Athabasca Falls
A Powerful Waterfall About 23 M High Where The Athabasca River Squeezes Through A Quartzite Gorge, In Jasper National Park (UNESCO Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, 1984). Noted For Volume And Spray Rather Than Height. Fenced Viewpoints Are The Safe Places; The Rock Is Slick And Falls Have Killed Visitors. · Jasper, Alberta
Athabasca Falls is a waterfall beside the Icefields Parkway, about 30 km south of Jasper townsite in Jasper National Park. It is only about 23 m high, so the draw is force, not height: the whole Athabasca River squeezes through a narrow quartzite gorge and throws up spray you can feel from the fenced paths. It suits almost anyone, because the main viewpoints are a short walk from the car park, and it makes a good first stop on the Parkway. It is also a hazard. The rock is smooth and wet, people have died after climbing past the fences, and the safe plan is to stay behind the barriers. Come early or late in summer because the car park is small and tour coaches stop here. A Parks Canada pass is needed, and the main viewpoint is described as wheelchair accessible (confirm). Allow 30 to 60 minutes, longer if you walk the gorge. Jasper is the base for food and lodging, and the falls are free beyond the park pass.
Waterfall on the Athabasca River beside the Icefields Parkway about 30 km south of Jasper townsite in Jasper National Park, with a car park, viewing bridges and fenced paths along the gorge, Jasper, Alberta, Canada
The falls are part of the national park and are viewable all day, all year, with no gate or ticket booth at the site. Services are minimal, usually a car park, a toilet block and information signs, so there is no staffed opening time to quote. Winter brings ice, snow and a frozen, shifting look to the falls, and the Icefields Parkway can need winter tires or close during storms, so check conditions first. In summer, the car park is busiest between late morning and mid-afternoon. A valid Parks Canada pass is needed for the park. Daylight is long in summer and short in winter, and the area is dark and slippery at night.