We arrived at the Columbia Ice Fields visitor Center about 2pm on Thursday June 25th. Linda found a feathered friend in the parking lot
We had a good view of the glacier as we climbed the stairs to the Icefield Visitor Center and saw a sign showing what the glacier looked like in 1844 – we would have been standing near the edge of the glacier! (They superimposed the visitor center onto the photo)
The glacier has certainly receded quite a bit in 178 years! Here are 2 more photos –from 1917 and 2011
Here’s the glacier today!
Linda spotted a yellow “snow cat” outside the visitor center – much like the snowmobile she rode in with her family when they visited the Columbia Ice Fields in 1968.
The glacier has receded some over those 54 years, and more a comfortable and larger capacity vehicle is now used to go out on the glacier – the “Ice Explorer”
In the visitor Center, we passed by a Starbucks – note their claim to fame….
We got a bite to eat in the cafeteria and went to a balcony overlook to look at the icefield. Looking with binoculars, the “trail” from the left of the glacier is the Ice Explorer’s path – the bigger dots are 2-3 Explorers and the smaller are people out on the glacier.
The Snow Dome is that big layer of snow atop the mountain! (On the right above also)
This sign pointed out what we were looking at!
It would cost $104 per person to ride out on the glacier AND go to the Glacier Skywalk; our group opted for just the Skywalk adventure. While we waited to board the bus, we went to their museum. There was a 3-D model of the Columbia Icefield on display. The Snow Dome is where the three lines intersect near the center of this display.
This part of the display is where we are visiting/seeing today
And off we went to the Glacier Skywalk! (At the red icon almost off the map on the right, above)
Several waterfalls hidden among the trees
Soon it was time to head back to the RV park
After a stop for gas in Jasper, we saw the Rocky Mountaineer was at the station!
Continuing our drive, we spotted elk on side of the road
It was after 8pm by the time we got back to Acey – a long and eventful day! We will head to Dawson Creek on Sunday, making our way to Alaska with SIX one-night stays! Internet is spotty – we are actually in Watson Lake, Yukon Territory and found Wi-Fi to post this blog!
That skywalk is an amazing feat of engineering! Truly awesome!
Thank you for posting the facts on the Snow Dome. The river systems of the triple divide are the Athabasca to the Arctic, the N. Saskatchewan to Hudson Bay and the Columbia to the Pacific. I had to look it up, curious to see if the Yukon River figured in the picture. No, not yet; but my guess is the Yukon will show up in the blog by and by.
Enjoy!