Parking
Small roadside pullout on the east side of Highway 93 (Icefields Parkway), about 15.5 km north of the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre and roughly 3 km south of Beauty Creek Hostel; parking is limited.
Overview
About Beauty Creek to Stanley Falls
Beauty Creek to Stanley Falls is a short out-and-back from the roadside pullout on the east side of the Icefields Parkway. The route first follows an old road grade, then climbs beside Beauty Creek through a narrow, waterfall-filled canyon to Stanley Falls. The mapped corridor is about 1.0 mile one way; plan on about 2.1 miles round trip and roughly 400 feet of climbing. Most hikers can complete it in about 1 to 1.5 hours, depending on stops and footing.
The first section is relatively level, but the canyon section is rocky, rooty, and steeper. The path is not equipped like Maligne Canyon: there are no guardrails at exposed edges, and short social spurs lead toward the gorge. Stay on the safest line, keep children close, and use care when the ground is wet. The creek has a strong current; look but do not enter the water.
The trailhead is a small pullout on the east side of Highway 93 (Icefields Parkway), roughly 15.5 km north of the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre and about 3 km south of Beauty Creek Hostel. Parking is limited, and there are no toilets or reliable cell service at the trail. Download maps before driving the parkway and carry normal mountain-hiking essentials.
Why go
- Short route with a high concentration of waterfalls
- Quiet alternative to busier Jasper canyon walks
- Scenic old-road and creek-canyon approach
Heads up
- Unfenced gorge edges and rough footing in the canyon
- Limited parking with no reliable cell service or toilets
- Sparse signage and social spurs can be confusing
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Jasper map
Full mapElevation1,567–1,687 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
8 active Jasper alerts
- ClosureWildfire-impacted areas and facilities closedStay out of closed wildfire-impacted areas and facilities in Jasper National Park; closures protect public safety after the 2024 wildfire and remain in effect while recovery and safety work continues.Official details
- Closure93A (Wabasso Road) no through travel during roadworkFrom mid-October to early November 2026, plan for 93A (Wabasso Road) to be accessible from the south entrance only; no through travel is expected during roadwork.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Jasper Tour Guide
Your drive to Beauty Creek to Stanley Falls, narrated.
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 American Dipper: Underwater SongbirdListen
“Along fast-moving streams like Beauty Creek or the Sunwapta River, look for a small, slate-gray bird constantly bobbing up and down on a rock. That’s an American Dipper, North America’s only truly aquatic songbird.”
Plays on the road 0.5 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Jasper Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Stanley Falls: An Underrated Waterfall Hike
- HI Beauty Creek: Off-Grid Hostel Experience
- Grizzly Creek’s Alluvial Fan
- Alpine Wildflowers: A 60-Day Sprint
- 157 audio storiesacross Jasper’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Caribou, Gray Wolf, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 91 trails, 129 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!!!!”
Wildlife
Wildlife in Jasper
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.
