The bridge
Over the gorge.
Hansueli Krapf — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hansueli Krapf — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ovedc — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ovedc — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ovedc — CC BY-SA 4.0
Sunwapta Falls is a powerful waterfall on the Sunwapta River in Jasper National Park, where grey-green water plunges between limestone walls into a narrow gorge, surrounded by pine forest and snowy Rockies. Sunwapta is a Stoney word meaning «turbulent water». There are two falls, upper and lower, and most visitors see the upper falls, which are easier to reach. The water drops about 18.5 m with a width of about 9 m. It comes from the Athabasca Glacier, so flow is highest in early summer with the melt. You stand on the bridge over the gorge to watch the water rush beneath, then follow a forest trail of about an hour return to the lower falls, which are quieter, with the river carrying on down the canyon. It is about 48 km in a straight line southeast of Jasper, reached by a 600 m side road off the Icefields Parkway. Stay behind the railings, as the rocks are slippery.
Over the gorge.
In the forest.
Behind the falls.
Off the Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park, Alberta
Early summer.
Half an hour to an hour.