Cross-Country Ski Getaway to Jasper National Park

As a child growing up in Northern Alberta, Jasper National Park was my family's closest mountain destination for ski weekends and summer vacations. These days, my family has to wait for a long weekend to make the trek north from Calgary, but we still love visiting Jasper in both summer and winter.

This year we chose to visit Jasper for the Family Day Long weekend and we spent three days skiing, hiking, and ice skating around the Town of Jasper from our cozy wilderness base camp.

Cross-country ski getaway in Jasper (Whirlpool Valley Trail)

Geography and Access to Jasper via the Icefields Parkway

The town of Jasper is located 412 km north west of Calgary or 364 km straight west from Edmonton.  In summer, it's pretty easy to access via the Icefields Parkway from Lake Louise but in winter this road is often snow covered, closed for avalanche control, or just plain treacherous.  We still make the trek once every winter or two but snow tires are a must and you want to check the road report before you go.

The route from Calgary to Jasper can be seen here on Google Maps and more information on driving the Icefields Parkway can be found here on the Parks Canada Icefields Parkway Travel Guide.  There's a great map and winter brochure that can be downloaded from the Parks Canada site too.

I recommend leaving in the morning if possible so that you can stop along the Icefields Parkway at a few of the viewpoints.

There's nothing like a bluebird day on the Icefields Parkway

Panther Falls: One of the short hikes you can take along the Icefields Parkway in winter

Winter Exploring in Jasper: Cross-country Skiing 

Parks Canada maintains groomed cross-country ski trails in the following areas:

• Whirlpool cross-country ski hub
• Marmot Meadows cross-country ski hub
• Pyramid Lake
• Wabasso Campground

Visit the Parks Canada website for full information on each area. 

2024-25 Disclaimer: Many areas, trails, restaurants, and resorts remain closed around the Town of Jasper following the wildfires of 2024. Please visit the Tourism Jasper website along with the Parks Canada website before planning your visit, and research any trails you plan to hike or ski.

Maligne Canyon will be closed for the 2024-25 winter season.

Pyramid Creek on the Pyramid Fire Road

Skiing the Pyramid Fire Road

My family first chose to ski the Pyramid Fire Road from Pyramid Lake because I wanted to reach the Pyramid Lookout (and couldn't resist skiing one of the most difficult trails in the park.)

The Pyramid Fire Road is 13.2 km round trip and the scenery from the lookout is definitely worth the climbing. The ski down is also a lot of fun!!

Pyramid Lookout on the Pyramid Fire Road Trail

Parks Canada describes the trail below: 

"Choose your turn-around point: ski the mainly flat, first 1.1 km to Pyramid Creek at the end of Pyramid Lake (green), and then continue on and gain steady elevation on your way to Pyramid Slough at km 3.1 (blue). Next, climb steeply to the lookout over the Athabasca Valley shortly before the end of the groomed trail at km 6.6 (black)"

Know before you go:

- Dogs are allowed on this trail on leash.

- This is a ski only trail. No fat biking, no hiking, no walking.

- The trail is groomed for both classic + skate skiing. It would be a very advanced skate skiing trail though with the climbing!

After skiing the Pyramid Fire Road, I recommend skating on Pyramid Lake if you've brought ice skates. and if you want to check out the Town of Jasper, this is a good opportunity before returning to the hostel for dinner.

Approximately 400 metres of climbing brought us to this lookout

Skiing the Trail to Moab Lake

Skiing the Whirlpool Valley Trail in Jasper exceeded all expectations! We skied 16 Km round trip to reach Moab Lake and the trailhead for the historic Athabasca Pass route.

It was pretty cool skiing to two sets of the iconic red Parks Canada chairs as well.

Easy skiing on the Whirlpool Valley Trail

Skiing beside the Whirlpool River

Parks Canada describes the trail:

"Ski through the woods on the gentle rolling terrain of Moab Lake Road (green.) The red chairs at a viewpoint of the Whirlpool River make a great destination. Beyond that, follow Moab Lake Road past the red chairs and the Whirlpool River (blue.) The groomed trail ends at a viewpoint of Moab Lake with another set of red chairs."

Know before you go:

- Dogs are allowed on this trail on leash.

- This is a ski only trail. No fat biking, no hiking, no walking.

- This is a great trail for skate skiing and there is a very large skate area in the middle of the double tracksetting.

First set of red chairs beside the Whirlpool River

Trailhead for the historic Athabasca Pass route (still 49km further!)

Moab Lake and the second set of red chairs

Winter Exploring in Jasper: Hiking Maligne Canyon

A valid question: did you really go to Jasper if you didn't hike Maligne Canyon?? 

This is a classic "must do" activity, summer or winter, and you can choose to hike above the canyon (required in summer) or hike down inside the canyon (winter only.)

Make sure you bring good spikes or ice cleats for this one and if you aren’t familiar with the canyon, guided tours are recommended. Helmets are also suggested due to the risk of falling ice.

2024-25 disclaimer:

Maligne Canyon is closed following the forest fires of 2024.

Hiking in Maligne Canyon is a must-do winter activity in Jasper

If you don’t have a helmet, stay away from the waterfalls, do not stand under them, and give the ice climbers wide space! (Good advice even if you have a helmet.)

We always park at the 5th Bridge parking lot and hike up the trail from here, dropping into the canyon when we find an opening in the fence. Read more about the hike on the Hike Jasper website.

You'll want good spikes or ice cleats for this hike!

Visiting Maligne Canyon is a good day trip and I recommend stopping at the Jasper Park Lodge to skate after if you've brought ice skates.

We also combined our hike + ice skating with dinner in town and wandering around looking in the stores.

Maligne Canyon is a magical place in winter

Winter Exploring in Jasper: Natural Outdoor Ice Skating 

We stopped to skate on Pyramid Lake after skiing the Pyramid Fire Road. The Pyramid Lake Resort maintains an oval on the lake and it's a nice place to spend an hour on a sunny day. The ice was quite smooth for our visit and we enjoyed the mixed ski/skate outing while staying in Jasper.

Skating on the Pyramid Lake Oval in Jasper

The resort also rents ice skates if you forgot to bring yours. Read more on the Tourism Jasper website.

If you need to warm up afterwards, I highly recommend stopping in at the Bear's Paw Bakery in town for a cup of Jasper's best coffee and one of their homemade treats. I'm usually tempted to order one of everything in the display case! 

After hiking Maligne Canyon, we also stopped to skate on Mildred Lake at the Jasper Park Lodge. This oval is a full kilometre in distance and so we got quite the workout skating laps here. Skate rentals are also available at the Jasper Park Lodge.

Skating on Lake Mildred at the Jasper Park Lodge

For more information...

For more information on winter activities or accommodations in Jasper, visit the Tourism Jasper website.

And downhill skiers will want to visit the Marmot Basin website.

You can also read my specific Marmot Basin story here: Marmot Basin: A Ski Resort the Whole Family will Love in Jasper National Park

Winter hiking in Maligne Canyon

More Resources:

Read: The Wildest Winter Canyon Hike in the Canadian Rockies - hiking Maligne Canyon with young children

Read: Winter Road Trip? North to Jasper National Park - with downhill skiing, ice climbing, and winter hiking