Parking
Sunset Pass Trailhead parking area, east of Highway 93, about 16.5 km north of Saskatchewan Crossing. The entrance is unmarked at the bottom of a hill and is easy to miss.
Overview
About Sunset Lookout Trail
Why go
- The former lookout makes a clear destination with a broad braided-river view
- A rewarding half-day climb without committing to the much longer pass route
Heads up
- Most of the approach is forested, with few open views until near the end
- The final descent reaches a cliffside lookout
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Icefields Parkway map
Full mapElevation1,448–2,076 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
2 active Icefields Parkway alerts
- ClosureWildfire-impacted area closures in JasperStay out of the closed wildfire-impacted areas in Jasper National Park; access is prohibited or restricted to protect public safety.Official details
- ClosureOpal Hills hiking area closed for grizzly bearThe Opal Hills hiking area is closed because a female grizzly bear with two offspring is in the area. - The closure took effect September 25, 2026, and remains in effect until further notice.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Icefields Parkway Tour Guide
Your drive to Sunset Lookout Trail, narrated.
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 trailhead
Sunset Lookout: The Half-Day Climb0:00 / 0:23
“Sunset Pass and Lookout trailhead is coming up, with a half-day climb to a former fire lookout above the Parkway.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Icefields Parkway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A Jasper Boulder on the Prairie
- How Mountains Make a Rain Shadow
- Two Bright Patches Beside the Sun
- Spruce or Fir? Check the Cones
- 141 audio storiesacross Icefields Parkway’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Black Bear, Moose, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 54 trails, 57 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Sunset Lookout Trail
What you’re signing up forSunset Lookout Trail is a 5.
Sunset Lookout Trail is a 5.6-mile (about 9 km) out-and-back from Sunset Pass parking, usually a 3–4 hour hike. You follow the Sunset Pass approach, then take its lookout branch to the remains of a former fire lookout above the Parkway. It’s a worthwhile half-day if a broad valley view is worth a long forest climb; most of the route stays under trees until near the end.
Find the lookout branchStay on the Sunset Pass approach until the branch for Sunset Lookout.
Stay on the Sunset Pass approach until the branch for Sunset Lookout. The main pass trail continues farther up the valley, so don’t follow it past the turn if the lookout is your destination. The return is the same way. Short side paths toward Norman Creek Falls are optional detours and aren’t included in the distance; they lead to viewpoints, not down beside the falls.
The climbRoots and rocks make the opening stretch uneven, with repeated switchbacks.
Roots and rocks make the opening stretch uneven, with repeated switchbacks. The lookout branch climbs through thick subalpine forest, gaining about 600 feet over roughly 0.8 to 1 mile. There are only occasional flowers and glimpses toward Mount Amery before the views open. Near the end, the trail swings west and drops steeply to the lookout site.
At the old lookoutConcrete remnants and lightning-conductor cables are all that remain of the former fire lookout.
Concrete remnants and lightning-conductor cables are all that remain of the former fire lookout. The payoff is the wide view over Highway 93 and the braided channels where the Alexandra and North Saskatchewan rivers meet, with Mount Saskatchewan rising beyond the valley. The site sits on a cliff above the Parkway, so keep back from the edge.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Icefields Parkway
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.
