Cross-country skiing
Jasper National Park
Jasper offers up a great mix of cross-country ski trails with something for everyone. Relax with the whole family and take in the vistas on a casual ski around one of our easy campground trails or get your heart pumping up the steeply-ascending Pyramid Fire Road.
Trail etiquette
Thanks for respecting our trails and keeping them safe so that they can be enjoyed by all.
- Please respect dog restrictions and closures
- Do not walk or snowshoe on ski trails
- Pack out all your garbage
1. Whirlpool cross-country ski hub
| Difficulty | Trail | Distance | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | Moab Lake trail - Whirlpool cross-country ski hub to red chairs |
7 km return | Ski through the woods on the gentle rolling terrain of Moab Lake Road. The red chairs at a viewpoint of the Whirlpool River make a great destination. |  Skate skiing Classic skiing |
| Moderate | Moab Lake trail - Whirlpool cross-country ski hub to Moab Lake viewpoint |
15.2 km return | Follow Moab Lake Road past the red chairs and the Whirlpool River. The groomed trail ends at a viewpoint of Moab Lake. | Skate skiingClassic skiing |
| Moderate | Leach Lake trail - Whirlpool cross-country ski hub to Leach Lake No dogs |
7 km return | Also known as the sunny side, this trail brings you to beautiful Leach Lake at 3.5 km. | Skate skiingClassic skiing |
| Moderate | Leach Lake trail - Whirlpool cross-country ski hub to the end of the trail No dogs |
13.8 km return | Follow the trail past Leach Lake. As you ski the extra 3.4 km to the end of the trail you’ll be rewarded with views of Mount Hardisty and Mount Kerkeslin. | Skate skiingClassic skiing |
From October 1 to June 8: Geraldine Road is closed to all public traffic.
2. Marmot Meadows cross-country ski hub
| Difficulty | Trail | Distance | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | Sparkle Loop |
0.6 km | An easy, flat loop in Marmot Meadows with open views. | Skate skiingClassic skiing |
| Moderate | Aspen Gardens Loop No dogs |
1.7 km return | Meander through evergreen forest on this classic-only trail before entering a large grove of Aspen and joining with Sparkle Loop. * Travel is clockwise only. |
Classic skiing |
| Difficult | Re Run Loop No dogs |
3 km return | Looking for a challenge? Re Run is your answer! This purpose-built trail features exciting hills, sporty turns and two panoramic viewpoints. Start on Sparkle Loop for access or on Aspen Gardens to add distance. * Travel is clockwise only. |
Classic skiing |
| Easy | Whistlers Loops No dogs |
Various | Choose your adventure from a total of 6 km of groomed campground trails. The ring road and loops 15/16 are groomed for classic and skate. The 1 km short-cut trail through loops 42 and 59 is classic only. | Skate skiingClassic skiing |
3. Pyramid
| Difficulty | Trail | Distance | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Difficult | Pyramid Fire Road | 13.2 km return | Choose your turn-around point: ski the mainly flat, first 1.1 km to Pyramid Creek at the end of Pyramid Lake (green), continue on and gain steady elevation on your way to Pyramid Slough at km 3.1 (blue). Climb steeply to the lookout over the Athabasca Valley shortly before the end of the groomed trail at km 6.6 (black) | Skate skiingClassic skiing |
4. Wabasso Campground
| Difficulty | Trail | Distance | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | Wabasso Campground | Various | Popular with families and dogs, this area provides a medley of options for all ski enthusiasts: gentle terrain, with a beautiful section of trail alongside the Athabasca River. | Skate skiingClassic skiing |
5. Pipeline
| Difficulty | Trail | Distance | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | Pipeline | 5.1 km one-way | The pipeline right-of-way between Highway 16 and the Miette River offers a wide open, gentle ski with some rolling terrain. With Trans Mountain Pipeline work in the area completed, this trail will be groomed again. | Skate skiingClassic skiing |
Current conditions
Grooming guidelines
Start of season
We aim to start grooming December 15, conditions permitting.
Needed conditions include:
- Ground is frozen
- Sufficient snow on the ground (*Varies based on terrain and type of snow)
- Favourable weather forecast
- Snowmobile packing is essential until the initial base is set (can range from 15-30 cm of packed snow depending on ground surface).
End of season
Ski trails are maintained until March 15, or as weather and snow conditions permit.
Temperatures
Temperature has a large impact on snow conditions, grooming quality and our ability to groom. Warm wet snow can be very challenging and hard on equipment and, if followed by a cold spell, the resulting icy surface can be dangerous. In extreme cold, snow does not pack well and can pose a safety concern for groomers.
| Temperature range | Impact |
|---|---|
| > 5°C | No grooming takes place. Equipment is likely to bog down and damage trail. Snow chunks and poor corduroy are likely. |
| 5°C to 0°C | Grooming is avoided when possible. |
| 0°C to -10°C | Generally, best temperature range for good packing and grooming results . |
| -10°C to -20°C | Quality of snow packing and grooming declines; safety risk from temperature and windchill increases |
| -20°C to -25°C | Poor grooming results. Compacting is possible, track-setting is not. For safety, staff time spent in these temperatures is limited. |
| < - 25°C | No grooming to take place: grooming results are too poor, machinery malfunctions, and safety concerns from cold temperatures. |
Skier set trails
Looking to go beyond the trackset trails and explore more of what Jasper National Park has to offer? Skiers can strike off on their own adventure to explore the landscape.
Before heading out, keep in mind the following
- Stay safe on ice. Visit our skating page for safety information.
- Avoid closures. Check closures before heading out and keep Delayed Access for Caribou areas and Wildlife Corridors in mind.
- Be avalanche aware. Many areas of the park are in avalanche terrain. Learn more about avalanche terrain.
Popular areas for exploring on skis include:
- Summit Lakes / Jacques Lake
- Explore for half a day to Summit Lakes, or head into the Jacques Lake Cabin for an overnight (operated by the Alpine Club of Canada). Learn more about avalanche safety and ice safety at Summit Lakes.
- Hidden Cove
- Explore the spectacular views along the wintery shoreline of Maligne Lake. Hidden Cove makes a great destination at 3.5 km. Interested in spending the night? Call 1-877-737-3783 or visit reservation.pc.gc.ca. Be safe while travelling on ice. You can learn more about ice safety here.
- Pyramid Bench
- Pyramid Bench has a wide variety of summer trails ready for you to explore in the snow. Trail 15 is flat packed, or make your own tracks on the many other trails. Refer to the day hiking page for ideas.
- Big Bend
- Starting at Sunwapta Falls, this wide, forested trail winds through the upper Athabasca Valley toward panoramic peak and river views. Big Bend campground is a great place to try winter camping.
Ski touring
Looking to earn some turns? Visit our ski touring page.
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