The Athabasca Glacier is one of six main 'toes' of which Canadian icefield?

The Athabasca Glacier is one of six main “toes” of the Columbia Icefield.

The Columbia Icefield straddles the Continental Divide in the Canadian Rockies, between Alberta and British Columbia. It feeds several major outlet glaciers, including Athabasca Glacier, Saskatchewan Glacier, Dome Glacier, Stutfield Glacier, and Castleguard Glacier. These flowing tongues carry ice away from the high icefield plateau.

Athabasca Glacier is in Jasper National Park and is among the most accessible glaciers in North America. Its easy road access has made it a major tourist destination, but the glacier remains dangerous: crevasses can be hidden beneath snow, and walking onto the ice without proper equipment is unsafe.

The glacier has also become a visible example of retreat. It has receded by more than 1.5 kilometres over roughly the past 125 years and has lost more than half its volume. “Icefield” and “glacier” are not interchangeable here: the Columbia Icefield is the high ice mass, while Athabasca is one of its outlet glaciers.