Glacier Skywalk

It has taken me a year to write this post…I have no idea why but it has haha!  But recently I was going through pictures of last years summer holidays and thought I really needed to blog about the places we visited.  I want my blog to also be a journal for me…a place where I can look back at places we’ve been and experiences we’ve had.  So I decided to document some of our favourite experiences…it’s never too late to do that, right?  And this visit to the Glacier Skywalk in Jasper National Park along the Icefields Parkway, was a pretty neat one.

Who knows, maybe you’ll be inspired to visit too!

Last summer my family & I piled in our truck and headed out west on our holidays…destination Ucluelet (I blogged about it here).  We had the best time, and I’m already dreaming of doing this trip with the kids again soon (it was our most favourite family trip ever).  Even just getting to Ucluelet was an adventure in itself as we explored along our drive.

We began our trip from Edmonton with a drive through Jasper National Park.  This particular route wasn’t reeeeeeeally on the way to B.C. (interpretation: ummm we never thought it out very well), but we hadn’t been to Jasper in years and wanted to take the kids at some time, so we took a detour.  And a beautiful one at that!

The first stop on this road trip was the Glacier Skywalk…have you heard of it?  It is a U-shaped glass floor walkway that juts out 35 metres from the edge of a cliff and is about 280 m (918 ft) up over the Sunwapta Valley floor.

See that structure jutting out on the left there?  That’s where you stand, and it’s a loooooong way up!

This is what it looks like as you step out on to the walkway…it’s like you are standing on air.

And it’s a pretty neat feeling…tingly feet and all.  Those green dots under my shoes?  Those are trees.

Here’s another view!  It was pretty amazing to be standing up so high with unobstructed views of the ground below.  There aren’t too many places in the world where you can have an experience like this.  (We did stand on a glass floor at the Calgary Tower, but this was very different.)

Not only does the glass floor of the Skywalk offer a great view, but as you look up and look around, you see that you are surrounded by the most amazing mountain and glacial views.  The Icefields Parkway is a beautiful trip in itself.  Being able to witness glaciers is a pretty incredible thing.

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If you are planning on visiting the Glacier Skywalk, here are some tips and things to keep in mind:

• Cost:  It is fairly expensive to visit.  And while I do think it’s worth it to do once, you can see amazing views along the Icefields parkway without having to pay for them.  The skywalk is a unique adventure though.
• Parking:  You have to park at the Columbia Icefield Glacier Discovery Centre down the road from the Glacier Skywalk, and take the 5 minute long free shuttle service over.
• Learning:  The first 400 metres of the skywalk is lined with six interpretive stations and an audio tour describing the area and how the structure was built.
• FAQ’s:  Here are some FAQ’s you might want to read over before your visit.

Have an inspired day!