Columbia Icefield, Alberta, Canada
The biggest icefield in the Canadian Rockies, feeding rivers to three oceans.
Terra Explorer Natural wonders
TerraDrag to rotate · scroll or pinch to zoom
Make this model
The Standard Resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High Resolution samples the place about ten times more finely.
- Region
- Canada
- Position
- 52.2000, -117.2000
- Area
- 20 × 20 km
- Real elevation
- 1,568 to 3,479 m (1,911 m of relief)
- Printed size
- 150 mm (5.9 in) wide, about 1:133,300
- Heights
- True to scale
- Elevation data
- Open satellite data (SRTM and others), about 30 m per point
- Suggested color
- Glacier
- Group
- Natural wonders
Terrain facts: Columbia Icefield
The ground around Columbia Icefield is rugged. Across the 20 by 20 km area of the model, it runs from 1,568 m up to 3,479 m. That is 1,911 m of relief, about twice as tall as the Burj Khalifa.
- Flat 12.6%
- Gentle 31.7%
- Steep 35.6%
- Very steep 20%
On average the ground slopes at 18.9 degrees, and the steepest 1% is steeper than 51.1 degrees. About 13% of the area is flat (under 5 degrees) and about 56% is steep (over 15 degrees).
Out of 547 places in Terra, it ranks #102 for relief, #70 for highest ground and #119 for steepness (#1 is the most). Compare the places in Natural wonders →
Worked out by Embossify from open satellite and survey data at about 78 m per point. The charts stretch the heights to fill the frame, and a single summit can read a little lower than its surveyed height.
Climate: Columbia Icefield
The climate around Columbia Icefield is bitterly cold: over the year the temperature averages about -6°C (21°F), from around -17°C (1°F) in December to around 7°C (45°F) in July. eight months average below freezing, so expect snow and ice. It is moderately wet, with about 1,037 mm (41 in) of precipitation in a year. November is the wettest month and February the driest.
The line is the monthly average. The shaded band runs from the average night-time low to the average daytime high.
Millimeters of rain, or of melted snow, in each month.
Color tip: Cold for much of the year, so the Glacier colors (deep blue to white) suit it. Choose it in Customize →
Climate averages for the area around this place, 2001 to 2025, from NASA POWER, adjusted for the height of the land. They describe the region, not the exact spot.
About Columbia Icefield, Alberta, Canada
The biggest icefield in the Canadian Rockies, feeding rivers to three oceans.
Questions about Columbia Icefield, Alberta, Canada
Where is Columbia Icefield?
Columbia Icefield is in Canada at 52.2000, -117.2000. The model covers a 20 by 20 kilometer square around that point.
How high is the terrain in the Columbia Icefield model?
The land in this model runs from 1,568 to 3,479 m (1,911 m of relief), and its highest point is at 52.1877, -117.3178. These are the measured heights, printed true to scale.
How steep is Columbia Icefield?
On average the ground slopes at 18.9 degrees, and the steepest 1% is steeper than 51.1 degrees. About 13% of the area is flat (under 5 degrees) and about 56% is steep (over 15 degrees).
How does Columbia Icefield compare with other places?
Out of 547 places in Terra, it ranks #102 for relief, #70 for highest ground and #119 for steepness (#1 is the most). For scale, that relief is about twice as tall as the Burj Khalifa.
Can I 3D print Columbia Icefield?
Yes. Download the free Standard Resolution STL and print it on any FDM or resin printer. It is 150 mm wide and about 19.3 mm tall, on a solid 5 mm base, at a scale of about 1:133,300. It also works for CNC carving. Use Customize to change the width, base thickness or height exaggeration, make it round or add a name plate.
How accurate is the Columbia Icefield model?
It is built from real elevation measurements: open satellite and survey data (NASA SRTM, Copernicus and national surveys), about 30 meters per point. Each point of the grid covers about 78 m on the ground, so a single summit can read a little lower than its surveyed height. The shaded picture on this page is made from the same data.
Is the Columbia Icefield model free?
The Standard Resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High Resolution samples the place about ten times more finely and is a paid upgrade.
How this model is made
Embossify Terra builds Columbia Icefield, Alberta, Canada from real measured elevation. Outside the United States the heights come from open satellite and survey data (NASA SRTM, Copernicus and national surveys), about 30 meters per point.
The heights are true to scale. The sea is flattened to zero, so land stands on a clean base. New to terrain printing? Read how Terra works.
