Maligne Canyon in Jasper National Park is one of my favorite hikes. Absolutely beautiful. A typical Canadian Rockies trail.
Most of the time when hiking Maligne Canyon, we start at the very bottom at bridge 6 and work our way up the canyon. Most people tend to park at the top of the canyon and only walk down to bridge 3 or maybe bridge 4 but they are missing the beauty of the lower canyon. In addition to getting all that extra beauty, we get to walk downhill for the second half of our hike. Smart right? I thought so.
The bottom of the canyon has a nice easy pine needle-filled path that smells so good that I could spend hours just walking along smelling the forest. You begin the walk right along Maligne River as you cross Sixth Bridge. Then you make your way into this lush mountain forest that almost overwhelms the senses with all the smells and colours. As you walk along the trail you are struck at the peace and tranquility of this section of the hike.
Slowly, at first, you begin to gain elevation towards Fifth Bridge. Once past this bridge, you begin to climb up the canyon a bit more steeply as you walk along the river. Higher and higher until you finally get to Fourth Bridge where you finally get the views of the canyon you were waiting for. All that water rushing through the canyon.
The day we made this walk, with my teenage kids, it was hot, very hot. It got up to 35°C! We hit the trail quite early but it still was very hot. But all that heat made walking in the river after the hike and our swim back at the campground all that much sweeter. We found some areas of the trail where water was running right out of the hillside. Some areas it was under the path, others it ran right over the path. A great way to cool hot feet if you don’t mind hiking with wet feet!
The views of the river and the surrounding mountains are breathtaking. The water is that typical turquoise colour that you get in the mountains. It inspires such calm in me. I just can’t describe how it makes me feel. Once you get to Third Bridge your focus is going to be on the rushing waters of the canyon. Absolutely breathtaking. Once you reach the parking lot at the top, there is a restaurant if you wish to get something to eat but there are plenty of areas to sit and enjoy any snacks you may have brought yourself. Take the break. You have earned it.
The route we took back is marked as 7H on the trail. This is the high line route that will take you up and above the canyon with some stunning views of the mountains. It also has the benefit of being a much less traveled route so you get a break from all the other people on the trail. In all, we hiked 6.8 km. A fairly short hike for us and not too hard. From Third Bridge to the top is steep but not too terribly bad. You can make it. Just one step at a time. I love this trail and walk it almost every time I’m in Jasper.
Enjoy the video below on our YouTube channel. It really gives a sense of the hike.
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