Sunwapta Falls
A Powerful Milky Grey Waterfall On The Sunwapta River, With Upper And Lower Falls, A Viewing Platform, A Short Trail To The Lower Falls And A Lodge. A Popular Stop On The Icefields Parkway, With The Glacial Flour Giving The Water Its Colour · Jasper, Alberta
Sunwapta Falls is where the Sunwapta River, running grey-white from the Columbia Icefield, squeezes into a rock gorge beside the Icefields Parkway about 55 km south of Jasper townsite (confirm). A short side road leaves Highway 93 for a car park beside the lodge, and a paved path leads to rails above the upper falls, where the river splits around a rock island and drops roughly 18 m into a curving canyon (confirm height). A trail runs downstream to the lower falls and several quieter overlooks, and the river soon joins the Athabasca. The name is usually given as turbulent river in the Stoney Nakoda language. Meltwater keeps the flow strong from May to September, and the roar carries back to the car park. It is among the easiest big waterfalls to reach in the park, and it fills with coach groups around midday in July and August. Allow thirty minutes for the upper falls or up to two hours with the lower falls trail.
Sunwapta Falls, on the Sunwapta River just off the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93) about 55 km south of Jasper townsite in Jasper National Park; coordinates approximate, Jasper, Alberta, Canada
The falls and the trails have no gate and can be visited at any hour, all year. The lodge, its cafe and any gift counter keep seasonal hours, generally from about May to October, so confirm dates before counting on food or washrooms. Daylight lasts past 10 pm around the June solstice and fades by about 4:30 pm in December. The Icefields Parkway is ploughed in winter but can close for storms, avalanche control or wildfire, so check the road report on the day you leave Jasper. The upper falls can be seen in every season, while the lower trail is icy in a freeze and soft in a thaw.