Best Trails in Jasper National Park

Very touristy but pretty nonetheless. Try and get there before the buses do.

Can’t even begin to explain the beauty of this area. You really have to experience it yourself to get it. Trail is relatively easy and there is so much to see. Bring spikes if you want to tour the canyon foot in winter or early spring .

pretty

brisk and beautiful

beautiful and peaceful.

it's a light walk but beautiful

The Sunwapta Falls was a pretty waterfall that could be accessed via a short hike from along the Icefields Parkway. These falls were located south of Jasper and made a perfect place to stop. I visited in August 2017.

The short trail led through the peaceful forest to the falls. The Upper Falls were situated along a river and were beautiful to see. They were powerful and loud! There were great photo opportunities and views from along the trail and on the footbridge that crossed the deep canyon. The scenery around the falls was so pretty as well with pine tree forests and mountain peaks as the backdrop.

After crossing the bridge, the trail continued for another ~2 km to the Lower Falls. They were smaller and not as impressive, but still beautiful to see. There was a chain link fence along the trail on the edge of the rocks to prevent you from getting too close to the falls and edge of the canyon.

There was plenty of parking at the lodge, where they also sell snacks and gifts and have washrooms.

I would recommend stopping to visit these waterfalls.

Maligne Canyon is a spectacularly beautiful place to go for a hike and marvel at this incredible natural wonder and there are plenty of photo opportunities along this scenic trail. I hiked here in August 2017.

The canyon is located only a ten minute drive from the town of Jasper and is easily accessible. It's a popular place for visitors to explore, but if you arrive early in the morning (7:30 or 8 am), you will beat most of the crowds.

You can start the hike from various points along the canyon. I started from the parking lot at the Fifth Bridge and hiked uphill along the canyon to the First Bridge and then downhill on the way back, which I preferred.

The trail follows alongside the canyon the entire hike and the scenery gets more and more beautiful the closer you get to the First Bridge. Although there was some elevation gain, the inclines were fairly gentle and nothing too difficult or steep at all.

The narrow canyon was so deep and beautiful and the surrounding scenery was gorgeous! It was incredible to imagine how the power of water had eroded and carved this gorge over many years. I actually preferred Maligne to Johnston Canyon in Banff and found it to be more breathtaking and less crowded and touristy.

There were incredible viewpoints of the canyon from the Fourth, Third, Second and First Bridges and at various points along the way too.

There were bathrooms at the trailhead of the Fifth and First Bridges in the parking area and a restaurant near the First Bridge as well.

The hike from the Fifth Bridge to the First and back took me around 2.5 hours including my many stops for taking photos and admiring the awe-inspiring natural beauty.

If you are staying in Jasper, Maligne Canyon is definitely worth exploring. It was one of the highlights from my trip to the area.

The Valley of Five Lakes is a 4.5 km moderately challenging circuit loop hike just 9 km south of the town of Jasper. I hiked here in August 2017.

The trail started off by passing through the forest and then crossing a wooden footbridge over a tall grassy and marshy area before gently climbing back into the forest. At the junction, you can either start the loop around the lakes clockwise or counter clockwise. I took the path to the right and went counter clockwise, starting at the fifth lake and going around the first.

The trail consisted of some steeper uphill and downhill sections along with some flatter areas in between but it wasn't too difficult although it was more strenuous that I was expecting it to be.

Upon reaching the fifth lake, the trail followed a narrow ridge along the side of a hill which provided amazing views of the lakes and gorgeous mountain landscape.

All five lakes were absolutely beautiful and awe-inspiring and I was amazed at the vibrant colour of the water in unique shades of blue and green and how crystal clear it was. There were beautiful reflections of the surrounding mountains and pine trees on the calm water's surface which made for some lovely photos. These lakes are among some of the most breathtaking ones that I have seen in the Rockies.

When you get to the first lake, continue along Trail 9B to loop back around to the trailhead unless you are looking for a longer hike around the first lake, then take Trail 9A.

It took me around 1 hour and 45 minutes to complete the hike including the many stops that I made to take photos and admire the natural beauty around me.

These stunning lakes are definitely a must-see and well worth a visit in Jasper.

Maligne Canyon is a spectacularly beautiful place to go for a hike and marvel at this incredible natural wonder and there are plenty of photo opportunities along this scenic trail. I hiked here in August 2017.

The canyon is located only a ten minute drive from the town of Jasper and is easily accessible. It's a popular place for visitors to explore, but if you arrive early in the morning (7:30 or 8 am), you will beat most of the crowds.

You can start the hike from various points along the canyon. I started from the parking lot at the Fifth Bridge and hiked uphill along the canyon to the First Bridge and then downhill on the way back, which I preferred.

The trail follows alongside the canyon the entire hike and the scenery gets more and more beautiful the closer you get to the First Bridge. Although there was some elevation gain, the inclines were fairly gentle and nothing too difficult or steep at all.

The narrow canyon was so deep and beautiful and the surrounding scenery was gorgeous! It was incredible to imagine how the power of water had eroded and carved this gorge over many years. I actually preferred Maligne to Johnston Canyon in Banff and found it to be more breathtaking and less crowded and touristy.

There were incredible viewpoints of the canyon from the Fourth, Third, Second and First Bridges and at various points along the way too.

There were bathrooms at the trailhead of the Fifth and First Bridges in the parking area and a restaurant near the First Bridge as well.

The hike from the Fifth Bridge to the First and back took me around 2.5 hours including my many stops for taking photos and admiring the awe-inspiring natural beauty.

If you are staying in Jasper, Maligne Canyon is definitely worth exploring. It was one of the highlights from my trip to the area.

Athabasca Falls is located approximately 30 minutes south of the town of Jasper along the scenic Icefields Parkway. It is a place definitely worth stopping and exploring. The waterfalls were gorgeous and you could explore the canyon too.

There were a network of paved pathways leading to various areas overlooking the waterfalls and viewpoints of the deep and narrow canyon. Athabasca Falls was powerful and gorgeous waterfall with a stunning backdrop of forests, mountains and the river flowing through as huge volumes of water rushed down into the canyon. There were a few lookout points offering different views of the falls along the trails. I visited on a sunny afternoon and the area was quite crowded with some of the lookout areas being very small, so I had to wait my turn in order to get up front and take photos. The pathways were interesting to explore and one of them led through a narrow section between two walls of the canyon with stairs carved into the rocks. There were some great vantage points overlooking the river and the canyon to see where the water had eroded the rock to create caves and unique rock formations over many years.

Athabasca Falls was a wonderful area to discover, admire the natural beauty and take plenty of photos. The parking lot was large and could accommodate quite a few vehicles. It would probably be best to visit in the morning during the summer season before the crowds of people show up. If you’re driving the Icefields Parkway, definitely stop here.

The Edith Cavell Meadows is a spectacular hike with breathtaking scenery or the beautiful flowery meadows, glaciers and mountains - it was the highlight of my trip to Jasper.

I hiked here in August 2017. The trail starts off gently climbing a partially paved path along the Path of the Glacier. It leads to a viewing area overlooking the Angel Glacier and Cavell Pond, where the views are amazing and you feel so close to the scenery. But the views just keep getting better along the rest of the trail!

The trail then continues to climb uphill as it passes over the rocky moraine and then enters the subalpine forest before opening up to the beautiful meadows with colourful wildflowers above the treeline. There are stunning views of the glacier and mountains throughout the hike.

The mosquitoes were relentless and aggressive along most of the hike and whenever I stopped to take a photo or admire the views or rest my legs, they attacked me almost immediately, which was really unfortunate. I didn't bring insect repellent but it would have been a good idea.

I saw lots of hoary marmots along the hike as well, which were super cute. Before you reach the main lookout at the end of the trail, there is a junction with two options - an easier and a more difficult route. I took the easier climb as the difficult one looked much steeper and was pleased with that choice. I ended up taking the difficult path on the way down instead.

I heard three avalanches along the way to the top which was a pretty unforgettable experience. I finally reached the main lookout on the trail and was in complete awe at how gorgeous the surrounding scenery was. I felt so close to the mountains and the Angel Glacier. The views were breathtaking!

There is another optional trail to climb a very steep trail even higher up the mountain, but I chose not to do that. The hike was consistently and steadily uphill from start to finish, with some steeper sections and some gentler ones along switchbacks, but it was totally manageable for someone of good fitness. I did it, and I am from the flat Prairies where I never hike elevations like this. I recommend going slow and taking lots of breaks if you're getting tired and use hiking poles. They helped a lot, especially with going downhill. Also, bring lots of water and snacks as there is nowhere nearby to purchase anything. The temperatures get much colder and windier at the top of the trail, so wear warm layers as well.

In total, this round trip hike took me 3.5 hours to complete including all of my many stops along the way. If you are looking for a fantastic and incredibly rewarding day hike in Jasper (it takes about 40 minutes to get from town to the trailhead parking lot) with stunning natural beauty, I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this one. It was the best hike I have ever done so far and I feel like very few hikes will compare to this one.

We started at Maligne Overlook and hiked down Maligne Canyon’s first bridge. The first three bridges were condensed with tourists. Once you get to bridge four there aren’t as many people.

The best views of Maligne Canyon come at bridges four and five. We wanted to make the most of our hike so we went from bridge one to six on the main trail, then got on trail 7H to bypass the crowd. It’s no joke - it was a straight incline to get to the top. It was so worth it.

I would definitely recommend taking the back trails and bypassing crowds. It made the hike easier by not having to navigate other people and personally, I think we found the best views.

Fun hike in the winter. Bring crampons, or be willing to take falls! Definitely worth taking the less travelled 7H trail, the views are stunning. Recommend parking at 6th bridge and hiking up the canyon (trail 7) and then down trail 7H. About 3h total at a relax pace.

Great snowshoeing trip on a very snowy day. Only saw one person on the trail. About 4 hours to do the round trip to Big Bend, which is around 6.5km one way.

If you use my gpx. file beware we took the longer boulder way around, there it was a loop. You can find other tracks that just go in and out. It was a challenging long scree gully after the bouldering and gators are most definitely preferred! You're in for a double the distance is you take the loop but well worth the time put in to see the entire mountain, your rock climbing skills will come in handy here. Make sure you wear a rock helmet. No cell service.

Easy with good views of the lake and surrounding mountain ranges.

I’ve hiked this in summer and spring.. Most recently being May long weekend of 2017. Did not bring snowshoes and it was a horrid mistake. Took 7 hours to summit after clambering and falling through hip deep snow. Otherwise, in summer conditions it’s approximately 2 hours to the top.

Took the tram up then hiked to the top. Nice hike but it is steep.

The most stunning views - hard hike though. Well worth it.

Hard in winter season but worth for it

Closed for caribou conservation as of Nov 1... check Parks Canada trail reports for update as to when that area has the restrictions lifted! Beautiful views here though

There was snow on the trail from the trailhead up. It was slippery on parts, but not so much that we had to use our icers. Hiking poles are highly recommended and probably necessary at this time of year! The final scramble up was tough with thigh-high snow, but well worth the trek. Gorgeous panoramic view from the top. This is really a beautiful hike. Took us two hours up and just under two hours down.

Long low intensity easy hike. Be cautious of bear activity! We did run it to a mama bear with her almost fully grown cub right on the trail as we pass them with probably 5 meters distance which was heart pumping to say the least ,however they both shown no interest in us ( thank god lol) .

Didn’t get all the way to the top because it started pouring rain on us but it was definitely beautiful!

Since it was so close to the main road, was an easy side trip to do .. the falls I didn’t think were too impressive however the backdrop with the mountains looked amazing.

Easy access and fantastic views .. each lake offers something different and had a very pleasant experience .. recommended

Beautiful trail. We made it in the end of October and there were close to none tourists.

the name of this is a bit misleading (which doesn't mean this trail isn't amazing). you aren't looping the lake, you are climbing an overlook. great trail, good picnic spot on top

Easy access .. small falls if you want to take a break from driving.