General Characteristics:
Victoria glacier (figure 1) lies at the head of Lake Louis and is one of the most widely photographed glaciers. Lake Louise is dammed by an early Holocene moraine formed by Victoria glacier; it probably formed during the Eisenhowever Junction glaciation, some 10000B.P (Kucera, 1976). Continuous ice stream flows northward from Abbot Pass for approximatey 2km before turning sharply to northeast where it degenerates into indistinct debris covered tongue after another 2km (Ommanney, 2002). The Abbot Pass Basin contains less than 20% of the accumulation area (Ommanney, 2002). The rest (1.8km2) of the glacier stretches from Popes Peak past Mount Victoria toward Abbot Pass and avalanches 300m or more to form a reconstituted ice mass where the Abbot Pass changes direction (Ommanney, 2002).
Victoria Glacier was first observed in 1897. The surveys continued every year until 1950, then biannually until 1954.

The following figures depict the location of Victoria glacier and the debris covered toe in 1973. The table shows the annual surface movement between 1899-1954.


Summary:
Name: Victoria Glacier
Location:Banff National Park,
Latitude: 51" 23.0'
Longitude: 116"16.0'
Province: Alberta
Classification: valley glacier
Area: 3.5km2
Debris Cover: 24%
(Ommanney, 2002: 27)