Toe of the Athabasca Glacier Trail

Trail 52 crosses a footbridge over glacier meltwater, then climbs across glacially smoothed limestone. The final slope is short but steeper than the distance suggests, and the rock is uneven underfoot. Cold wind comes off the ice; a warm layer and gloves can matter even in midsummer.

The limestone was still under the glacier in the 1950s. Scratches and grooves in its surface follow the old flow of ice, so the walk gives you a close look at what a retreating glacier leaves behind. At the bench, keep some of the bare moraine in your photo's foreground; it helps the glacier feel as large as it is.

The toe is hollow and collapsing, with extremely cold, fast water beneath it; snow can hide crevasses. Don't walk onto the glacier from here. The official route description gives a 1.8 km return to the bench but doesn't spell out a separate loop. A slab route above Sunwapta Lake appears in some descriptions, though its connection to today's signed Trail 52 isn't clear. Follow current markers for the return and don't add that uncertain leg to the listed distance.

Use the road-end trailhead, not the separate Forefield Trail access across from the Icefield Centre. The Centre is across Highway 93; there are no gas stations between Jasper and Saskatchewan Crossing, 154 km farther south, so arrive with enough fuel. Dogs are allowed on this trail on a leash no longer than 3 m.