Angel Glacier
Hanging over the cliff.
Hansueli Krapf — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bernd Thaller from Graz, Austria — CC BY 2.0 · Frank Kovalchek from Anchorage, Alaska, USA — CC BY 2.0 · Khoshhat — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Khoshhat — CC BY-SA 4.0
Mount Edith Cavell is a mountain in the Athabasca and Astoria river valleys of Jasper National Park, about 23 km in a straight line south of the town of Jasper, and the most prominent peak lying entirely within Alberta. It was named in 1916 after the British nurse Edith Cavell and was previously known as Mount Fitzhugh. The north face can be seen up close after a short hike to Cavell Meadows; the trail starts at the car park at the end of Mount Edith Cavell Road and runs 3.8 km each way, climbing 370 m to 2,135 m. From the meadows the hanging Angel Glacier can be seen spilling over a 300 m cliff. Big Rock, one of the largest glacial erratics in the world, is thought to have once been part of this mountain. The grey north face streaked with snow rises sheer above a small turquoise-green lake where chunks of ice float, the Angel Glacier spreads its wings over the cliff, and meltwater falls pour from it. In summer wildflowers bloom in Cavell Meadows, and little pikas live among the rocks. A park entry fee applies. The road to the mountain is narrow and winding and is usually open only from early summer to autumn, and the car park fills quickly in summer, so go early, and keep away from the ice edge, as blocks can collapse.
Hanging over the cliff.
Floating ice.
Wildflowers.
Mount Edith Cavell Road, Jasper, Alberta, Canada
Usually early summer to autumn.
Moderate, climbing 370 m.