You can step out and onto a massive icefield one day and settle into natural hot springs within Banff National Park the next – eco-experiences both hot and cool. Escape to glaciers and hot springs in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and get hands-on experiences with local history.

Check out Travel Alberta parks holidays, then read on to discover how to explore the Columbia Icefield – which is roughly the size of Washington, D.C. – as well as the natural hot springs at the mountain town of Banff.

Mike Moynihan of Brewster has taken the five-day, four-night Glaciers and Hot Springs Escape and guides you through some highlights of the tour here in a Travel Alberta Q & A.

Q: What can visitors to the Columbia Icefield expect?

A: The Columbia Icefield in Alberta is the largest reservoir of ice and snow in the Rocky Mountains and it’s a massive sea of moving ice. At its deepest point, according to researchers, it could easily cover the Eiffel Tower or all 102 stories of the Empire State Building.

When you stand out there, as you will on this tour, there is a grand sense of awe. You feel small and insignificant. It’s humbling and inspiring at once.  The core icefield feeds six glaciers that spill out from between the mountains.

You start the tour at the Columbia Icefield Centre, picking up your ticket and then boarding a luxury motor coach that takes you from the Centre to a drop-off point. From there, you board a custom-made Ice Explorer that takes you out on the glacier.

You’ll see the terminal moraine where the glacier was at its furthest point, and the Brewster driver explains what mountains you are seeing, as well as the glacier’s history and enormous power. (Check out this video of the Columbia Icefield).

Q: Can you explain some of the ‘eco’ aspects of this tour?

A: The Ice Explorers that you are riding in have massive tires – the tires alone are five feet tall, but they exert less pressure on the earth than a woman does in their high heel shoes. We are using these big machines to get you right out there, but the entire operation is an eco-friendly experience.

When you go out onto the glacier, as the Ice Explorer continues, you pass through an area of the natural melt water from the glacier. The Ice Explorer goes through a tire wash from the pre-existing water, so that the tires are clean of any unwanted sediment that might cause erosion. These are just a few examples of how we strive to make this tour ‘green’.

It’s easy to get on the Ice Explorer, it’s just like getting on a bus. There is a set of stairs that lead into it, and it seats 56 passengers comfortably. We do have some Explorers that you can book in advance that are wheelchair accessible. We’ve seen people in wheelchairs go out and onto the glaciers in tears, because they never thought they’d ever be ever to experience the mountains and glaciers in such a rugged environment.

Q: What can you do while you’re out on the Icefield?

A: It is a 55-minute fully guided tour. You disembark onto the glacier surface for about 15 minutes, getting out on an area that’s safe. You can take photos and just enjoy the moment.

If you want, you can taste the absolutely pure glacial water there. For me, it’s just part of enjoying the sheer majesty and beauty of the place by adding to the experience with taste. You’re seeing, tasting, touching and hearing history while being nose-to-nose with the mountains.

By the way, the 230 km/142 mi Icefields Parkway drive from Lake Louise in Banff National Park to Jasper in Jasper National Park is one of the most scenic drives in the world.

Q:  Can you stay overnight at the glacier?

You can stay overnight at the Glacier View Inn as part of the Brewster package, and the lodge lives up to its name with one of the most amazing views you will ever have from any hotel room in the world. You are looking out from your window and watching the sun set over this massive glacier in the Canadian Rockies.

Q: How do you soak up history at the Banff Upper Hot Springs?

Also with this particular tour, you visit the Banff Upper Hot Springs. These hot springs are really the beginning of Banff National Park’s history as a remarkable tourism destination. So, you can really enjoy the ice aspect of the tour at the Icefield and then soak in the natural hot springs where the park began.

The national park started more than a century ago, after a few railway workers found these natural hot springs. They saw an opportunity to make some money by charging the railway workers to have a therapeutic and hot bath. So you do have a chance to soak in some history, and you can even rent an old-style bathing suit.

For locals, the town of Banff has a cosmopolitan feel while being on the doorstep of pristine, untouched wilderness. There are also world-class artists and musicians from around the world at the Banff Centre, so you have everything from concerts and plays to shopping and outdoor adventure activities.