Icefields Parkway Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour
Jasper, Canada
★★★★★
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Gift Experiances / Canada / Alberta / Jasper / Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises / Sightseeing Tours / Adventure Tours
Product ID: 3014
4 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: EnglishEmbark on one of the most scenic drives on earth with this self-guided Icefield Parkway tour connecting Canada’s Jasper and Banff National Parks. Witness soaring mountain peaks, ancient glaciers, brilliant turquoise lakes, and much more as you cruise the Canadian Rockies. Dive into Indigenous history, spot diverse wildlife like moose and elk, and discover how this breathtaking landscape has formed and reformed over the eons. A tapestry of beauty and history awaits!
Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Gather your group and journey together!
After booking, check your email/text to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action while connected to WiFi or mobile data. Enter the password, download the tour, and enjoy it offline. Follow the audio instructions and route from the designated starting point.
New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
This isn’t an entrance ticket. Check opening hours before your visit.
- Just bring your car and phone; the app guides your tour.
- Support is available via chat, email, or phone if you need help.
- Planning tools, route maps, scenic stops, and area previews included.
- Private tour experience for your family, in your own car.
- Lifetime access: use the tour anytime and keep it for future trips.
- Works offline with GPS route guidance and automatic audio stories.
- One purchase covers everyone in your car, not per person.
- Flexible tour: start, stop, and pause anytime during your trip.
- Access your tour in our separate audio tour app after booking.
- Hidden gems and local stories included along the route.
- No live guide. Entrance fees, parking, food, and car rental are separate.
Meeting point
Lake Louise Visitor Centre, Samson Mall, 201 Village Rd, Lake Louise, AB T0L 1E0, Canada
End point
Lake Louise, Lake Louise, AB, Canada
1
Jasper Information Centre
Welcome to the Icefields Parkway! Get ready to experience Canada’s glorious stretch of road between two of its most famous National Parks: Jasper and Banff. You can reach the parkway from different locations, so make sure you’ve selected the correct starting point. This version of the tour begins in Jasper. To start from Lake Louise, which is near Banff, go back to Home and switch to the Lake Louise version Note: The tour is over 140 miles long, with more than 76 audio stories, and takes about 3-4 hours to complete. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
Duration:
2
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Coming up soon is the Jasper SkyTram, the highest and longest aerial tramway in Canada. The views from the top are simply unbeatable. In the 1940s, Whistler Mountain had already become a major magnet for skiers. Fans of the winter sport congregated on the perfect slopes every year to race each other down. But once at the bottom, they only had a limp tow rope to usher them up the mountain again. Because of the difficulty of the ascent, they never went all the way up the mountain!
Duration:
3
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Up ahead is the Valley of the Five Lakes Trailhead. The 3-mile moderately challenging hike takes about an hour and a half to complete and rewards hikers with some amazing scenery. The trail weaves past five pristine lakes. The lakes and ponds in Jasper and Banff are unlike those found anywhere else. That’s because of their unbelievable turquoise and blue hues that seem like something out of a heavily photoshopped postcard. But it’s real! And we have glaciers to thank.
Duration: 5 minutes
4
Athabasca Pass Lookout
Right around the bend is the Athabasca Pass Lookout, one of the best viewpoints at this part of the Parkway. From here, you’ll get a great look at the South Jasper Mountain Range. The most prominent peak, which will be dead ahead from the perspective of the lookout, is Mount Edith Cavell, standing 11,033 feet in height.
Duration: 5 minutes
5
Athabasca Falls
Coming up ahead is Athabasca Falls, a 75-foot waterfall plunging into a canyon. During the last Ice Age over 100,000 years ago, a glacier in this region receded enough to allow the Athabasca River to flow freely through the pass. The pass eventually deepened and widened, becoming the canyon it is today.
Duration: 5 minutes
6
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That towering peak off to our left is Mount Kerkeslin, which stands at 9,790 feet. This is the highest peak in the Maligne Range, and posed a real challenge for early explorers of this region.
Duration: 5 minutes
7
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This vista overlooks the Athabasca River and Fryatt Mountain Range. Glaciers can be seen high up on those mountains, but where do the goats come in? Well, the cliff on which this overlook is perched is dense in all kinds of minerals, including salt. And mountain goats just can’t get enough of the stuff! Visitors often see them wandering up here, licking away at the rocks!
Duration: 5 minutes
8
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The peak directly to our right, just before that mountain pass, is Mount Christie. It stands just over 10,180 feet tall. The peak gets its name from James Hector, the explorer who also named Mount Kerkeslin. Hector named the mountain after a man who hosted him during his expedition across the Rockies: William Joseph Christie.
Duration: 5 minutes
9
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This romantically-titled body of water offers a lovely view of reflected mountains in the Maligne Range. You might even see some folks paddling canoes on the water.
Duration: 10 minutes
10
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The trail for Sunwapta Falls is coming up soon. This easy 2-mile trail takes just over an hour and features a great view of a wilderness waterfall. Fed by the Athabasca Glacier, Sunwapta Falls plummets 60 feet over the cliff edge. Sunwapta is the Stoney-Nakoda word for “turbulent water,” which makes sense when you see the falls!
Duration: 5 minutes
11
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That ridge up ahead and slightly to our left is the Endless Chain Ridge. Spanning more than 9,000 feet, this ridge is a collection of craggy peaks forged in the Jurassic period, about 200 million years ago. Volcanic pressure beneath the earth’s crust forced this rock upward about 75 million years ago, forming the ridge we see today.
Duration: 5 minutes
12
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In a moment, we’ll see parking for the Poboktan Creek Trail, though we probably won’t want to hike it ourselves. Why’s that, you ask? Because it’s 24 miles long and takes an average of four days to complete!
Duration: 5 minutes
13
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In just a minute, we’re going to pass an attraction that… doesn’t look much like an attraction. In fact, it just looks like a pile of rocks! But this pile of rocks tells a fascinating story about the history of this landscape.
Duration: 5 minutes
14
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We’re driving alongside Beauty Creek, a pure and clear glacial lake fed by meltwater. If one were to follow this creek a couple of miles into the wilderness, they’d arrive at Stanley Falls!, which plunges 40 feet into a blue pool below. Seven other cascades lead to Stanley Falls, and feature something very peculiar that doesn’t happen in many places. In colder months, these waterfalls don’t just dry up. Instead, they become sheer sheets of ice!
Duration: 5 minutes
15
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Coming up is the Stutfield Glacier Viewpoint, where we can see a huge glacier directly from the parkway! The icy giant stretches 3,000 feet over the cliff face, where you can glimpse a set of double icefalls. These are places where the glacial bed steepens and the ice flows faster than in other areas. In turn, they create deep crevasses that pose a major hazard for climbers.
Duration: 5 minutes
16
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Just ahead is Tangle Creek Falls, a magnificent 90-foot cascade alongside the parkway. With its spray dampening the road, the waterfall is impossible to miss! Mary Schäffer Warren, the same woman who named Endless Chain Ridge, also gave Tangle Creek its name! But the eager mountaineer-turned-surveyor rarely traveled alone. Many of her journeys were guided by Samson Beaver, a Stoney-Nakoda man.
Duration: 5 minutes
17
Columbia Icefield Skywalk
Have you ever wanted to walk on air? The Columbia Icefield Skywalk offers that sensation. It’s a walking trail with a glass floor that snakes along the cliffside. The clear structure juts out 100 feet across the Sunwapta Valley. If you don’t mind heights, you can look down past your shoes at the snowy expanse more than 900 feet below.
Duration:
18
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See the tallest peak off to our right? That’s Mount Kitchener, standing at 11,499 feet. It gets its name from Horatio Kitchener, a British Earl who served as an officer during the first World War. Kitchener died in 1916 when his ship struck a mine and sank en route to Russia. As soon as word of his death reached Canada, officials renamed this mountain in his honor.
Duration: 5 minutes
19
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If you want an up-close-and-personal look at the glaciers I’ve been talking about, this is a must-do. At just over one mile, this moderate hike offers some of the best views of the Athabasca Glacier, one of the most noteworthy in the Columbia Icefield.
Duration: 5 minutes
20
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Just ahead is the Wilcox Pass Trail. This challenging 7-mile hike isn’t for the faint of heart. But don’t worry if you’re not up for the whole thing! Most visitors opt to hike a little over a mile to reach a fantastic viewpoint before turning back. That viewpoint overlooks a unique geographical feature at the crossroads of Jasper and Banff: Mount Snow Dome.
Duration: 5 minutes
21
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The Parker Ridge Trail is coming up momentarily. It leads to a 4-mile hike for those seeking a challenging route. You’ll need to set aside a little over two hours to experience the alpine meadows and panoramic views. It also features glimpses of the Columbia Icefield and fresh perspective on the famous turquoise lakes in the area.
Duration: 5 minutes
22
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Coming up next is Panther Falls. An easy 1.5-mile hike through the forest leads to this 210-foot cascade. It only takes about 30 minutes and is well worth the trek! If you want to keep going, you can hike another mile to Bridal Veil, which is five times the size of Panther Falls! It’s a two-for-one waterfall extravaganza!
Duration: 5 minutes
23
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Just ahead is the Weeping Wall Viewpoint, a set of 900-foot high cliffs. The Weeping Wall is almost like a part-time waterfall. Under just the right conditions the cliffside begins to weep—or leak water. The will-it-or-won’t-it fall dynamic comes from the natural springs at the top, which may either swell or trickle depending on the time of year.
Duration: 5 minutes
24
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The peak off to our left is Mount Coleman, standing at an impressive 10,285 feet. But if you asked early explorers, this wasn’t even close to the tallest peak in the region.
Duration: 5 minutes
25
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We’re about to pass the HI Rampart Creek Wilderness Hostel. This humble lodging dates back to a big change in tourism that started unfolding almost 100 years ago.
Duration:
26
Saskatchewan River Crossing
Long before the Icefields Parkway existed, crossing the river looked a little different. Imagine a long plank of wood drifting across the river. A horse and carriage rest on the surface, waiting to be directed to the other side. The year is 1882 and the man behind the operation is the well-liked John Walter.
Duration: 5 minutes
27
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Turn into the parking area just ahead for Howse Pass Viewpoint, featuring incredible views of the river and the mountains beyond. This is a must-see!
Duration: 5 minutes
28
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Coming up ahead is the Mistaya Canyon Trailhead. This moderate, 1.5-mile hike takes about 40 minutes and leads to the bottom of the deep gorge flowing with water.
Duration: 5 minutes
29
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Its 10,715-foot peak brushes the sky and provides pro-climbers with an extreme challenge. Due its angular slopes, Chepren originally bore the name Pyramid Mountain. But another summit in the area already had the same title, so the park settled for christening it after an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh. Specifically, a ruler responsible for the second largest pyramid in Giza! Certainly a fitting name for the mountain.
Duration: 5 minutes
30
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It’s impossible to miss the gorgeous Waterfowl Lake coming up ahead, as well as the viewpoint overlooking it. Hip to hip with the parkway, you won’t even need to leave your car to glimpse this emerald body of water. Lakes like this one became hotspots for a countercultural movement sweeping across the country in the 1960s. They were the hippies!
Duration: 5 minutes
31
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Off to our right stands Mount Patterson, home to one of the park’s many glaciers. This is the Snowbird Glacier. It gets its name from the way it flows down Mount Patterson. Doesn’t it look a little like the glacier has outstretched wings?
Duration: 5 minutes
32
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Off to our right is Peyto Lake. The glacier-fed body of water promises a bright turquoise color in the foothills of the Waputik Range. If you’d like to visit the lake, keep an eye out for the side road coming up in just a minute. It leads to an overlook above the lake and a 2-mile trail around the lake’s circumference.
Duration: 5 minutes
33
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We’re now approaching Bow Lake. Its stunning blue waters reflect the craggy rocks of Mount Jimmy Simpson, looming directly to our right. The mountain gets its name from an English immigrant of the same name.
Duration: 5 minutes
34
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Coming up in a moment is the Crowfoot Glacier Viewpoint. The massive block of ice is still inspiring, despite all it's been through… The glacier has been receding since the Ice Age and has lost one of three lobes. Those lobes, or protruding thumbs of ice, once made the ice chunk look like a crow’s foot.
Duration: 5 minutes
35
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The Wapta Ice Field gets its name from thehome to some miraculous marine d Stoney-Nakoda word for “running water.” And it has been iscoveries.
Duration: 5 minutes
36
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If you can’t get enough of Banff’s dazzling waters, the upcoming Hector Lake Viewpoint is worth the stop. This pristine glacial lake sits directly beneath Lilliput Mountain and Mount Balfour, and is a hugely popular spot for photographers.
Duration: 5 minutes
37
Lake Louise
This brings us to the end of our tour. To reach Lake Louise, just keep driving straight for another 5-10 minutes. I hope you’ve enjoyed your journey across the Icefields Parkway, hearing about everything from Jasper’s geological wonders to Banff’s wild mountaineers!
Duration: 5 minutes
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Easy to use: GPS-triggered audio plays automatically along the route for a hands-free experience.
- Private tour: Explore in your own vehicle without crowded buses or large tour groups.
- At your own pace: Start anytime and pause for hikes, picnics, photos, or scenic stops.
- Works offline: Once downloaded, the tour works using GPS without Wi-Fi or cellular service.
- Good value: One purchase covers everyone in your vehicle, not each person separately.
- More ways to save: Choose a single tour, a nearby bundle, or access to 200+ tours.
- Download in advance: Download the Tour Guide app by Action and tour while connected to Wi-Fi or a strong cellular signal.
- Follow the route: Begin at the suggested starting point or join anywhere along the route shown in the app.
- Lifetime access: Preview the tour before your trip and revisit the stories, photos, and details afterward.
- Supported devices: iPhone with iOS 15+, Android with version 9+, or a GPS-enabled iPad/tablet with cellular capability.
- The app’s audio will play through your car’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto display, while the app’s map will display on your phone. You can connect your phone to the car via Bluetooth to listen to the commentary through the car stereo.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
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