Hiking the Wapta Icefields
Hike across the gorgeous, remote Wapta Icefields
Guided
Hiking the Wapta Icefields Overview
If you want to access terrain enjoyed by few, the Hiking the Wapta Icefields tour is the ideal chance to escape your routine and seek the mountains. This hiking adventure in the Canadian Rockies departs from stunning Bow Lake to leave everyone else behind, travelling deep into the mountains.
Crossing the Wapta Icefield, you’ll spend your days hiking across vast glacial ice and admiring the spires of mountains that surround you on all sides. Completely surrounded by unbeatable mountain scenery, you’ll leave cell service behind and explore like the first adventurers did! For a trek that’s as beautiful as it is rewarding and refreshing, choose the Hiking the Wapta Icefields tour.
Trip highlights
Gain access to incredible parts of the Canadian Rockies that few travellers get to see.
Hike across a vast undulating glacial landscape completely surrounded by high mountain peaks.
Sleep in mountain huts each night that have housed hikers and adventurers from all over the world.
Unplug, leave your phone behind, and just focus on the experience of hiking in the Rocky Mountains.
Day By Day Itinerary
The tour begins in Canmore, where you’ll meet the team and go over your equipment. Drive to Bow Lake and begin hiking to Bow Hut, following the lakeshore up to the nearby river flats. Cross a boulder bridge over a river gorge to pick up the mountaineer’s trail, hiking past moraines and forest into a spectacular cirque.
A final ascent brings you to Bow Hut, which has magnificent views of the surrounding mountain valley.
- Overnight Location:
- Bow Hut in Canadian Rockies
- Distance:
- 3-5 hours, 7km, 400m elevation gain
- Meals:
- Dinner
Rise early today, wasting no time in heading out towards Peyto Hut. You’ll hike the gentle slopes of the Bow Glacier underneath Mt. St. Nicholas, reaching the flat expanse of the Wapta Icefield. With a stellar panorama to enjoy, you’ll find Peyto Hut. Depending on the conditions, you may be able to hike a bit further today if you’d like to.
Rest up and enjoy a night surrounded by summits and glacial ice.
- Overnight Location:
- Peyto Hut in Canadian Rockies
- Distance:
- 4-6 hours, 6km, 550m elevation gain, 460m elevation loss
- Meals:
- Dinner
Today will be mostly downhill as you descend the glacier. Stepping across white ice, see how glaciers preserve the past, observing rocks, needles, and ice coming to the surface that are hundreds of years old. The glacier is retreating every year and your guide will be able to show you just how large and magnificent it once was.
Traverse the top of a moraine before descending into the valley below, reaching the gravel flats near Peyto Lake. Emerge near the lake and celebrate the end of your trek!
- Overnight Location:
- None
- Distance:
- 9km, 400m elevation gain
- Meals:
- None
Tour Map
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Inclusions
Included
- 2 dinners are included.
- Accommodations for 2 nights are included.
- Participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from Canmore as well as to and from the trailhead.
- Excess luggage storage
Not included
- Flights
- Breakfast, lunch and snacks
- Travel insurance
- Optional excursions
- Visas if required
- Anything not mentioned as included
- GST (5%)
Optional Extras
- Special dietary restrictions (vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free, allergies, and more) will incur a fee (except for vegetarian meals, which are not surcharged)
- Rental of Mountaineering Boots
Non-Standard Cancellation
- 60 days or more prior to departure: the cancellation fee will be 10% of the total trip cost (at least $150 CAD).
- 59 days or less prior to departure: the cancellation fee will be 100% of the total trip cost.
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FAQ
We rate this tour as a 3/5. You will hike between 3 and 6 hours per day with moderate elevation gain. While travellers should have some hiking experience and a good level of fitness, this tour does not require any special mountaineering skills.
Check with your local country about visa requirements. You could also try this website, though you should verify with your government.
2 dinners are included.
Yes, it is mandatory to have health and medical insurance to join this trip. Please verify that your insurance covers the included activities on this tour. Get your Travel Insurance.
Fly into the Calgary International Airport (YYC). We recommend you rent a car as there is no included transportation between Calgary and Canmore on this tour. Canmore is about an hour from Calgary.
Yes, you will be learning from and supervised by an experienced guide.
The tour ends in Canmore.
You will be provided with crampons, mountaineering ice axes, climbing harnesses, helmets, and all other technical equipment. Please bring:
- Mountaineering boots (must be crampon compatible, available for rent)
- Multi-day pack (60–75 litres, available for rent)
- Water bottle
- Sunglasses (wrap-around style to protect from the glare of snow and ice)
- Sleeping bag
- Sunscreen, SPF lip balm
- Camera
- Headlamp with fresh batteries
- Blister kit
- Earplugs
- First aid items like band-aids and ibuprofen
- Personal toiletries including hand sanitizer
- Compass
- Trekking pole (highly recommended)
- Music player and lightweight reading material (optional)
Check with your family doctor.
Please check with your local government about travel restrictions before you book your tour. This map from the US Department of State provides an overview of the current status in countries around the globe. The UK‘s Foreign Office and Government of Canada also provide advice on foreign travel. Note that the travel advice may change depending on your nationality.
The best time to visit the Rockies for this tour is the summer (July-mid September) when the weather is generally sunny and warm.
Why book Hiking the Wapta Icefields with 10 Adventures?
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Packed with Inclusions
Accommodations, luggage transfers, gear rentals, and more - all taken care of so you can focus on making memories.
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