Icefields Parkway

The Icefields Parkway (French Promenade des Glaciers), also known as Highway 93, is a scenic road in Alberta, Canada. It parallels the Continental Divide, traversing the rugged landscape of the Canadian Rockies. It travels through Banff National Park and Jasper National Park, linking Lake Louise and Jasper. Highway 93 also runs concurrently with Highway 1 between Lake Louise and the Castle Mountain junction, where it continues into Kootenay National Park in British Columbia as the Banff-Windermere Highway.

The parkway, 230 km (143 mi) in length, was completed in 1940; it is named for features such as the Columbia Icefield, which is visible while traveling the parkway.

The parkway is very busy in the summer months of July and August with peak traffic flow of 100,000 vehicles per month. The parkway is primarily a two-lane highway with occasional passing lanes. The highway is well engineered to minimize grades and hairpin turns but drivers must also be on the lookout for wildlife, touring cyclists, and vehicles stopped on the shoulder. Extreme weather conditions are also a factor, particularly during winter.

A national parks permit is required to travel on the Icefields Parkway; stations near Lake Louise and Jasper enforce the law. Commercial trucks are prohibited from using the parkway. The maximum speed limit is 90 km/h (55 mph) although the limit is reduced at Saskatchewan Crossing and the Columbia Icefield area. In winter, chains or all-season radial tires are required by law and road closures are not uncommon.