Jasper 
Most of Jasper National Park’s public spaces, trails, and day use areas are open year-round. These parts of the park offer winter recreation and plenty of fun for the warmer seasons. However, a few parts of the park are considered more remote, given that there is no vehicle access during the winter.
Among these quieter, more peaceful parts of Jasper is the Mount Edith Cavell hiking area. All within two shorter hikes, the area offers peaceful ponds, stunning lakes, and views of small glaciers packed against the mountains. All of this, plus the area’s subalpine forests, also make the hiking trails a hot spot for Jasper wildlife, big and small.
About Mount Edith Cavell
This towering Jasper peak is visible almost as soon one turns south onto the Icefields Parkway from Jasper. Additionally, amazing views of the mountain are available right off the highway at the Athabasca Pass Lookout. Up close, and from afar, Mount Edith Cavell offers stunning scenery.
The north face and base of the mountain, where the trails wander, is marked by the Angel Glacier, Cavell Meadows, Cavell Lake, and thick forests. This is but a small portion of the 3,300m-tall mountain.
Mount Edith Cavell’s namesake is as important as the area’s natural areas. Edith Cavell was a British nurse in WW1 who aided in the escape and life saving efforts of countless allied soldiers.
Mount Edith Cavell Hikes & Picnic
The drive along 93A and Mount Edith Cavell Road are the first part of the adventure. These scenic roads bring the drive through tall, densely covered forests before reaching the trailhead. Before reaching the trailhead, be sure to stop at Cavell Lake for photos or a picnic.
- Hiking around the Cavell Pond brings your tour of the area onto the Path of the Glacier Trail. This 1.6km (total) trek leads to the shores of Cavell Pond, fed by the glacier which sits on the opposite side of the pond.
- Plan for more time with the Cavell Meadows Trail. This 7km out-and-back route bi-passes the Cavell Glacier and offers excellent views of the nearby Angel Glacier.
- Cavell Lake, and Cavell Pond both change colours throughout the seasons, and are more likely to be that bright blue or aqua colour by spring and early summer.
- Both trails are a bit muddy over the spring months before turning into lush meadow and subalpine scenery complete with wildflower blooms by June and July.
- As an area closed to vehicles half of the year, the Mount Edit Cavell areas and Tonquin Valley backcountry are home to a diverse range of wildlife for which to watch and listen.
More Hikes around Mount Edith Cavell & South Jasper
The short stretch of the Icefields Parkway between Jasper and the Mount Edith Cavell Road is quintessential Rocky Mountain scenery. This of course includes those trails around Mount Edith Cavell, but also many others which start from the Icefields Parkway.
- The Tonquin Valley is an expansive backcountry section of Jasper National Park with camping available at several points along the 43km route. Get access to the Tonquin Valley trail from Cavell Lake on Mount Edith Cavell Road, or Marmot Road. Even if you’re not planning on a multi-day trek, there is the option to hike to a checkpoint like the first back-country campground, Astoria, and back at 14.2km total.
- Opposite from the turn-off to Mount Edith Cavell on Highway 93 is the Valley of the Five Lakes. This is one of the most peaceful spots to hike in Jasper while also offering some of the simplest trails. These trails also connect to trails which lead back to the Jasper townsite.
- Find the stunning Athabasca Falls and short, easy trails around the river, at the Junction of Highways 93 and 93A.
- Find the Whistlers Campground, beautiful and easy trails, and the Jasper SkyTram, a short drive north of Edith Cavell Road.
Jasper SkyTram
Among the natural and manmade attractions up and down the Icefields Parkway are some which offer the chance to see even more of the National Park. This includes the Jasper SkyTram, which is conveniently open during the same months as Mount Edith Cavell Road. The SkyTram gondola ride brings you up above Jasper by about 2,263m in elevation. There is all the sightseeing the enjoy on the ride up, as well as more from the boardwalks and trails around the top area.
More to See on Jasper’s Icefields Parkway
Continue south along the highway and uncover so much more for trails, sights like waterfalls or glaciers, and the Columbia Ice Fields.
- The Goats & Glaciers lookout has a small parking area and short trail which leads to a stunning view of the Athabasca River, a small island, the forest in the valley, and the towering peaks beyond the trees.
- The next waterfall along the route, after the Athabasca Falls, are the Sunwapta Falls. The rushing waterfall moves into a deep gorge below the viewing platform.
- Get excellent glacier views at the small roadside stop for the Stutfield Glacier Viewpoint.
- Next up are three of Jasper’s biggest adventures: the Columbia Icefields Skywalk, the Icefield Adventure, and the Odyssey Glacier Bus Tours.
Planning Your Trip – Mount Edith Cavell
What: the Mount Edith Cavell hiking area in south Jasper is accessible from the Icefields Parkway and encompasses the base and north face of the mountain. The peak is a towering and imposing one on the Jasper landscape, and a start to a group of glaciers visible all along the Parkway. The area is only accessible from spring to fall with one short trail, and one longer and more moderate hike.
Location and how to get there: use Highway AB-93 to access 93A; from 93A will be a turn off for Mount Edith Cavell Road, only open to vehicles from May to October. The trailhead is at the end of the road.
Best time to go: April -October
(Currently closed due to wildfire damage).
Mount Edith Cavell Road open: May 30 to October 6
Cost: National Park day pass $21 per day per group/car
For more information:
Among these quieter, more peaceful parts of Jasper is the Mount Edith Cavell hiking area. All within two shorter hikes, the area offers peaceful ponds, stunning lakes, and views of small glaciers packed against the mountains. All of this, plus the area’s subalpine forests, also make the hiking trails a hot spot for Jasper wildlife, big and small.
About Mount Edith Cavell
This towering Jasper peak is visible almost as soon one turns south onto the Icefields Parkway from Jasper. Additionally, amazing views of the mountain are available right off the highway at the Athabasca Pass Lookout. Up close, and from afar, Mount Edith Cavell offers stunning scenery.
The north face and base of the mountain, where the trails wander, is marked by the Angel Glacier, Cavell Meadows, Cavell Lake, and thick forests. This is but a small portion of the 3,300m-tall mountain.
Mount Edith Cavell’s namesake is as important as the area’s natural areas. Edith Cavell was a British nurse in WW1 who aided in the escape and life saving efforts of countless allied soldiers.
Mount Edith Cavell Hikes & Picnic
The drive along 93A and Mount Edith Cavell Road are the first part of the adventure. These scenic roads bring the drive through tall, densely covered forests before reaching the trailhead. Before reaching the trailhead, be sure to stop at Cavell Lake for photos or a picnic.
- Hiking around the Cavell Pond brings your tour of the area onto the Path of the Glacier Trail. This 1.6km (total) trek leads to the shores of Cavell Pond, fed by the glacier which sits on the opposite side of the pond.
- Plan for more time with the Cavell Meadows Trail. This 7km out-and-back route bi-passes the Cavell Glacier and offers excellent views of the nearby Angel Glacier.
- Cavell Lake, and Cavell Pond both change colours throughout the seasons, and are more likely to be that bright blue or aqua colour by spring and early summer.
- Both trails are a bit muddy over the spring months before turning into lush meadow and subalpine scenery complete with wildflower blooms by June and July.
- As an area closed to vehicles half of the year, the Mount Edit Cavell areas and Tonquin Valley backcountry are home to a diverse range of wildlife for which to watch and listen.
More Hikes around Mount Edith Cavell & South Jasper
The short stretch of the Icefields Parkway between Jasper and the Mount Edith Cavell Road is quintessential Rocky Mountain scenery. This of course includes those trails around Mount Edith Cavell, but also many others which start from the Icefields Parkway.
- The Tonquin Valley is an expansive backcountry section of Jasper National Park with camping available at several points along the 43km route. Get access to the Tonquin Valley trail from Cavell Lake on Mount Edith Cavell Road, or Marmot Road. Even if you’re not planning on a multi-day trek, there is the option to hike to a checkpoint like the first back-country campground, Astoria, and back at 14.2km total.
- Opposite from the turn-off to Mount Edith Cavell on Highway 93 is the Valley of the Five Lakes. This is one of the most peaceful spots to hike in Jasper while also offering some of the simplest trails. These trails also connect to trails which lead back to the Jasper townsite.
- Find the stunning Athabasca Falls and short, easy trails around the river, at the Junction of Highways 93 and 93A.
- Find the Whistlers Campground, beautiful and easy trails, and the Jasper SkyTram, a short drive north of Edith Cavell Road.
Jasper SkyTram
Among the natural and manmade attractions up and down the Icefields Parkway are some which offer the chance to see even more of the National Park. This includes the Jasper SkyTram, which is conveniently open during the same months as Mount Edith Cavell Road. The SkyTram gondola ride brings you up above Jasper by about 2,263m in elevation. There is all the sightseeing the enjoy on the ride up, as well as more from the boardwalks and trails around the top area.
More to See on Jasper’s Icefields Parkway
Continue south along the highway and uncover so much more for trails, sights like waterfalls or glaciers, and the Columbia Ice Fields.
- The Goats & Glaciers lookout has a small parking area and short trail which leads to a stunning view of the Athabasca River, a small island, the forest in the valley, and the towering peaks beyond the trees.
- The next waterfall along the route, after the Athabasca Falls, are the Sunwapta Falls. The rushing waterfall moves into a deep gorge below the viewing platform.
- Get excellent glacier views at the small roadside stop for the Stutfield Glacier Viewpoint.
- Next up are three of Jasper’s biggest adventures: the Columbia Icefields Skywalk, the Icefield Adventure, and the Odyssey Glacier Bus Tours.
Planning Your Trip – Mount Edith Cavell
What: the Mount Edith Cavell hiking area in south Jasper is accessible from the Icefields Parkway and encompasses the base and north face of the mountain. The peak is a towering and imposing one on the Jasper landscape, and a start to a group of glaciers visible all along the Parkway. The area is only accessible from spring to fall with one short trail, and one longer and more moderate hike.
Location and how to get there: use Highway AB-93 to access 93A; from 93A will be a turn off for Mount Edith Cavell Road, only open to vehicles from May to October. The trailhead is at the end of the road.
Best time to go: April -October
(Currently closed due to wildfire damage).
Mount Edith Cavell Road open: May 30 to October 6
Cost: National Park day pass $21 per day per group/car
For more information: