Angel Glacier & Mount Edith Cavell Hike | Jasper National Park
Mount Edith Cavell Hike| Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd
One of Jasper National Park’s easiest trails and most scenic views lies underneath Angel Glacier and Mount Edith Cavell. The Mount Edith Cavell hike will take you to breathtaking views of Angel Glacier, which hangs above a pond of iceberg laced waters and a glacially carved peak.
For this adventure, you have two options: A short hike to a viewpoint just above the Cavell Pond, or an extended hike to Cavell Meadows. Trail details, as well as our trip report are detailed below.
Mount Edith Cavell Hike: Trail Details
Path of the Glacier Trail
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Distance: 1 mile
Elevation Gain: Approximately 230 ft
Time: 45-60 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Trailhead: The end of Cavell Road
Cavell Meadows Trail
Distance: 4 miles
Elevation Gain: Approximately 1640 ft
Time: 3-5 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Trailhead: The end of Cavell Road
Mount Edith Cavell Hike: Trip Report
On Friday morning, we awoke early for our final full day in Canada. Before making the long drive back to Calgary in preparation for our flight on Saturday morning, we wanted to make the most of our remaining time in such a beautiful place! After a quick snack at our hotel, we packed up our little Volkswagen, and hit the road headed for the Angel Glacier and Mount Edith Cavell hike.
From Jasper, the drive is about 40 minutes, much of which is on a windy mountain road. Lined with trees and mountain views, the drive is also a beautiful one!
Once you’ve successfully navigated the mountain road, there is a good sized parking lot at the trailhead. As always, arriving early means less crowds and this was the case when we visited as there were only a handful of cars ahead of us. We grabbed our gear and made our way along the Path of the Glacier Trail.
The trail to the Angel Glacier viewpoint on the Mount Edith Cavell hike is short, at just a 0.5 mile, and an easy walk from the parking lot. At the viewpoint, you can take in the majesty of Angel Glacier, Mount Edith Cavell, and the turquoise pond that sits just below.
Mount Edith Cavell, which stands at just over 11,000 feet, receives substantial snowfall throughout much of the year. Due to the sheer walls of the mountain, much of the snow does not stick, but rather avalanches down into the areas in shadow below, eventually becoming glacial ice.
Prior to 2012, the Mount Edith Cavell trail was loop that allowed visitors to to get closer to the pond at the foot of the glacier. However, this changed, when half of Ghost Glacier collapsed, causing substantial damage to the surrounding area. Remember to heed all safety warnings and stay on the trail!
Since this was our last day in Jasper and we had a long drive ahead of us, we decided to skip the extended hike to Cavell Meadows, which we saw several other hikers making their way to. Instead, we climbed up some nearby rocks for a better vantage point and scenic views.
We even encountered a marmot who was hanging out and kept an eager eye on us.
Before long, it was time to head back to the car and get back on the road. We said goodbye to Jasper but will definitely return again to complete the Mount Edith Cavell hike all the way up to the meadows!
Have you been to Jasper National Park or Mount Edith Cavell? Let us know in the comments below.
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Wow, beautiful! This was a hike I very much wanted to do when I was in Jasper, but instead I ended up in the hospital with a stomach bug. Looks like I missed out on something incredible…now I have a reason to go back! Great photos 🙂
Thank you, Diana! We had a blast in Jasper and definitely want to go back soon! Bummer that you ended up getting sick but hope the rest of your trip was awesome!