The glacier is located south of Mount Sir Donald in the Selkirk Mountains, west of Rogers Pass in British Columbia.

Although First Nations people were present in valleys to the east and west, evidence of aboriginal settlement in the Illecillewaet area has not been found.

[6] With the completion of the transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) through nearby Rogers Pass in 1885, the glacier and its surrounding area became one of western Canada's first tourist destinations.

The name "Illecillewaet" is an Okanagan First Nations word for "big water", and referred to the river before being applied to the glacier.

The first recorded ascent of the glacier was by A. O. Wheeler with Edward Feuz and Charles Clarke in 1901, although it had most likely been climbed earlier.

William and George, Jr. presented their findings to the National Academy of Sciences in the U.S. Their study and methods were considered a "breakthrough" in the new field of glaciology.

[10] On a more anecdotal level, the Vaux family carefully photographed the glacier and surrounding area, first using glass plates which were transported up and down the mountain and sent back to Philadelphia; and later more modern Mamiya medium format cameras.

The only two major differences between contemporary times and the early 1900s are the retreat of the glacier and the presence of the Trans-Canada Highway.

[10] Thus, he saw trees that were observed by his grandfather from the same perspective, and there is little difference "except for the glaciers, most of which are back at least two kilometres, and of man-made things.

[4] The period of World War I and the Great Depression saw fewer observations; the closing of Glacier House in 1925 drastically reduced the number of visitors to the area.

[4] The federal Dominion Water and Power Bureau started assessing the glacier in 1945 using baseline measurements.

[3] Since scientific research began in the late 1800s, Illecillewaet Glacier has been retreating and shrinking, with shorter periods of small advances.