Only 30 kilometres (19 miles) south of Jasper, Alberta, sits the Athabasca Falls, the most powerful waterfall in the Canadian Rockies. Now this is something for a waterfall that is only 24 metres (78 feet) in height. Athabasca Falls Jasper National Park’s roaring gem, demonstrates what happens when high water volume gets funneled into a narrow canyon. Think of your garden hose and what happens when you partially restrict the end with your thumb. It comes out in a more powerful way.
Athabasca Falls Jasper National Park
Regardless if at high or low flow season, Athabasca Falls are arguably the most spectacular waterfalls near Jasper. The images below show the top part of the falls in late September (mid flow) and in early July (high flow). Although there is a notable difference in water volume and colour, the falls themselves remain stunning.
What makes the Athabasca Falls so powerful?
It starts with the Athabasca River being sourced by numerous mountain rivers and creeks, and five glaciers approximately 75 kilometres (46 miles) to the southeast of Athabasca Falls. These glaciers are the Athabasca glacier, Chaba, Columbia, Dome and Stutfield.
The famed Columbia Icefield feeds four of these five glaciers. When the weather warms, the melt water increases dramatically and channeled to the Athabasca Falls.
Athabasca river map – water sources that feed into the Athabasca Falls
The flowing water then experiences a significant reduction in the width of the Athabasca River as it enters the narrow canyon, acting like your thumb at the end of the hose.
The Athabasca Falls are rated as a Class 5 waterfall on the Beisel rating system, which takes into account average waterflow and height of the waterfall. To put this in perspective, larger waterfalls such as Victoria Falls and Niagara Falls have Beisel ratings of Class 9 and Class 10 respectively.
Why is there a major narrowing of the Athabasca River?
During the last ice age, which lasted 2.6 million years and ended around 11,000 years ago, the massive glacier running through this mountain valley relentlessly ground away at the rock below.
The hard, Lower Cambrian quartzite (540 million years old) surface rock resisted this grinding and would wear down in big rock chunks, creating cliffs. Just remember that quartzite is use for high-end natural stone kitchen countertops for its beauty and strength.
One of the prettiest set of falls in Alberta – Jasper National Park
As the glacier receded, a river formed from the glacier and flowed broadly over the cliff, which can still be seen downstream of the canyon. Over time the rushing water penetrated cracks in the hard quartzite and began eroding the younger and softer Mississippian limestone (340 million years old). This allowed increased water flow through the cracks which initiated the carving of canyons.
And yes, the older rock sits on the younger rock. For a better understanding of this phenomena, check out Mount Yamnuska – The Flat Faced Mountain and Maker of Iconic Alberta Mountains – Rundle Thrust Fault.
The Athabasca Falls Canada started off as a broad bench waterfall over hard Quartzite
The Athabasca Canyon today
The result today is the Athabasca River narrowing dramatically into two tight gaps. The water from these gaps quickly combine as it careens down to and through the crooked canyon below.
No straight line for the water in the Athabasca Falls canyon
As one meanders the Athabasca Falls hike through an abandoned canyon, it is evident that the river course changes over time. In other words, the battle between rock and water continues.
Interesting features in the canyons are smooth curves walls and potholes which have spherical shapes. These are started by sediment (sand and gravel) being caught in a depression below the falls. As the water hits the depression the water swirls around and erodes the rock like a sand blaster. These potholes continue to grow until the water changes course. The process begins again in a new location.
Note the smooth curved walls of the Athabasca canyon which are slowly ground and polished by turbulent water
The narrow canyon funnels the water to a calm pool beyond the canyon. This canyon is lengthening a few millimetres each year as the falls continually recede upstream due to erosion. Amazing how just a few millimetres of erosion each year can result in this amazing canyon which is now more than 100 metres (330 feet) in length.
From extremely agitated waterflow to calm waters within minutes – Athabasca Falls Jasper National Park
When is best time to visit Athabasca Falls?
The Athabasca Falls are located just off the Icefields Parkway (Hwy 93), on Highway 93A and is accessible all year long. The best time to visit the Athabasca Falls totally depends on what your priorities are.
First off, this top pick of Jasper National Park waterfalls, is amazing to see anytime during the year.
If you want to see the falls at high flow come visit from late May to mid August. However, summertime is the busiest time for the falls. During this period, an early morning or late afternoon visit would mitigate the crowd issue.
Cliffs below the Athabasca Falls
The flowrate typically slows from mid August, reaching low flow in November through to mid April. It will still be busy in the summer and early fall, but crowds will cool off with the temperature.
The Athabasca Falls typically freeze up from December through March. The Athabasca Falls winter wonderland is a unique time to see the amazing ice formations created by the waterfall. Keep in mind the water is still flowing underneath the frozen falls so caution is vital.
In the past 20 years their have been five Athabasca Falls deaths. Please do not climb over protective railings and obey all signs.
Click on our video to have a one minute look at the power of Athabasca Falls
Where is Athabasca Falls Jasper, Canada?
The Athabasca Falls are located just off the Icefields Parkway, 30 kilometres (19 miles) southeast of Jasper and 260 kilometres (161 miles) northwest of Banff, with Lake Louise between.
Surprisingly, the Athabasca Falls are almost equidistant from the three closest major centers, Calgary (382 kilometres), Edmonton (396 kilometres) and Red Deer (382 kilometres).
Athabasca Falls Map
Why visit the Athabasca Falls?
Other than witnessing the power and beauty of the Athabasca Falls in person, the best reason to visit is to add it to the many incredible sights along the Icefields Parkway which said to be one of the best choices for a road trip in the world!
What is your top waterfall recommendation?
Your post prompted me to go back and see if we had any photos from our 1997 [no] and 2014 [yes] visits.
The falls were beautiful, but we had no idea about the geology or force we were seeing.
Thanks.
Thanks Ray! Yes, when I started looking at where the source water came from I was astounded at how many glaciers feed the Athabasca River! It’s a river with a great start!
So much beauty, wow!! The sound of running water is so calming to the mind. 🥰
And the video only shows the waterfall at mid-flow. So true about how calming the sound is!
Great post. We visited this area in 2002. Stunning is the best word to describe it!
Thanks John and Susan. Couldn’t agree more about how amazing the power of this waterfall is!
Dave, nature is always so impressive and even more so when you understand the huge forces that have been working behind the scenes to create such beautiful landscapes. I would love to see it in the winter when it is all frozen, but it will probably be super cold to visit it then. Are there cosy lodgings nearby?
Gilda, I would also love to see this waterfall in winter. I would definitely monitor the weather forecast before heading out as the Icefield Parkway gets quite high in elevation. The Athabasca Falls are only 30 km from Jasper and 25 km from Sunwapta Falls Rocky Mountain Lodge. Another idea is to stay at Overlander Mountain Lodge which is about 50 km east of Jasper. A cozy place in winter.
A wonderful sight. Memories rekindled and missing all the natural assets of the region.
Yes, truly an awesome sight to see. It truly is amazing how many jaw-dropping sights there are to see in the region!
I also very much appreciated my stop at Athabasca Falls, the observation platform is very close to the water which gives a good view of it. It’s also very interesting to walk at the bottom of the dry canyon, you can imagine what would happen if the water suddenly came back.
Yes, the viewing areas and paths are set up very well! I agree I wouldn’t want to be at the bottom of the water suddenly decided to change course!
Wow, Dave, just wow. Stunning photos! We saw Athabasca Falls on our way up to Jasper years ago on our own RV adventure, and it really is a great hike that gives you a sense for just how powerful that waterfall is. Gosh, we hope we get to see Alberta again someday! One of our favorite places.
Cheers,
Susan and John
And I just noticed my better half already left a comment. What he said 🙂
Thank you Susan and John. Great that you had a chance to experience these falls along with all the other sights on the Icefields Parkway. And at least you have the right mode of transportation when things begin opening up again!
Hi, Dave and Sue – Athabasca Falls has been high on my list to visit. Thanks to your post, it has now moved up even higher! 😀
Thanks Donna. Great to hear this post has elevated your desire to visit this magnificent spot!
Beautiful scenery. Why anyone would think it is a good idea to go beyond the fences is beyond me.
Agree on the beauty and on the craziness of some most likely Instagram fanatics who risk there lives for the perfect shot!
Those rock formations are fascinating – thank you for the “tour”! The power of water boggles my mind.
I love the Icefields Parkway – years ago we took a leisurely trip up there, stopping to hike around and take tons of photographs of every waterfall, and camping along the way. It was lovely, except for the night we spent tenting at the campground near the Columbia Icefield… in October. You’d think we would have grasped the concept that “Ice” is the root of “Icefield”. We didn’t think about how cold it would get overnight when we pitched the tent, but we’d sure figured it out by morning. Definitely one of our chillier tenting experiences!
Thanks Dianne. I agree about the mind boggling power of water.
I imagine it was quite the ‘wake up call’ during your camping night near the Columbia Icefields. You never know when cold and snow will strike that area. Here it is in the middle of October and it’s already a winter wonderland up there!
Love the pictures Dave and love the geological history behind the falls and the narrow canyon. Stunning area!!
Thanks so much Kirt! Stunning area indeed!! That always gets me wondering how it got so stunning!
This was a wonderful introduction and tribute to the Athabasca Falls, Dave. The geological background is interesting, with the potholes and formation descriptions and the smooth-sided rocks from the ever-tumbling waters. The photos captured the landscapes in their beauty and wonder. And the video was terrific for expressing the extreme speed and volume of the moving waters. wow. Thanks so much.
Thanks so much Jet. I can never hold a candle to your descriptive ability but I’m glad the message got out😊.
It’s fun being an amateur wanna-be geologist. Same goes for being a videographer as well😆
Thank you so much for sharing this Dave. Loved reading about hard rock, soft rock (not music), and how only a few millimeters a year of erosion can add up over time. I have been in Jasper twice, but got only to stretch the legs while riding the train. Hopefully some day I might be able to stop and explore.
When you think of waterfalls, of course what usually comes to mind is Niagara Falls. It is onlyn250 kilometers from where I live. But believe it or not, the last time I have been there was when I was 12 on a school trip 50 years ago. I like the waterfalls along a hiking trail near where I live called the Bruce Trail. There are several waterfalls, with my favourite being Inglis Falls! 🙏😀💦
This is the first time I’ve heard about Athabasca Falls. You did a good job of talking about it and describing why it is a worth a visit and wonder around, Dave. I like the analogy of the garden house and Athabasca Falls – the latter being more mighty and impressive. It is interesting to read that potholes grows around the canyon walls and at times changes the course of the water flow. Erosion can be dangerous in some instances but as you mentioned, in some instances it can also be beautiful as in this case. I don’t have a top waterfall recommendation. I have only seen one small waterfall here in Melbourne. Here’s to seeing more waterfalls in the future.
I enjoyed learning about this Falls. So spectacular! My first experience with a “grand” fall was when my parents drove my brother and me 12 hours (more?)!to visit Niagara Fall. I was stunned by the majesty. As an adult my guy and I took our kids once a year to Yosemite and we hiked up to a glorious Fall there. 💙