Jasper National Park of Canada

Mount Edith Cavell Travel Guide

Mt Edith Cavell at dusk, Jasper National Park
© Parks Canada

Directions

Turn south onto Highway 93A from the Icefields Parkway 7.5 km south of Jasper, before the parkway crosses the Athabasca River. Follow 93A for 11.7 km, where the Cavell Road branches to the right just past the Astoria River bridge.

Mt Edith Cavell Map

Season

The Cavell Road is normally open from early June until mid-October. This season will vary from year to year, depending on the amount of snow on the road.

Time

Provide 45 minutes of driving time from Jasper townsite.

Safety

The Cavell Road is paved, but it has some very rough sections of broken pavement and several tight, narrow switchbacks that are impossible for motor homes and buses over 7 metres (22") to maneuver around. Motorists with trailers should drop them at the parking lot near the start of the road.

Weather conditions at Mt. Edith Cavell can be extreme. Visitors who intend to leave their vehicles should be equipped with sturdy shoes and all-weather gear. Visitors should not venture off the paths.

Wildlife Viewing

Opportunities to see wildlife along the Cavell Road are excellent. Remember that watching wildlife, especially beside the road, comes with responsibility. For your protection and their survival, please:

• pull off the road completely or into provided roadside pull-offs;
• never feed or approach wildlife, this is unlawful in national parks;
• don't get out of your vehicle (use a telephoto lens to get the 'perfect picture');
• quickly continue along your way so that others may enjoy the opportunity also.

Learning Experiences

Interpretive exhibits are located along the Path of the Glacier Trail, which begins at the road's-end parking lot.

Tips

The park publication, Mount Edith Cavell, In the Heart of the Subalpine, is a great booklet to take with you on your trip to Mt. Edith Cavell. It can be purchased at the Friends of Jasper National Park bookstore in the Jasper Information Centre.

Services

Picnic tables are provided at the end of the Cavell Road. Public washrooms are the basic "dry toilet" (outhouse) variety.

Highlights

• Be sure to take in the Astoria Valley Viewpoint, 4 km up the road.
• The landscape at Mt. Edith Cavell, typical of the subalpine life zone complete with recent glaciations and subalpine to alpine meadows.
• Two excellent hikes in the area, Cavell Meadows (for flower-speckled high-subalpine and alpine meadows) and the Path of the Glacier Trail (for Little Ice Age glacial evidence).