Jasper National Park Tour: Maligne Valley, Medicine Lake and Spirit Island
6 hours (approx.)
Hotel pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English
Good for avoiding crowds
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Overview
Experience the most incredible sights in Jasper National Park’s Maligne Valley during this guided excursion to the region’s most scenic lakes and majestic canyons. Check out Medicine Lake, Maligne Canyon, and Maligne Lake during your trip, keeping your eyes out for area wildlife and learning about the unique natural history (and more recent human settlement) of the Canadian Rockies. Over the course of the day, you also get to enjoy short walks through the beautiful scenery, and choose between a boat ride or guided hike at Maligne Lake. Your Maligne Valley trip also includes round-trip transport from your Jasper hotel.
- Half-day tour of Maligne Valley, from Jasper
- See the stunning limestone gorge and waterfalls in Maligne Canyon
- Find out from your expert guide why the Medicine Lake appears to vanish every year
- Choose from a boat cruise on Maligne Lake to Spirit Island or a short guided hike
- Look for abundant wildlife in Jasper National Park, including moose and wolves
- Enjoy several stops for short walks to stunning viewpoints and photo ops
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Discover some of the most spectacular scenery in the Canadian Rockies, enjoying fun hikes and wildlife spotting on the way, during this excursion to the Maligne Valley in Jasper National Park. This spectacular national park offers a jaw-dropping range of natural scenery that has to be seen to be believed.
Start with a pickup from your Jasper hotel in the morning, traveling by air-conditioned coach with your guide into the beautiful surroundings of Jasper National Park. Make your visit stop of the day at Maligne Canyon, proceeding on an easy walk over two bridges that traverse 165-foot (50-meter) deep gorge etched into the area's limestone. Admire the incredible views as cascades of water pour into the canyon, and join your guide for a short explanation of the area’s wildlife and geology.
Board your coach and drive next to Medicine Lake, tracing the path of a scenic highway as it snakes through the nearby forests and mountains. Arrive at this beautiful alpine body of water, learning about its mysterious “disappearance” every summer, which is caused by the water’s retreat into an extensive network of underground karsts (among the biggest in the world).
Continue to Maligne Lake, taking time on its shores to enjoy a boat ride to the postcard-perfect Spirit Island or a nature walk along an easy trail. Those who select the hike trace the Mary Schaffer Loop trail, proceeding along the banks of Maligne Lake with a gorgeous lookout. The site offers a variety of benches and interpretive signage, allowing you to take a rest before continuing back to your starting point.
Those on the boat cruise climb aboard their vessel, complete with enclosed cabin and extra-large viewing windows, as they travel across this incredibly scenic body of water. Make a brief landing at the pine-tree covered Spirit Island, enjoying a chance to take a few photos and wander around before returning to the boat and back to shore.
As you proceed through the course of your day’s activities, listen to interesting commentary about the human and natural history of the region. Keep your eyes peeled for the abundant wildlife known to frequent the area, which includes caribou, wolves, deer, bear, bald eagles, osprey, bighorn sheep and moose.
Finish your day’s activity with a drop-off back at your Jasper hotel.
Start with a pickup from your Jasper hotel in the morning, traveling by air-conditioned coach with your guide into the beautiful surroundings of Jasper National Park. Make your visit stop of the day at Maligne Canyon, proceeding on an easy walk over two bridges that traverse 165-foot (50-meter) deep gorge etched into the area's limestone. Admire the incredible views as cascades of water pour into the canyon, and join your guide for a short explanation of the area’s wildlife and geology.
Board your coach and drive next to Medicine Lake, tracing the path of a scenic highway as it snakes through the nearby forests and mountains. Arrive at this beautiful alpine body of water, learning about its mysterious “disappearance” every summer, which is caused by the water’s retreat into an extensive network of underground karsts (among the biggest in the world).
Continue to Maligne Lake, taking time on its shores to enjoy a boat ride to the postcard-perfect Spirit Island or a nature walk along an easy trail. Those who select the hike trace the Mary Schaffer Loop trail, proceeding along the banks of Maligne Lake with a gorgeous lookout. The site offers a variety of benches and interpretive signage, allowing you to take a rest before continuing back to your starting point.
Those on the boat cruise climb aboard their vessel, complete with enclosed cabin and extra-large viewing windows, as they travel across this incredibly scenic body of water. Make a brief landing at the pine-tree covered Spirit Island, enjoying a chance to take a few photos and wander around before returning to the boat and back to shore.
As you proceed through the course of your day’s activities, listen to interesting commentary about the human and natural history of the region. Keep your eyes peeled for the abundant wildlife known to frequent the area, which includes caribou, wolves, deer, bear, bald eagles, osprey, bighorn sheep and moose.
Finish your day’s activity with a drop-off back at your Jasper hotel.
Itinerary
You’ll stop first at Maligne Canyon where a short walk takes you across two bridges over a 165 foot (50m) deep gorge that has been carved into the limestone. Catch great views of the waterfalls spilling into the canyon below as you explore the area with your guide, who will share information about the geology and wildlife in the area.
Duration: 30 minutes
Admission Ticket Included
After checking out Maligne Canyon, you’ll continue to drive to Medicine Lake, taking a gorgeous road that winds through a dramatic mountain and forest landscape. Medicine Lake is famous for ‘vanishing’ every summer, the result of an extensive underground karst system — one of the largest in the world.
Duration: 20 minutes
Admission Ticket Included
From Medicine Lake you’ll follow the road to gorgeous Maligne Lake where you’ll have a choice of a boat cruise to Spirit Island or a 2-mile (3.2km) guided hike on an easy and level trail.
If you choose the hiking option, you’ll follow your guide on the Mary Schaffer Loop trail, which skirts the shore of Maligne Lake to a beautiful viewpoint with interpretive displays and benches before continuing into the trees and back to your starting point.
Duration: 3 hours
Admission Ticket Free
If you choose to take the boat cruise, you’ll board a comfortable enclosed boat with large windows for a scenic tour on Maligne Lake. Your boat will stop at Spirit Island, a small gem in the lake, where you’ll have time for photos and a short stroll.
**Please note this is NOT included for guests who choose the WALK option**
Throughout the day, your guide will explain the natural and human history of the area and will keep an eye out for the abundant wildlife that lives here. Sightings may include bear, deer, caribou, wolves, moose, bighorn sheep, bald eagles and osprey, among the many animals of Jasper National Park.
At the end of your tour, you will be returned to your Jasper hotel.
Duration: 1 hour
Admission Ticket Included
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- "Booking this excursion was easy and the pick up at the hotel made things effortless." See review
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Jasper National Park Tour: Maligne Valley, Medicine Lake and Spirit Island
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