Lower Sunwapta Falls

The trailhead is located at Sunwapta Falls, 54 kilometers south of the Yellowhead Highway at the town of Jasper, or 49 kilometers north of the Icefield Center, along the Icefields Parkway. Walk around the gorge at Sunwapta Falls (do not cross the river), watching for a sign tacked to a tree pointing towards the trail, which leads 1.3 km to the falls.While just over a kilometer upstream Sunwapta Falls is almost always swamped with tourists, those looking for a little more isolation will want to hike the easy trail to Lower Sunwapta Falls. Not only will you likely be alone, but the lower falls are larger and much more interesting. The falls consist of four tiers spilling in a staircase formation down a narrow gorge. The first tier is somewhat distant from the trail, dropping 5-10 feet over a broad step above the actual gorge itself. The river runs along an “S” bend then plunges 25 feet into the gorge proper. A short distance further the middle drop thunders 35 feet into a large bowl, then exits the pool in the final 20 foot drop. This stretch of river is, like the stretch around the Upper Falls, quite photogenic so plan on spending some time poking around to find the best compositions.