Sight · Jasper National Park
Disappearing alpine lake with big views and frequent wildlife
Overview
Medicine Lake is Jasper’s disappearing act. Fed by the Maligne River, the lake fills in summer, then drains away in fall and winter through sinkholes into a vast underground karst system—water later resurfaces down-valley at Maligne Canyon. It’s a rare, textbook example of a “losing stream” on a grand scale.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy it’s specialMap
Local know-how
Build this into a Maligne Lake Road day; stop at multiple pullouts for changing angles.
Bring binoculars for bighorn sheep and bald eagles; scan slopes and snags.
Expect very different scenes by season—full waters in summer, mudflats by fall.
Carry water and snacks; there are no services at the lake itself.
Check for temporary closures related to eagle nesting before you go.
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Jasper Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Jasper National Park. 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 Jasper audio tourRecorded for this area
The Call of the Loon“That haunting, spooky sound you might hear across the water? That's the classic call of the common loon.”
Plays on the road 1.8 km from Medicine Lake in the Parkwolf Jasper 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
This valley is a reliable wildlife corridor. Keep your eyes peeled for bighorn sheep, elk, moose, and black bears along the shore and roadside. Bald eagles nest in the area; occasional closures can protect nesting sites—respect any posted notices.
Medicine Lake isn’t a typical lake—it’s a temporary reservoir atop a perforated limestone floor. As inflow wanes each year, water drains into underground caves and sinkholes, making the shoreline shape-shift with the seasons.
Yes—especially if you’re already driving Maligne Lake Road. It’s less busy than Maligne Lake, the scenery is superb, and the geology story is one-of-a-kind. Just calibrate expectations if you visit in late season when the “lake” looks more like a river on a wide, muddy bed.
Wildlife
174 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
43 sightingsCaribouMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
40 sightingsGray WolfMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
12 sightingsCanada LynxMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
315 sightingsMooseMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
1,028 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Jasper. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateJacques Lake24.5 km · 8 hr · 2.4 km awayA gentle 12.2 km one-way valley trail through Beaver and Summit Lakes to a peaceful backcountry lake.
ModerateSummit Lakes Trail9.8 km · 3 hr · 2.4 km awayA gentle forest walk to Beaver Lake and the quieter Summit Lakes
ChallengingWatchtower Trail25.4 km · 14 hr · 6 km awayRemote alpine basin route with a demanding river crossing and Skyline connectionParkwolf’s Jasper ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
