A brand new attraction is drawing visitors into Jasper National Park. Five minutes from the Discovery Centre at the Columbia Glacier, the Glacier Skywalk lets visitors literally step into the scenery, high above the Sunwapta valley on a suspended glass platform. At a cost of $21 million, this is one of the boldest attractions to go into a Canadian National Park. A combination of structural steel and glass the Skywalk is anchored into the rock on the side of the mountain.
The goal is to allow visitors to round out their experience on the glacier by bringing them to a place where they can see the path of the glacier's retreat and the stages of environmental development that are taking place in its wake. Six interactive interpretative stations and an audio tour (should you want it) talk about the geology and biology of the area as you stroll down a 350 metre walkway that leads from the bus drop off to the actual skywalk. Brewster Canada, who built and operates the attraction, is extremely proud of the design, concept and the fact that this is a fully accessible attraction. The Skywalk project passed a federal environmental assessment in 2012 and was fully endorsed by Parks Canada.
If you are driving the Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper, make a day of it. The Discovery Centre is home base for reservations and tickets for the Snocoach tour of the glacier and the self-guided tour of the Skywalk. Public parking at the Skywalk is closed, but the company will provide no-charge return-trip shuttles every 15 minutes from the centre to the Skywalk. The 32 -room Glacier Inn is located on the top floors of the Discovery Centre for those who prefer to stay the night.
The Glacier Skywalk is open until October 19th and is expected to welcome almost a quarter million visitors during its inaugural season. There are numerous packages available, which include the Icefield attractions as well as some Banff -based Brewster attractions, like the Banff Lake Cruise and Banff Gondola. Check out www.glacierskywalk.ca
