An amazing winter activity in Jasper is the Maligne Canyon ice walk. In the wintertime, the whole canyon is frozen. Waterfalls are frozen in place and the canyon walls are covered in white frost, turning the canyon into a winter wonderland and the perfect place to spend a morning or afternoon exploring!
I have visited Maligne Canyon a handful of times and in (almost) all of the seasons! I have explored it in the winter, fall, and summer! Living 4 hours from Jasper National Park gives me the opportunity to explore everything Jasper has to offer, and Maligne Canyon is so close to Downtown Jasper, that it is the perfect thing to do on anyones Jasper bucketlist.
This is one of the best things to do in Jasper during the winter, and so I am excited to share everything I know about visiting Maligne Canyon in the winter season!
In this article, I will share everything I know about visiting Maligne Canyon during winter. This includes, where it even is, how to get there, what you’re going to see when visiting, how much it costs, how to do the Maligne Canyon ice trek without a guide, what to bring, how long it takes, other things you can do in and near Maligne Canyon during winter, and things to know before you go!
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Where is Maligne Canyon?
The canyon is around a 13 minute drive from the town of Jasper in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. Because it is pretty closeby town, it is a great place to spend the morning and pretty easy to get to!
Maligne Canyon Ice Walk: Your Guide!
Maligne Canyon is a stunning canyon you can do year-round. It is complete with multiple bridges and waterfalls, and was carved out by the Maligne river. In the summer time, the river is rushing through the canyon and the waterfalls are loud and flowing!
The trail fluctuates between being high up above the canyon and the river, to basically right beside the river at some points.
In the winter, the river freezes, which means you can not only explore the hiking paths of the canyon, but you can also go into the canyon itself to explore (at your own risk 🙂 ).
Ice Walk Safety
Staying safe while doing the Maligne Canyon ice trek is incredibly important!
If you are doing the ice walk on your own, it is super important to make sure the ice is frozen and the canyon is safe to explore.
The weather can fluctuate a lot in the winter time, and so if it has been relatively warm and it doesn’t seem as though the river is frozen enough, it may not be safe to explore the interior of the canyon.
If it isn’t safe to go into the canyon itself, you are still able to explore the hiking trail of the canyon year-round!
When to go Hiking
To complete the ice trek, you will need to go during the winter season!
Winter in Jasper and freezing temperatures typically run from December to March. The snow and cold temperatures may linger for longer (late September/October/November and into April/May, sometimes June!), but I’m not confident that the canyon would be frozen enough to explore outside of December to March.
It really depends on that particular year’s winter season, and how cold it has been throughout!
What to See on the Maligne Canyon Ice Walk?
There is a lot to explore, including frozen waterfalls, ice formations like huge icicles along the canyon walls, and ice caves and inlets carved by the rushing water that flows in the summertime.
Throughout Maligne Canyon, you will follow a hiking trail and cross 6 bridges (if you complete the whole hike!). Most people explore slightly past the fourth bridge in the winter time (where you can enter down into the canyon), but for the full experience you can hike all the way to fifth bridge.
How to get to Maligne Canyon
Because Maligne Canyon is so close to Downtown Jasper, it is super easy to get to!
From Downtown:
- Head Northeast on Connaught Drive/Highway 16A
- Turn left onto Highway 16 (towards Edmonton)
- In 1.8 km, turn right onto Maligne Lake Road (you may see a sign for Jasper Park Lodge!)
- You’ll go over the bridge and the road will fork left or right, stay left!
- Follow Maligne Lake Road until you see signs for Maligne Canyon!
- You can choose to park at either sixth bridge, fifth bridge, or the main lot
- You will see the parking for sixth bridge first, then fifth, then the main lot as you drive Maligne Road
I prefer to park at the main lot, because I love the first three bridges which are closer to the main lot, and then I explore down into the canyon slightly after fourth bridge.
The Maligne Canyon Wilderness Kitchen is also at the main lot, as well as pit toilets. The main lot is also the biggest parking lot.
Some prefer to park at fifth bridge, because this is the easiest way to hike to the spot you can enter down into the canyon, explore, and then hike back towards fifth bridge! There are also pit toilets at the fifth bridge parking lot!
Sixth bridge will be quite a big hike to get to the area where you can explore inside the canyon, and the main spots of the canyon. If you want to see sixth bridge, I would recommend parking at the lot, see the bridge (it’s right by the parking lot), and then driving to park at either fifth bridge or the main lot.
Unfortunately there is no public transportation in Jasper, so you will need a car to get to Maligne Canyon, or join a tour that includes transportation.
Can you do the Maligne Canyon Ice Walk on your own?
Yes! As long as you have the right gear (warm clothes and crampons), the canyon is very easy to explore on your own and you do not have to sign up for a Maligne Canyon Ice Walk tour.
Just be sure to do this at your own risk – you are in charge of your own safety! Make sure the conditions are ok to hike inside the canyon.
If you’re interested in hearing more facts and knowledge about the canyon while hiking, you can pay to join one of the Maligne Canyon icewalk tours and have a tour guide accompany you.
Most tours will include a pair of ice cleats in the tour fee! By joining a tour, you will also not have to worry about navigating or figuring out where to go while in the canyon.
Although, there are usually a ton of people exploring Maligne Canyon in winter (it is by no means a hidden gem!) so you could always ask where to go if you are unsure.
If you were looking for a guided Ice Walk trek of Maligne Canyon, SunDog Tours offers this one that has 5/5 stars and includes hotel pick-up from Jasper!
How to Get Down Into the Canyon
The entrance where you will want to get down into Maligne Canyon is a little bit after fourth bridge (if you are coming from the direction of the main lot).
As you hike, you will see gates that you can go through to get into the canyon. From the main lot, it is essentially the first gate you see to get into the canyon, almost right after fourth bridge.
If you are hiking from fifth bridge, you can still go through those gates to explore the area, but you won’t be in the spot you want to explore the canyon itself.
Keep going until you pass two gates, it is the third gate you will want to go through, so pay attention!
It’s not a big deal if you go through the gates too early, you will just have to turn around at some point because you will hit a dead end. If that’s the case, just get back on the path and keep going until you get to the proper gate!
How Much Does it Cost to Explore Maligne Canyon in the Winter?
If you are exploring the canyon on your own (not on a tour), it’s free to explore! You will still have to pay the park fees to enter Jasper National Park, but you have probably already done this if you are in Jasper.
There is no cost to explore the canyon itself.
I would highly highly recommend buying or renting a pair of ice crampons or cleats to use. The pathways can be extremely icy and there are small hills along the hiking trail, even on the regular paths above the canyon.
Without ice crampons, the Maligne Canyon ice walk would be ten times harder. You could be slipping and sliding and hanging on to the railing to try to stay on the trails!
What to Bring on the Maligne Canyon Ice Walk
Weather in the mountains can be so unpredictable. Dress for the weather, keeping in mind that you’ll be moving a lot while hiking, but it can be cold in the canyon.
I would recommend bringing:
- Toque
- Gloves
- Jacket
- Sweater
- Waterproof boots – some parts of the canyon may not be completely frozen, and your feet might get a little wet!
- Warm socks
- Ice cleats/crampons* important!
- Camera
- Lunch and/or snack
- Water
How Long Does the Ice Walk Take?
The amount of time you need for the ice walk depends on how fast you hike, how many pictures you want to take, and how long you want to spend exploring!
I would recommend budgeting around 3 hours to explore everything, but you can really spend as much or as little time as you want here.
If you have kids, it may take longer to hike to the actual spot you enter the canyon from (right around fourth bridge).
Other Things to do in Maligne Canyon This Winter
If you’re looking for even more adventure while in Jasper, Maligne Canyon in the wintertime is the perfect place. You can join a paid tour to experience repelling down into the canyon, and ice climbing up a frozen waterfall! There was a small group doing this while I was exploring, and it looked amazing!
Further down Maligne Lake Road from Maligne Canyon is Medicine Lake and Maligne Lake. If you are interested in seeing frozen lakes and snowshoeing, these can be some nice lakes to explore!
Back up Maligne Lake Road towards Jasper is Lake Annette, Edith Lake, and Jasper Park Lodge!
You can ice skate on all three of these lakes. Lake Annette and Edith Lake are unmaintained and not monitored, meaning that if there was a big snowfall you may need a shovel to create a spot to skate on.
Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge has a zamboni that clears an ice skating section on Mildred Lake, which can be combined with the Maligne Canyon Icewalk for the perfect day!
If you’re looking for an amazing birds eye view of Jasper, check out the Jasper SkyTram!
Keep Reading: Outdoor Winter Activities in Jasper | Your Jasper Bucket List
Maligne Canyon Icewalk Summary
The Maligne Canyon icewalk is an incredible activity in the wintertime, and is one of my favorite things to do in Jasper! The frozen waterfalls and magical snowy forest make it such a beautiful place to explore.
And, because it is so close to Downtown Jasper, it is super easy to get to and doesn’t take a lot of driving time to visit. Exploring the canyon in the morning and then skating on Lake Annette or Lake Mildred in the afternoon is the perfect way to spend a winter day when visiting Jasper National Park!
While exploring the canyon, make sure you are always taking the proper safety precautions, especially near the edges of the canyon and with ice thickness/safety.
I would highly recommend having a pair of ice cleats or crampons during your hike! It will make the experience way more enjoyable because you won’t be slipping and sliding around while exploring. You can rent them from in town or buy them!
If you have the chance to revisit Maligne Canyon in the summertime, I would highly recommend that as well, because it is so different and unique in different seasons.
Have you hiked Maligne Canyon in the winter and explored the frozen waterfalls?
* Please use your best judgment and enter the canyon at your own risk. There are safer ways to get into the canyon where the fence is at the same level as the canyon, you just have to walk a bit further into the canyon before entering. You do not need to scale the walls of the canyon to get down *
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Hey! I’m Kat. Based in Alberta, Canada I love to travel to the Rockies and explore new places around the world. Follow along on my adventures and find inspiration and tips for your own travels.
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