features such as the Columbia Icefield which are visible while traveling the parkway.

The parkway is very busy in the summer months of July and August with peak traffic flow of 100,000 vehicles per month. The parkway is primarily a two lane highway with occasional passing lanes. The highway is well engineered to minimize grades and hairpin turns but drivers must also be on the lookout for wildlife, touring cyclists, and vehicles stopped on the shoulder.

Going northwest from Lake Louise, the Icefields Parkway passes the following points of interest:

Athabasca Falls

Crowfoot Glacier
Bow Summit (2088m) and Peyto Lake
Mistaya Canyon
Saskatchewan Crossing
Parker Ridge
Columbia Icefield
Icefield Centre
Athabasca Falls
Sunwapta Pass and Sunwapta Falls

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 from using the parkway. The maximum speed limit is 90 km/h (55 mph) 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.

Campgrounds spot the length of the Parkway, and offer basic ammenities such as water and firewood. These are typically available for a low daily rental fee.

The Parkway is easily bikable between Banff and Jasper over a three to five day period, and self-supported riders are quite common in the summer. Bicycle tour operators also commonly use the Parkway route, although often extend the ride to five days in order to leave time to drive back to the starting point.

Limited services are available at Saskatchewan Crossing and the Icefield Centre and then only from April to October. Gasoline is only available at Saskatchewan Crossing.

[edit] Highway 93A

93A

Just south of Jasper, a short spur of the parkway branches off as Alberta provincial highway 93A, providing access to businesses on the south side of Jasper and an alternate route into the town itself. Another 93A spur is located farther along the parkway itself, providing alternate access to viewpoints and other attractions within Jasper National Park.