Athabasca Falls

Athabasca Falls is a popular waterfall in Jasper National Park on the upper Athabasca River, 30 kilometres south of the townsite of Jasper, Alberta, and just west of the Icefields Parkway.

A powerful, picturesque waterfall, Athabasca Falls is not known so much for the height of the falls, as it is known for its force due to the large quantity of water falling into the gorge, making it one of the most powerful falls to be found in the mountain national parks. The full width of the Athabasca River is funneled into a three metre gap and over the brink of the falls.

Even on a cold morning in the fall, when river levels tend to be at their lowest, copious amounts of water flow over the falls. The river ‘falls’ over a layer of hard quartzite and through the softer limestone below carving the short gorge and a number of potholes.

The falls are able to be safely viewed and photographed from various viewing platforms and walking trails around the falls.

Flowing from the glaciers of the Columbia Icefield, the Athabasca River is the largest river system in Jasper.