Raw power
Roar and spray.
Jakub Fryš — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ken Thomas — Public domain · Hansueli Krapf — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hansueli Krapf — CC BY-SA 4.0
One of the most powerful waterfalls in the Rockies, where the Athabasca River crashes with full force about twenty-three metres into a narrow gorge, with a loud roar and thick spray, before the towering peak of Mount Kerkeslin. The falls are known less for their height than for the force and volume of their water, as the river carries glacial meltwater, and over thousands of years it has carved a deep, narrow gorge into hard quartzite, with smooth walls and round potholes. Paved paths, bridges and viewing platforms surround the falls from different angles, with stairs leading down into an old dry channel where the river ran before it changed course. It is close to the car park, an easy short stop on the road. A Parks Canada daily pass of about C$12.25 per adult is required. The rocks near the water are slippery and dangerous, so keep to the paths and railings. It pairs with a drive along the Icefields Parkway to the Columbia Icefield.
Roar and spray.
Quartzite walls.
Stairs to the floor.
On the Icefields Parkway, about 30 km south of Jasper town
A few minutes from the car park on paved paths; the whole loop takes about half an hour.