By Bob McDonald, Quirks & Quarks

Environment minister Peter Kent has announced the construction of a new Glacier Discovery Walk and visitor centre on the Icefields Parkway in Jasper National Park.

It raises the issue of how to balance commercial development in our National Parks against the preservation of the last refuges of wilderness.

The main feature of the new facility is an elevated walkway extending out from a cliff face that will provide stunning views of the Sunwapta Valley. It's an idea taken from a similar skywalk extending out from the rim of the Grand Canyon.

On a recent visit to the Grand Canyon site, I was anxious to experience walking out over the edge of the rim, suspended more than a kilometer from the canyon floor and supported by nothing but a glass floor. 

It's not cheap. The admission price for the skywalk itself is $30, but you also have to pay an additional $43 for a "Legacy Pass," which allows you access to the overall site (on native territory on the opposite side of the canyon from Grand Canyon National Park).

A beautiful visitor centre showcases the native heritage of the site, and offers information on the construction of the skywalk and about the canyon itself.  But before entering the skywalk, you can stand outside the building on the very precipice to the Grand Canyon and look straight down. There are no railings along the edge which makes standing there a heart-in-your-mouth experience.

It also made the skywalk anti-climatic.

The walk out along the glass floor provided almost exactly the same view you get from the edge of the cliff. True, it was more dramatic looking straight down to the canyon floor between my legs, but the skywalk had a railing so it was actually less scary than the view from the natural edge of the canyon.

In other words, the skywalk didn't seem worth the price of admission.

Two other sites along the rim of the canyon provide even more spectacular views. At one spot you can, if you dare, walk out to the end of a thin promontory that narrows to only a couple of metres wide, with sheer drops on both sides. It  provides an unobstructed view of the Grand Canyon in three directions, all without a railing.

The point is, the commercial skywalk does not really add much to the Grand Canyon experience. It's the natural trails that impress most.

On another recent trip to Yellowstone National Park, the Old Faithful Geyser parking lot was so full there was a line of cars extending right back to the highway. It wasn't worth seeing. 

Other famous sites in that park such as the Mammoth Hot Springs and Mud Pots were similarly overrun with cars and people. The natural beauty we had all come to see was overwhelmed by tourists looking for t-shirts and snacks. In fact, many people spend more time in the visitor centre looking for souvenirs than they do looking at the hot springs.

The beauty of our Canadian National Parks is that most of the land is true wilderness, inaccessible to all but the most experienced hikers and skiers. Scenic spots along the main highways such as the Icefields Parkway, (which, by the way, is one of the most spectacular roads on the planet) have lookouts and well groomed trails, including wheelchair access so anyone can enjoy the stunning views of nature at its finest without disturbing most of the park itself.

The existing visitor centre at the Columbia Glacier and its associated bus rides out onto the ice are a mainstay of the park and a prime source of revenue. But it's the only one in the park.

The new visitor centre to be located in another valley will undoubtedly attract more visitors but it cannot become the thin edge of a tourist wedge that transforms our natural heritage into an interpretation of itself.

The view from the glacier skywalk will certainly be spectacular, but many visitors will likely find an equally stunning view and captivating experience when they leave the building and simply take a walk.