Sunwapta Falls

Fifty-six kilometers (35 miles) south of the Town of Jasper is where you'll find this class six waterfall.

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Sunwapta Falls Details

Fifty-six kilometers (35 miles) south of the Town of Jasper is where you'll find this class six waterfall. Sunwapta Falls, which are fed by the Athabasca Glacier, have a drop of approximately 60 feet and are most impressive in the late-spring and early-summer when the snow is quickly melting. Meaning "turbulent river" in the Stoney Indian language, the falls are a result of the Sunwapta River changing course long ago and carving a gorge into the limestone rocks that now flank the river. In the spring, summer and fall, you can walk across a foot bridge and watch the water continuing to carve away at the limestone rocks, and hike the trail to the lower falls. Just be aware that people aren't the only ones who enjoy this trail - bears, wolves and moose like to frequent the lower falls trail as well. In the winter, that turbulent water freezes and provides for some stunning ice formations. Instead of hiking the trail to the lower falls, during winter months you can snowshoe the trail, and even go ice climbing on the falls themselves. Sunwapta Falls is found off of the Icefields Parkway in Jasper National Park, the parking lot for which is 500 meters (0.3 mile) from the turn-off. Though the falls are accessible year-round, the road to the falls is closed in the winter, so you'll need to snowshoe or walk in to see them. Make plans to spend half-an-hour to two-and-a-half hours visiting Sunwapta Falls to make the most of your visit.

Difficulty

Low

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