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Best Hikes in Jasper National Park - Easy Jasper Hikes
Jasper National Park is home to some of the world’s most pristine wilderness and most remarkable views. There are hikes that are sure to satisfy hikers at every skill level. This list of Jasper hiking trails is no exception!
We’ve visited the park plenty of times and we’ve assembled this list of super easy Jasper hikes that are guaranteed to make their way into your photo album. For even more convenience, be sure to download our map below which features all the best hikes in Jasper!
Table of Contents
Mary Schaffer Loop
Difficulty: Easy Elevation Gain: Negligible
Length: 3.2km (2mi) Best Time To Go: 01 June - 15 Sept
Duration: Less than 1.5 hours
The Mary Schaffer Loop Trail, located near Maligne Lake, is a relatively easy trail that offers some truly remarkable views - particularly during the lakeside portion. Benches accompany the lakeside portion along with some interesting placards that tell some history related to the area and Mary Schaffer. This hike also features some of the famed "red chairs" inserted by Parks Canada.
Once you have completed the lakeside portion of this trail, the trail then veers off into the woods and loops back into the parking lot. In all honesty - we wouldn’t blame you if you skipped the wooded portion of this hike and turned around at the placards; equating to roughly 1.4km total.
Valley of Five Lakes
Difficulty: Easy Elevation Gain: 84m
Length: 4.6km (2.8mi) Best Time To Go: 15 May - 15 Sept
Duration: Less than 2 hours
The Valley of Five Lakes Trail is certainly the most popular hike in Jasper National Park, you'll no doubt encounter dozens of other people as your meander around the beautiful lakes. There are some very short sections of steep elevation gain along the trail, but it's nothing that can’t be managed.
Valley of 5 Lakes is a great trail for those looking to experience Jasper National Park without the heavy physical exertion. The trail is also heavily trafficked, which leaves the trail well compacted and easily navigable. Just be sure you arrive at the Valley of Five Lakes Trailhead early because it can fill up very easily.
Maligne Canyon
Difficulty: Easy Elevation Gain: 124m
Length: 3.7km (2.3mi) Best Time To Go: 15 May - 15 Sept &
Duration: Less than 2 hours 01 Dec - 01 Mar
Maligne Canyon offers a completely different type of hiking experience than the aforementioned trails - as you might have guess: it follows alongside a canyon! In total, 6 bridges overpass this jagged gorge filled with rushing water - it really is quite a spectacular view!
Maligne Canyon in the winter is arguably even more beautiful in the winter too!
In our opinions, the best views can be found at the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd bridge! In the summer, you can witness and hear the beauty of the rushing river (just maybe bring some bug spray), and in the winter you can see the beautiful icicles and snow covered rocks (just be sure to bring some crampons).
Lake Anette Loop
Difficulty: Easy Elevation Gain: Negligible
Length: 2.7km (1.7mi) Best Time To Go: 15 May - 15 Sept
Duration: Less than 1.5 hours
There are two main lake hikes just outside the Town of Jasper, those being Lake Annette Loop and Lac Beauvert Loop. Lac Beauvert offers a nice trail, but in our opinion it’s really more just more of a lookout point rather than a trail worth walking. For that reason, we recommend you give Lake Annette, Jasper a try!
The trail is well paved the entire way, and also has benches for resting if required and offers some amazing views, particularly on the far side of the lake when you gaze back at Pyramid Mountain in the distance.
Sunwapta Falls
Difficulty: Easy Elevation Gain: 146km
Length: 3.2km (2mi) Best Time To Go: 15 May - 15 Sept
Duration: Less than 1.5 hours
These falls are quite possibly the most impressive within Jasper National Park and they are an absolute must visit! The Sunwapta Falls hike is relatively easy and provides you views of one of the more impressive waterfalls in the Canadian Rockies - at over 60ft!
If you on completing this trail, we highly encourage you to set out in the morning before 10am because the trail can become absolutely packed with tourists and you’ll be struggling to take a photo.
Moose Lake Loop
Difficulty: Easy Elevation Gain: 108km
Length: 2.7km (1.7mi) Best Time To Go: 01 June - 15 Sept
Duration: Less than 1.5 hours
Moose Loop Trail is probably our favorite, easy hike in Jasper National Park. The trail is covered in many roots and can be quite muddy, but the views at Moose Lake are definitely worth the short jaunt. It features wooded portions, a wonderful view of Moose Lake, breathtaking views of Maligne Lake, and the nearby mountains!
This is a great place to see moose and is one of the best trails we have encountered for bird watching - the birds absolutely love hanging out at Moose Lake and you can get some really nice pictures. Moose Loop definitely needs to be on your list!
Old Fort Point Trail
Difficulty: Novice Elevation Gain: 175m
Length: 3.7km (2.3mi) Best Time To Go: 01 June - 15 Sept
Duration: Less than 2 hours
There are several easy access photographs of Lac Beauvert. You can either park at Old Fort Point and walk the quick 10 minutes to access views that way, or you can park at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and walk the easy trails around there.
The most beautiful pictures are always of a beautiful lake surrounded by trees and mountains, and Lac Beauvert offers just that.
Patricia Lake
Difficulty: Novice Elevation Gain: 106m
Length: 4.4km (2.7mi) Best Time To Go: 01 June - 15 Sept
Duration: Less than 2 hours
Doing the trail this way gives you some remarkable views of Patricia Lake, the Cottonwood Slough, and you can enjoy a beautiful view on the Parks Canada red benches (although you can skip this if you want).
There are plenty of elk and deer in the area as well, so be sure you have your camera ready to snap a picture of one!
Wabasso Lake
Difficulty: Novice Elevation Gain: 251m
Length: 7.2km (4.4mi) Best Time To Go: 01 June - 15 Sept
Duration: Less than 2.5 hours
The vast majority of this trail is heavily wooded, and there’s not much for views of the surrounding mountains. However, the tranquility of Wabasso Lake is really unmatched. And the island situated in the middle offers some unique photography opportunities that are hard to come by!
While on this trail, we encountered several deer, signs of beavers, and plenty of signs of bear activity. This area is often frequented by black bears - as always, be sure you have your bear spray on you!
Overlander Trail
Difficulty: Intermediate Elevation Gain: 405m
Length: 14.8km (9.2mi) Best Time To Go: 15 May - 15 Sept
Duration: Less than 5 hours - depending
This trail is actually one of our personal favorite day hiking trails in Jasper National Park because it packs just about everything you’d want into a hike: there’s some breathtaking views, some interesting historical points and plenty of opportunities to see wildlife!
Because the trailhead and finish location are far apart it can be a bit of a logistical challenge, unless you have two vehicles or are willing to pay for a cab. To overcome this, we hiked from the trailhead to the homestead and back (roughly 16.8km or 10.4mi) and then hiked the remainder of the trail (from the opposite end) a different day.
The trail is very well defined, tough packed dirt, and follows ridge alongside Hwy 16. The added elevation provides some wonderful views of the river and mountains. You then pass several homesteads and can read about the life of the very early settlers in the region.
Edith Cavell Meadows Trail - Best Hike Jasper
Difficulty: Intermediate Elevation Gain: 825m
Length: 14.8km (9.2mi) Best Time To Go: 15 June - 15 Duration: Less than 4.5 hours August
The Cavell Meadows Trail is probably one of the most beautiful day hikes in Jasper National Park and offers some amazing views of the surrounding area.
The early onsets of Edith Cavell Meadows are very easy, packed with people traveling on a paved road. However, the crowds dwindle quickly as you climb higher on your way to the summit. The views of the nearby lake are jaw dropping - and as you climb higher you are gradually exposed to a 360 panoramic mountain view. The Cavell Meadows Trail is truly one of the most beautiful hikes in Jasper.
Pikas abound this trail, elk can also be encountered along with bears.
Wilcox Pass
Difficulty: Intermediate Elevation Gain: 411m
Length: 11.6km (7.2mi) Best Time To Go: 15 June - 15 Sept
Duration: Less than 4 hours
Wilcox Pass Trail is yet another one of the best hikes in Jasper National Park, there are ample chances to see wildlife, get some amazing views and get your photos taken in the famed red chairs of Parks Canada. If you don’t want to deal with hassle of getting back to your starting spot we highly encourage you turn around whenever you feel comfortable.
Wilcox Pass Hike is absolutely spectacular and provide beautiful views of the Athabasca Glacier and nearby mountains as you gradually climb the trail. Mountain sheep very often frequent this area so be on the lookout!
Morro Peak
Difficulty: Intermediate Elevation Gain: 630m
Length: 5.1km (3.1mi) Best Time To Go: 01 June - 15 Sept
Duration: Less than 4 hours
Probably the most difficult hike on this list, Morro Peak starts off relatively easy with a slight incline passing through the trees. After some time, the trail becomes quite rocky and gets remarkably steep - sturdy shoes and hiking poles are strongly encouraged with this one!
However, the views at the top make it all worth it. You almost get the sensation of climbing a small mountain - and the views represent that. Because of it’s lower altitude, this might be a viable “summit” hike when there’s more snow on the ground. Morro Peak Hike is not to be overlooked.
If you're looking for one the most underrated backpacking trips in Jasper, we recommend you consider checking out the Fryatt Valley Hike
Summary
There are plenty of easy hikes in Jasper National Park that offer some remarkable views - all with their own unique experiences. But in our opinion, these are some of the best easy hikes in Jasper!
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