What to See in Jasper National Park - Top Sights and Attractions

Cascading waterfalls in scenic surrounds. Sunwapta Falls is a pair of waterfalls of the Sunwapta River located in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada.

The falls are accessible via a 600 metres (2,000 feet) access road off the Icefields Parkway, which connects Jasper and Banff National Parks. The falls have a drop of about 18.5 metres (61 feet). Sunwapta is a Stoney language word that means "turbulent water". The falls is most spectacular in the late spring when the spring melt is at its peak.

There are two falls, a lower and an upper one. The one most people see is the upper falls, as access is easier. The lower falls are a short distance away. The water originates from the Athabasca Glacier, and volumes are higher in early summer because of glacial melting. It is a Class 6 waterfall, with a drop of 60 ft (18 m) and a width of 30 ft (9.1 m).^[3]

Lake with Spirit Island and mountain views. Maligne Lake is a lake in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. The lake is famed for the colour of its azure water, the surrounding peaks, the three glaciers visible from the lake, and Spirit Island, a frequently and very famously photographed islet. The lake is located 44 km south of Jasper town, and is accessible by motor vehicle, including shuttle buses from Jasper. Boat tours run to Spirit Island in the spring to autumn season. The 44 km Skyline Trail, Jasper's most popular, highest and above treeline, multi-day hike, begins at Maligne Lake and finishes near the town of Jasper. Other popular day hikes include the Opal Hills and Bald Hills loops. Winter activities include cross-country skiing and snowboarding.

Maligne Lake is approximately 22.5 km (14.0 mi) long and is 97 m (318 ft) at its deepest point, in the south end of the lake. It averages 35 m (115 ft) in depth. It sits at approximately 1,670 m (5,480 ft) asl. Easily visible from the Maligne Lake Day Lodge are Leah and Samson Peaks and Mount Paul to the east, and Mounts Charlton, Unwin, Mary Vaux and Llysfran Peak to the south and west. The Charlton-Unwin, Maligne, and Coronet glaciers are visible from the lake, which boasts a self-sustaining population of introduced rainbow trout and brook trout. It is a popular spot for sport fishing, kayaking and canoeing. Parks Canada maintains three camping sites, accessible only by canoe, at Hidden Cove, Fisherman's Bay and Coronet Creek.

Maligne Lake is fed and drained by the Maligne River, which enters the lake on its south side, near Mount Unwin and drains the lake to the north. Maligne Lake, as well as Maligne River, Maligne Mountain, and Maligne Pass, takes its name from the French word for malignant or wicked. The name was used by Father Pierre-Jean De Smet (1801–1873) to describe the turbulent river that flows from the lake (in the spring), and soon spread to the lake, canyon, pass, mountain and range. It is also possible that early French traders applied the name to the river for its treacherous confluence with the Athabasca River.^[5]

Franchère Peak is a 2,805-metre mountain summit located in the Astoria River valley of Jasper National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. The mountain was named in 1917 for Gabriel Franchère, a French Canadian author and explorer of the Pacific Northwest who wrote the first account of an 1814 journey over Athabasca Pass. Franchère was a member of John Jacob Astor's Pacific Fur Company and sailed to Fort Astoria on the Tonquin, after which the nearby Tonquin Valley was named. The mountain's name was officially adopted on March 5, 1935 when approved by the Geographical Names Board of Canada. Its nearest higher peak is Aquila Mountain, 2.00 km to the north. Mount Edith Cavell is situated immediately south-southeast across the Astoria River valley.^[12]

Mountain in Alberta, Canada. Roche Bonhomme is a 2,500-metre mountain summit located in Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in the Colin Range, which is a sub-range of the Canadian Rockies. The peak is situated 13 km northeast of the municipality of Jasper, and is a prominent landmark in the Athabasca Valley visible from Highway 16 and the Canadian. Its nearest higher peak is Grisette Mountain, 2.2 km to the east.

Roche Bonhomme was named in 1878 by George Munro Grant for the fact it has an anthropomorphic shape. The French "Roche Bonhomme" translates to "Rock Fellow." The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1947 by the Geographical Names Board of Canada. Roche Bonhomme is composed of Permian and Carboniferous strata topped by darker Triassic siltstone of the Sulphur Mountain Formation.^[13]

Hill in Alberta, Canada. Morro Peak is a small 1,679-metre mountain summit located in Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located at the northwest end of the Colin Range, which is a sub-range of the Canadian Rockies. The peak is situated 17 km north of the municipality of Jasper, and is a prominent landmark in the Athabasca Valley visible from Highway 16 and the Canadian. Its nearest higher peak is Hawk Mountain, 4.0 km to the southeast. Morro Peak was named in 1916 by Morrison P. Bridgland for the Spanish word morro, meaning rounded hill, which is an apt description of it. Bridgland was a Dominion Land Surveyor who named many peaks in Jasper Park and the Canadian Rockies. The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1956 by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.^[15]

Mountain with scenic trails and a glacier. Mount Edith Cavell is a mountain located in the Athabasca River and Astoria River valleys of Jasper National Park, and the most prominent peak entirely within Alberta.

The mountain was named in 1916 for Edith Cavell, a British nurse executed by the Germans during World War I for having helped Allied soldiers escape from occupied Belgium to the Netherlands, in violation of German military law. It was previously known as Mount Fitzhugh.

A close-up view of the north face of Mount Edith Cavell is visible after a short hike to Cavell Meadows. The trailhead is by the parking lot at the end of Mount Edith Cavell Road. The trail to the meadows is 3.8 kilometres (2.4 mi) one way, rising 370 metres (1,214 ft) to 2,135 metres (7,005 ft). The Canadian Rockies Trail Guide describes the trail in detail.

The hanging Angel Glacier is visible from Cavell Meadows, which spills over a 300 metres (984 ft) cliff on the north face.

Access to the Tonquin Valley trails can be found about one kilometre before the end of the Mount Edith Cavell Road. There is a parking area across from the Mount Edith Cavell Hostel. A short walk down the gravel path leads to the north end of Cavell Lake. There is small bridge across the stream that empties the lake. From here there are good views with the lake in the foreground and the Mount Edith Cavell massif in the background.

It is believed that one of the world's largest glacial erratics, called Big Rock, located near Okotoks, Alberta, was once part of Mount Edith Cavell. The erratic was formed approximately ten thousand years ago when a large portion of quartzite stone was stripped away from the mountain along with the receding Athabasca River Valley glacier.^[16]

Mountain in Alberta, Canada. Grisette Mountain is a 2,620-metre mountain summit located in Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in the Colin Range, which is a sub-range of the Canadian Rockies. The peak is situated 14 km northeast of the municipality of Jasper, and is a prominent landmark in the Athabasca Valley visible from Highway 16 and the Canadian. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Dromore, 2.4 km to the east.

Grisette Mountain was named in 1916 by Morrison P. Bridgland for its gray colored limestone. Bridgland (1878-1948) was a Dominion Land Surveyor who named many peaks in Jasper Park and the Canadian Rockies. The French word gris translates to gray. The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1947 by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.^[18]

Evelyn Peak is a 2,855 m mountain summit in the Athabasca River valley of Jasper National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. THe nearest higher peak is Mount Kerkeslin, 5.0 km to the southwest, and Mount Hardisty is 6.0 km to the northwest. All three are part of the Maligne Range. Evelyn Peak is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Cambrian period and pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny. The mountain is at the headwaters of Evelyn Creek, and three kilometres south of Evelyn Pass. The creek and pass were named in 1921 for Evelyn Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, who visited nearby Maligne Lake in 1920. The mountain's name however, has not yet been officially adopted by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.^[22]

Historical landmark in Alberta, Canada. Jasper House National Historic Site, in Jasper National Park, Alberta, is the site of a trading post on the Athabasca River that functioned in two different locations from 1813 to 1884 as a major staging and supply post for travel through the Canadian Rockies.

The post was originally named Rocky Mountain House, but was renamed to avoid confusion with the Rocky Mountain House trading post on the North Saskatchewan River, becoming "Jasper's House" after the postmaster, Jasper Hawes, who operated the post from 1814 to 1817. The first location is believed to have been at the outlet of Brûlé Lake, downstream from the present site. The second Jasper House was established at the northern end of Jasper Lake in 1830, primarily serving travellers crossing Yellowhead Pass or Athabasca Pass.

The site operated until 1853, and was occasionally used until 1858 when it was reopened seasonally by Henry John Moberly, who operated it into the 1860s. The post was officially closed in 1884 after years of inactivity. From 1891 or 1892 to 1894 the house was used by miner Lewis Swift. The building was destroyed in 1909 when its lumber was used to make a raft by surveyors for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. Apart from a small cemetery, no significant ruins remain. It was designated a national historic site in 1924, and is marked by a commemorative stone and plaque.^[26]

Mountain in Alberta, Canada. Mount Columbia is a mountain located in the Winston Churchill Range of the Rocky Mountains. It is the highest point in Alberta, Canada, and is second only to Mount Robson for height and topographical prominence in the Canadian Rockies. It is located on the border between Alberta and British Columbia on the northern edge of the Columbia Icefield. Its highest point, however, lies within Jasper National Park in Alberta.

The mountain was named in 1898 by J. Norman Collie after the Columbia River. The river itself was named after the American ship Columbia Rediviva captained by Robert Gray, who first ventured over a dangerous sandbar and explored the lower reaches of the river in 1792. Mount Columbia was first ascended in 1902 by James Outram, guided by Christian Kaufmann.^[28]

Mountain in Alberta, Canada. Pyramid Mountain is a mountain in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada, named for its pyramid-like shape. James Hector named the mountain in 1859 due to its appearance from the Athabasca River valley on the eastern side of the peak.

Part of the Victoria Cross Ranges in the Athabasca River Valley the mountain is in the major headwaters for the Athabasca River. The peak is just under 10 km (6 mi) north-west of the town of Jasper.

The mountain is a relatively easy scramble on the eastern slopes. These slopes can be reached by following a steep fire road from the parking lot at Pyramid Lake, 11.5 km (7 mi) southeast of the peak.

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Pyramid Mountain is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Temperatures can drop below -20 °C with wind chill factors below -30 °C.^[33]

Mountain pass in Alberta, Canada. Sunwapta Pass is a mountain pass in the Canadian Rockies in the province of Alberta. Sunwapta Pass is the low point of the saddle created between Mount Athabasca and Nigel Peak. The pass marks the boundary between Banff and Jasper National Parks. The Icefields Parkway travels through Sunwapta Pass 108 km southeast of the town of Jasper and 122 km northwest of the Parkway's junction with the Trans-Canada Highway near Lake Louise. The pass is the second highest point on the Icefields Parkway. Bow Summit in Banff National Park is the highest point on the parkway.

Sunwapta Pass marks the watershed divide between the Athabasca River drainage to the north and the North Saskatchewan system to the south. Waters flowing north from this summit eventually reach the Arctic Ocean via the Mackenzie River, while those flowing south cross the prairies via the Saskatchewan and Nelson Rivers to Hudson Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.^[34]