Parking
Park at the Jasper Activity Centre lot at 303 Bonhomme Street. The signed trail access begins beside the centre.
Overview
About Trail 8 (MinaLake)
Why go
- Two quiet lake shorelines on one signed town-access loop
- No shuttle needed; the route starts at the Jasper Activity Centre
Heads up
- Numbered junctions and mixed-use trail require attention
- Rooty, rocky sections and steady climbing take most of an afternoon
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Jasper map
Full mapElevation1,066–1,246 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 Trail 8 (MinaLake), 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 trailhead
Jasper's History at the Yellowhead MuseumListen
“You're approaching a part of town that holds a lot of Jasper's history. The Jasper Yellowhead Museum is right here, and it’s where the story of the park really comes into focus.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Jasper Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Jasper Gas and EV Charging Hub
- Jasper Townsite Overview and Highlights
- Shell Gas Station and Historic Anglican Church
- HI Jasper and Closed Services
- 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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Trail 8 (MinaLake)
The full loopThis is a 5.
This is a 5.5-mile (9 km) loop from the Jasper Activity Centre, with 172 m of elevation gain and loss. Allow 3 to 4 hours for the full Mina-Riley route. Start from the Activity Centre lot and follow the signed town trails toward Trail 8, then continue through the forest and wetland to Mina Lake and on to small, scenic Riley Lake. At the Trail 2 junction, turn right to return to Jasper.
What makes it goodThe route strings together quiet lodgepole forest, the open edges of Cottonwood Slough, and two…
The route strings together quiet lodgepole forest, the open edges of Cottonwood Slough, and two lake shorelines without requiring a shuttle. Mina and Riley are the best places to slow down; include a little shoreline and trail in a photo so the lakes feel connected to the surrounding forest. The trail network is also used by mountain bikers, so listen at blind corners and give way.
The effortThis is a moderate hike, not a flat town walk.
This is a moderate hike, not a flat town walk. Expect a steady early climb, rooty or rocky tread, and a few short steeper sections. The numbered junctions matter in this busy network, and an offline map is useful. Dogs are allowed on the route, but wildlife is common in Jasper, so keep them close and carry bear spray.
Before you goThe Activity Centre lot at 303 Bonhomme Street is the practical start.
The Activity Centre lot at 303 Bonhomme Street is the practical start. If you want a shorter outing, Trail 8c provides a shortcut back toward town after upper Mina Lake, but it skips Riley Lake and is not the full loop described here. Check the park's current trail information before setting out, especially in spring when the path can be muddy.
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.
