Which Canadian national park is famous for the Athabasca Glacier?

Jasper National Park is the Canadian national park famous for the Athabasca Glacier. The glacier is an outlet of the Columbia Icefield in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains and lies near the boundary between Jasper and Banff national parks.

The Athabasca Glacier is one of the most accessible glaciers in North America because its terminus approaches the Icefields Parkway. A marked trail leads visitors toward the ice, while guided tours use specialized all-terrain vehicles. Markers along the route show how far the glacier’s edge has retreated over time.

Jasper was established as Jasper Forest Park in 1907 and renamed a national park in 1930. Covering roughly 11,000 square kilometres, it is the largest national park in Alberta. In 1984, Jasper became part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The glacier is sometimes mistakenly associated only with Banff because the Columbia Icefield straddles the two parks. The Athabasca Glacier itself is in both the Jasper and Banff region, but the standard quiz association with Jasper is fair and widely accepted.