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Crowfoot Glacier Viewpoint in Banff National Park

Sight · Banff National Park

Crowfoot Glacier Viewpoint

A quick glacier stop with the story of its missing toe.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Type
Sight
Nearest trail
0.1 km
Audio stories
5 nearby
  • Pullout
  • Parking
  • Scenic viewpoint
  • #25 of 50 sights
DirectionsMap

Hear the audio tour

Crowfoot Glacier and Its Missing Toe

Overview

About Crowfoot Glacier Viewpoint

Why stop

  • A glacier view right from the Icefields Parkway.

Heads up

  • Cloud, fog or snow can hide the ice.

Map

Where it is

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SightCrowfoot Glacier Viewpoint51.66295, -116.43868
Keep this map with you offline in the Parkwolf app

Plan your stop

Before you go

8 active Banff alerts

  • ClosureJohnston Canyon Trail and Day Use Area closedJohnston Canyon Trail and Day Use Area are closed to all traffic and travel through December 11, 2026, because construction work requires protecting public and workers’ safety.Official details
  • ClosureBaker Lake and Hidden Lake campgrounds closed to campingCamping is prohibited at Baker Lake and Hidden Lake campgrounds through December 1, 2026, because a grizzly bear entered campsites and investigated tents and gear; the closures reduce risk to…Official details
See all 8 alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Banff Tour Guide

Your drive to Crowfoot Glacier Viewpoint, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Banff National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

See the Banff audio tour

Recorded for this place

Crowfoot Glacier and Its Missing Toe
0:00 / 0:16
“You're nearing Crowfoot Glacier Viewpoint, a roadside stop for a distant look at the ice on Crowfoot Mountain.”

Plays as you drive up to Crowfoot Glacier Viewpoint in the Parkwolf Banff Tour Guide.

More stories near here in the app

  • Helen Lake and the Cirque Peak Choice
  • Bow Lake Picnic Site: Follow the Road Down
  • The Living Colour on the Rocks
  • Bow Lake: North Shore and a Café Stop
  • 185 audio storiesacross Banff’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Brown Bear, Gray Wolf, and 13 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 162 trails, 90 places, and audio download before you lose signal
  • CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
★★★★★
“…Loved the commentary as you drove thru. I’m sure the app can do more than I know but the tips were very helpful. I’m gonna use it when we go to Banff next month.”
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4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Guide

More about Crowfoot Glacier Viewpoint

The quick stopCrowfoot Glacier Viewpoint is a large roadside pullout on the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93…

Crowfoot Glacier Viewpoint is a large roadside pullout on the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93 North), about 36 km north of Lake Louise. It looks toward Crowfoot Glacier on the northeast side of Crowfoot Mountain, above Bow Lake. This is a short, distant view from the road, not a route up to the ice. Pull in for one of the first prominent glacier views on the drive north; pair it with Bow Lake for a fuller lakeshore visit.

The lost toeThe glacier was named for the three spurs that once spread down the mountain like a crow’s foot.

The glacier was named for the three spurs that once spread down the mountain like a crow’s foot. Its lower toe had melted away by the 1940s, leaving one of the original three gone. Runoff from the glacier feeds Bow Lake and then the Bow River.

Weather and the roadClear weather makes the ice easiest to pick out; cloud, fog or snow can hide it.

Clear weather makes the ice easiest to pick out; cloud, fog or snow can hide it. For a photo, frame the glacier high on Crowfoot Mountain with Bow Lake below. A valid national park entry pass is required to drive the parkway. It’s a remote highway with limited services and no cell coverage, so check road and weather conditions before setting out.

glacierviewpointmountainicefields

Wildlife

Wildlife in Banff

All Banff wildlife maps
Grizzly Bear123 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapBrown Bear150 sightingsBrown BearMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapGray Wolf44 sightingsGray WolfMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapRiver Otter12 sightingsRiver OtterMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapMoose69 sightingsMooseMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapBlack Bear466 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 9 PMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Banff. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Keep exploring

Near Crowfoot Glacier Viewpoint

See it all on the map

Trails nearby

ChallengingDolomite Pass Trail17.8 km · 6.5 hr · 0.1 km awayBeyond Helen Lake, alpine meadows lead to an unmarked pass.ModerateHelen Lake Trail11.7 km · 4.5 hr · 0.1 km awayA rooty climb earns glacier views before a modest alpine lake.ChallengingCirque Peak Trail via Helen Lake16.3 km · 6.5 hr · 0.1 km awayA hands-on summit above Bow Lake and the Wapta Icefield.ChallengingCrowfoot Pass and Balfour Viewpoint Trail15.4 km · 6 hr · 1 km awayA cold ford, a broad pass, and a waterfall view.EasyBow Lake Lakeshore Trail3.4 km · 45 min · 2.5 km awayA flat shore walk with turquoise water and Crowfoot Glacier in view.ChallengingBow Hut Trail16 km · 5.3 hr · 2.5 km awayA rough canyon and moraine approach to a hut beneath the icefield.ModerateBow Glacier Falls Trail5.6 km · 2.5 hr · 2.7 km awayLakeshore, gorge, glacier water, and a waterfall view from the marked end.EasyPeyto Lake Lookout Trail1.2 km · 30 min · 7.3 km awayA quick uphill walk to a bright lake framed by rugged mountains.

More stops nearby

Picnic area · 1.4 km awayBow Lake Picnic SiteA quick pullout for clear lake water and high mountain views.Lodging · 2.6 km awayThe Lodge at Bow LakeStay beside Bow Lake in a storied Icefields Parkway lodge.Sight · 2.7 km awayBow LakeTurquoise water and glacier views, just off the Icefields Parkway.Sight · 4.3 km awayBow Glacier FallsA waterfall in the rocky basin where the Bow River begins.Sight · 7.7 km awayPeyto Lake ViewpointA short climb opens onto a wolf-shaped lake in the peaks.

Parkwolf’s Banff ranking

Top sights in Banff

All 90 places
  1. 1Lake LouiseSight
  2. 2Moraine LakeSight
  3. 3Peyto Lake ViewpointSight
  4. 4Johnston CanyonSight
  5. 5Banff GondolaSight
  6. 6Cave and Basin National Historic SiteSight

Take Parkwolf to Banff.

The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.

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