Athabasca Falls in Jasper National Park

Athabasca Falls. Back in 1975, I saw this natural spectacle for the first time. I was just a bit south of seven years old and I was seeing wonders that I’d never thought imaginable. Fast forward to 2016. Just south of 48 years old, the waterfall is no less amazing.

Athabasca Falls

Thing is, I remember clearly back in 1975 that the big deal about Athabasca Falls was that at certain times of the year, water volume exceeded that of Niagara Falls. The waterfall is glacier fed and just the spring run-off from the surrounding mountains must be incredible. However, there was no longer any mention of water volume or Niagara Falls. Once back home, there was also no mention of this on any website related to Athabasca Falls.

I found a list of the top 30 waterfalls around the world rated by water flow. Niagara Falls was indeed on that one, ranking among the top ten. Alexandra Falls and Louise Falls, two waterfalls on the Hay River that we visited in Canada’s Northwest Territories, were on the list. Athabasca Falls was not to be found.

Still, the raw beauty is immense. It’s pretty awesome to think that there is a pretty large amount of water being funneled down this very narrow canyon. Athabasca Falls measures just 23 metres high and 18 metres wide.

It’s so incredible, in fact, that it’s easy to ignore the massive crowds in the summer months. It’s even easy to ignore that many in those crowds are toting around those amazingly annoying ‘selfie sticks’ that are all the rage. It won’t be long before you hear the first news story about a tourist getting his/her selfie stick shoved up their ass…

Athabasca River

Athabasca Falls is made up of the waters of the Athabasca River squeezing through a narrow canyon. The river is coloured grey from glacial silt. Not far to the south, the headwaters of this river come off the Athabasca Glacier, part of the Columbia Ice Fields.

At the glacier, the river is not much more than a narrow brook. It takes relatively little distance before the river quite wide. See the video below for views upstream and downstream from the waterfall, along with great clips of the waterfall itself.

The Athabasca River eventually joins the Peace River, which empties into the Slave River, which empties into Great Slave Lake. From there, it empties into the MacKenzie River then into the Arctic Ocean. Quite a canoe trip, right?

Located not far south of Jasper in Jasper National Park, Athabasca Falls is located just of the main highway 93A, aka the Ice Fields Parkway. There is free parking and it is quite ample. There are washrooms at the parking lot but they are limited and in the form of pit toilets. The stench during the warmer, busier times can be quite unbearable.

Don’t get too mesmerized that you don’t look up. The rugged mountain scenery in this area is breathtaking. For another unique canyon setting in Jasper National Park, don’t forget to check out Maligne Canyon.

Athabasca Falls Video

Below is a great HD Video of Athabasca Falls. If you like what you see, please give it a ‘thumb’s up’ in YouTube. If you love what you see, please share with friends!