Maligne Canyon winter hike is a beautiful place to bring the whole family or go with your partner. You can walk along the top of the canyon and see the ice hanging off the cliff’s edge from above. It’s beautiful to see the snow blanket the rocks inside the canyon as well. It’s a wonderful way to get exercise and see nature at its finest. Hiking to all six bridges will take approximately two hours. Add additional time if you want to have lunch at the picnic tables by bridge five or walk inside the canyon. The picnic area offers outhouses for a bathroom break. Make sure to bring your Kahtoola Microspikes for increased traction and stability on slippery ice and snow.
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Two Parking Lots
Maligne Canyon has two parking lots. The first parking lot on the left is called the Maligne Lookout Parking, where you can overlook the valley. It’s a smaller parking lot but the outhouse is always unlocked. The second lot has a much bigger parking area that allows you to start walking toward the six different bridges above the canyon. The outhouses at this location are often locked. Keep that in mind.
Important Information
We went together as a family without a guide but the recent information provided by Jasper National Park on January 5, 2023, indicated that “an ice shelf has collapsed in the canyon bottom between the third and fourth bridge, leaving a large ice platform unsupported”. I would think again about going by ourselves. Be extra cautious of changing conditions.
Tip: With the constant melting and shifting of snow and ice, it’s strongly recommended to go with a guide. Sundog Tours offers ice walks for $69 per adult and $35 per child. It’s scary not knowing if the snow and ice will support visitors. Do you have enough knowledge to know if the ice is structurally sound to hold your weight?
It’s possible to go by yourself and it will be free, but you do so at your own risk. For things to consider when going alone, click here.
Maligne Canyon Winter Hiking Gear
It’s important to have the right gear when you set out on your adventure. There are three factors you should consider when heading to this location:
- it’s a hike,
- in winter conditions,
- and icy conditions
What does that mean?
Bring Typical Hiking Gear:
- day backpack
- water bladder – this time it needs to be insulated, or grab a water bottle with an insulated pouch
- MEC seat cushion to ensure you have a comfortable place to sit on your adventure when there’s snow and ice all around you
- hiking boots with threads to aid in gripping against the rocks
- snacks: 6 Easy Snack Ideas for Kayaking Trips will also work for this short hiking trip
- a lunch: I like a pickle, ham and cheese sandwich personally, it’s so tasty!
Bring additional Winter Layers:
- Merino 250 Top Base Layer 1/4 Zip Long Sleeve – Women’s and Merino Pant Base Layer for Women are wonderful base layers to keep you warm and toasty. The best part is that they don’t stink when you become sweaty allowing you to wear them over multiple days doing different winter activities.
- mitts that allow you to grip rocks for balance. Wool mitts might tear and not offer the proper protection.
- hat to keep your head and ears warm but that won’t cause you to overheat while you hike.
- winter boots (if you want to wear them in colder weather instead of hiking boots)
- Chaos Multi Tubular Headwear – Unisex – it can add additional warmth to your head, face and neck if it’s cold or windy.
For icy conditions, you’ll need to bring Kahtoola Microspikes.
Kahtoola Microspikes
Kahtoola microspikes are essential for this excursion. They offer a stretchy red band that goes over your hiking or winter boots. They feature sharp microspikes at the bottom to grip the ice and prevent you from slipping and potentially falling down. If you don’t wear them, you never know when your foot might slip causing the rest of your body to crash to the ground. The microspikes will help to prevent you from getting hurt. They have a variety of different sizes for people to wear. Unfortunately, they don’t have small sizes for children. You might need to investigate other spike companies.
Tip #1: Ensure that you wipe off, then completely dry the microspikes once you’re done hiking to prevent them from rusting.
The microspikes work well on steep icy inclines and descents. They made our tester feel a lot more confident even when holding onto the railings. They can help you maintain your balance while crossing a creek on frozen ice.
Maligne Canyon Trail Map
Hiking to the Six Bridges
The Maligne Canyon Trail map shows you all six bridges and the different directions you can take to get there. The trail to the six bridges starts along the top of the canyon and slowly eases its way across bridges adjacent to the canyon. After the fourth bridge, it turns into a forested hike along the Maligne River. The entire loop from the Maligne parking lot to the fifth bridge is approximately 4.3 kilometres and the entire loop to go all the way to the sixth bridge and back is 7.4 kilometres. The trail is rated as easy according to AllTrails. Jasper Hikes: Best Memories is a great way to get in shape for the Maligne Canyon winter hike.
Hiking in Maligne Canyon
You can enter the canyon at different entry points once you’ve reached the river. It’s not entirely clear where it’s safe to enter, so you’ll have to go at your own risk and use your best judgment. A guide would have you enter safely at the correct spot.
Maligne Canyon Winter Hike: Upper Trail View
Maligne Canyon Winter Hike Views
It’s possible from the bridges to see the ice hanging from the cliffs in the canyon below, as seen in the first picture. You might be able to see the ice at the bottom where you’d potentially walk depending on the angle. The views across the valley are gorgeous as well especially when the sun hits the peaks.
Beautiful Scenery for Pictures
The vistas above and in the canyon are stunning for breathtaking pictures. Photographers love this area! The way the sun hits the different shades of ice on the cliffs and waterfalls makes for wonderful natural art. The big clumps of snow that tend to accumulate on the rocks make you feel like you’re in pillows of snow. While trying to capture that perfect angle, you might be able to catch a glimpse of water trickling down the side of the canyon and glimmering in the sun.
Caution Signs
There are caution signs all over the trail indicating that with the snow and ice, it’s slippery along the trail, and along the edges of the canyon. Many railings have sturdy wire mesh so you don’t slip down into the canyon. Be aware that at some spots, railings are missing. Getting too close to the edge could cause you to get injured on the sharp cliff edges.
Tip: Make sure you don’t step too close to the edge for fear of slipping into the canyon.
Climbers
Watch out for climbers that can sometimes be spotted ascending or rappelling in the canyon. They could potentially chip off the ice from the waterfalls and cause injury.
Tip: Do not hike below ice climbers!
Different Bridges
- On the first bridge, you’ll see a large waterfall, frozen over the winter months, thawing around March. Depending on which trail you take from the parking lot, you might miss this bridge as the start of the trail is tucked away to the left as you enter the parking lot.
- The second bridge is high up with ice further down in the canyon. You’ll need to either peak through the sides of the railing or look down over the bridge to see the ice. Tip: Look straight across when crossing this bridge if you’re scared of heights. Looking down might make you feel weak in the knees.
- You can take two different trails to reach bridge number three. Ice can be seen below at a closer distance.
- You’ll see the frozen Maligne River underneath you at a depth of fifteen metres from this bridge.
- The fifth bridge is a longer crossing as a larger portion of the river has branched out at this point. The river will be flowing down in a strong current, so unlikely to be frozen.
- We never made it to bridge six as it was further than our family wanted to go on that particular outing.
Maligne Canyon Winter Hike
As you can see from the first picture above, the ice was melting like crazy when we went to the canyon in March of 2022. Although it made for awesome pictures and neat ice formations, it also made the conditions very slick with snow and ice throughout the entire trail in the canyon. Puddles of water can be seen in the left-hand corner of the picture. The rocks were wet and icy from the melting ice and snow so caution was taken with every step. Watch your footing when attempting to venture into the canyon and crossing rocks, creeks, pools and ice.
When looking in between rocks that are hidden from sunlight, you might be able to see different cool icicle formations.
Hiking poles can be handy to bring along to help provide balance and stability, especially as in the second picture when the entire path was created by ice and there aren’t any railings to hold onto. Ensure that it’s solid underneath you when attempting to cross the river.
Final Thoughts
Maligne Canyon winter hike is a neat place to visit with your family or partner. There are lots of different ice formations to look at from above the canyon and while walking through it. Make sure to bring your camera to take creative pictures. Don’t forget your Katoola Microspikes to give you traction as you walk uphill or downwards on the ice. Increased stability will make you feel more confident when walking on the ice. Consider paying some money to hike with a guide to ensure your safety. You don’t want to get caught in a bad situation unprepared without the proper gear.
Take time to explore past the canyon and go for a little hike to the fifth or the sixth bridge. It’s nice to breathe in the fresh air and see the beautiful mountain views. Don’t forget to pack a lunch to be able to enjoy a good portion of the day in this area.
If you’re looking for additional winter activities in the Jasper area, 5 Awesome Outdoor Skating Rinks includes skating at Pyramid Lake Resort. The lake is gorgeous for skating. You can even go a bit further down the lake if it’s clear from snow to explore. Just know that you’ll be doing so at your own risk. It’s a gorgeous area to walk on the paths or walk to Pyramid Island. If you want to go on a further adventure, check out Best Downhill Ski Day in Lake Louise and Downhill Ski Sunshine or Lake Louise? to compare your fantastic downhill skiing options in the area.
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