Canada's Columbia Icefield is the largest
expanse of ice in the Rocky Mountains. The Athabasca Glacier
is one of six major fingers of the Icefield and thanks to the
Icefields Parkway between Jasper National Park and Banff National
Park it is the most visited glacier in North America. Due to
the planet's warming over the last century, Athabasca Glacier
has actually receded over a mile and lost half of its volume
since the parks opened in the early 1900s.
You can hike with your dog around the
leading edges of the glacier (the Icefield
Interpretive Centre reopens for the season in mid-April),
hopping over rivulets of meltwater and poking around on the ice
for a few steps. Save any extended travel on the glacier for
professionally guided tours, however. Fresh snow often masks
deep crevasses in the ice that are deadly.
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