The Columbia Icefield

One of the stops on our recent road trip to the Rockies was at the Columbia Icefield. It was not my first visit here but what was significant this time was how easy it was to see how the glacier has receded since my last visit. From the visitor center and up to the glacier markers have been placed so that you can see how much the glacier has receded since the early twenties. It's remarkable and if you are in this area make sure to stop and have a look around.

From Wikipedia:
The Columbia Icefield is an icefield located in the Canadian Rockies, astride the Continental Divide of North America. The icefield lies partly in the northwestern tip of Banff and the southern end of Jasper National Park. It is about 325 km² in area, 100 to 365 metres (328' to 1,197') in depth and receives up to seven metres (23 ft) of snowfall per year.

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Peyto Glacier, Banff National Park

I am back from two road trips and have travelled more than 6,000 kilometers over the last couple of weeks. My blog posts have been absent in this period so I plan to do a bit of catching up over the next few days with updates of some amazing sites I have seen.

First up is the Peyto Glacier located in Banff National Park. We stopped here not knowing much about the glacier and as everything was hidden in the fog my expectations to this stop were quite low. A hike to the bottom of the glacier proved to be a great move. As we had only planned a quick stopped we proceeded on a hike without really knowing how far it would be. It turned out to be much closer than I had guessed. We were rewarded with an exhilaration experience as we were the only hikers at the bottom of the glacier. It was quiet, tranquil and the the clouds slowly lifted to show us the beauty of the surroundings.

Quote from Wikipedia:

Peyto Glacier is located in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, approximately 90 km (56 miles) northwest of the town of Banff, and can be accessed from the Icefields Parkway. Peyto Glacier is an outflow glacier from the Wapta Icefield, which rests along the Continental divide. Glacial silt, which is carried from the glacier by streams, ensures a turquoise appearance to Peyto Lake, a popular tourist destination. As is true for the vast majority of glaciers worldwide, Peyto Glacier has been retreating rapidly, especially since the last half of the 20th century, and has reportedly lost 70% of its mass since it was first researched. In 1987, an automatic weather station was constructed near the glacier that monitors temperature changes, radiation, and precipitation.

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