4 hikes you have to do in Jasper National Park
Jasper National Park is a hiking paradise. The best way to see the beauty of Jasper is on the hiking trails. It doesn’t matter if you like the longer challenging hikes or just short hikes, there is something for everyone. Here are our 4 favorite Jasper National Park hikes.
There are grizzlies in the park, so keep safe: always travel with at least 2 people, make noise, carry bear spray and don’t wear headphones.
It is best to plan ahead: do research on the trails you want to do and see if the conditions are right. Some trails are only open later in the season due to snow and some can be dangerous due to thunderstorms later in the afternoon.
The 4 hikes we did in Jasper National Park range from very easy to difficult.
Sulphur Skyline
Difficult hike
Trailhead: Miette Hot Springs parking lot
Distance (round trip): 8.8 km / 5.5 mi
Elevation change: 700 m / 2297 ft
Estimated hiking time: 4-6 hours
This is one of the most beautiful hikes in Jasper National Park. It starts of steep and it stays that steep all the way to the top. At the top, you should have beautiful views over the valley. Unfortunately, we only got a glimpse of the view because of the mist that suddenly appeared. That was for me a pretty creepy experience: you couldn’t really see a lot anymore.
Bald Hills
Difficult hike
Trailhead: parking at the end of Maligne Lake Road
Distance (round trip): 13.2 km / 8.2 mi
Elevation change: 700 m /2297 ft
Estimated hiking time: 3.5-6 hours
The Bald Hills hike is one of the legendary hikes in Jasper National Park. You climb very high, giving you an amazing view over Maligne Lake and the other peaks. When going up, about halfway through the fire road, there is a junction, in which both paths go to the summit. The left path is a steeper one that is shorter in distance. The right path stays on the fire road and is more gradual (and longer). We took the shorter one up and the gradual one down, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Do it the other way around, because my knees were killing me.
To get to the summit, you have to do some climbing on rocks, but it is very feasible to do. We even had company from this little squirrel. The views from the top are amazing in all directions.
Path of the Angel Glacier Hike
Easy hike
Trailhead: End of Cavell Road
Distance (round trip): 1.2 km / 0.7 mi
Elevation change: 70 m / 230 ft
Estimated hiking time: 1 hour
This is a very family friendly hike. The entire trail is paved and leads up to the lookout over the Angel Glacier. Definitely pack your jacket, as there can be very strong winds.
Toe of the Athabasca glacier
Moderate hike
Trailhead: Across from the Icefield centre
Distance (round trip): 1.4 km / 0.87 mi
Elevation change: 60 m / 197 ft
Estimated hiking time: 1 h
This is a short and steep trail towards the Athabasca glacier. Stay on the trail and definitely don’t go onto the glacier! You have beautiful views of the glacier. Along the trail, there are also marks of where the glacier was in the past. It is sad to see that so much has disappeared already. There are very strong winds there, so bring a jacket.
More hikes in Jasper National Park
https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/activ-experience/sentiers-trails
What was your favorite hike in Jasper National Park?
Some of these links are affiliate links. If you buy something through these links, Travel Eat Enjoy Repeat will earn a small commission. This will cost you nothing extra.