Sight · Icefields Parkway (Highway 93)
A clear, cold lake tucked beneath steep rock walls.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Icefields Parkway Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Icefields Parkway (Highway 93). As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Icefields Parkway audio tourRecorded for this place
Horseshoe Lake: Clear Water and Cliff Views“Horseshoe Lake is coming up, a good stop for clear water tucked beneath steep rock walls.”
Plays as you drive up to Horseshoe Lake in the Parkwolf Icefields Parkway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Horseshoe Lake is a small lake just off Highway 93, about 28 km south of Jasper. A short walk through trees from the roadside parking area brings you to the rocky shore and the lake’s steep rock walls. The circuit takes about 25 minutes at an easy pace; leave longer if you want to sit by the water. It’s a worthwhile leg-stretch on the Icefields Parkway, not a full-day hike.
The water is strikingly clear, with submerged rocks visible along the shore. Swimming and paddling are common ways to enjoy the lake, but the water stays cold and parts of the shore rise into steep cliffs. Keep to stable ground around the edges. For a photo, include the rocky shallows in the foreground with the cliffs and mountain beyond; it gives the water its depth and color.
The 2024 wildfire left charred trees and fallen logs around the lake. New growth is appearing, but the fire remains part of the view and gives the shoreline a changed, more open feel.
The parking area is small, and the short paths can be rooty, uneven, and faintly marked. Allow time to find your way and turn back if a route becomes unclear. There is no food stop at the lake, so bring water and snacks before leaving Jasper.
Wildlife
12 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
127 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
16 sightingsMooseMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
100 sightingsElkMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
34 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
53 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Icefields Parkway. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyHorseshoe Lake Trail1.6 km · 30 min · At the trailheadA short loop for clear water and cliff-framed lake views.
EasyAthabasca Falls Trail1 km · 45 min · 3.4 km awayA short circuit links powerful falls and a sculpted limestone canyon.
ChallengingFryatt Trail44 km · 16 hr · 5.6 km awayA long valley approach ends at a hut beyond a steep headwall.
EasyMoab Lake Spur1.3 km · 45 min · 6.5 km awayA short lakeshore walk from the Moab Lake access road.
ChallengingGeraldine Lakes Trail12.4 km · 5.5 hr · 8 km awayA rugged climb to alpine lakes, waterfalls, and a backcountry camp.Parkwolf’s Icefields Parkway ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
