CANADIAN TRAILS: Skyline Trail in Jasper National Park, Alberta

Trail Heads:

Maligne Lake Trailhead

(48K east of Jasper Townsite near Maligne Lake Lodge)

Signal Mountain Trailhead

(near Maligne Canyon Hostel and Maligne Canyon Chalet)

Distance: 44K

Maximum Elevation: 2180 metres

Elevation Gain: 700 metres

Terrain Features:

Alpine meadows, high passes, exposed ridge crests

No matter where you turn in the Canadian Rockies, there is a trail just begging to be run. One of the very best and most challenging is the Skyline Trail in Jasper National Park. The Skyline stretches across 44K of alpine meadows, high mountain passes and exposed ridge crest lines. This is not a trail for novices. The distance and elevation make it a challenging run even for experienced trail runners. At elevation, the trail is often obscured by snow and blizzard conditions well into early summer, making it a trail best run between mid-July to early September. For those daring enough to take it on, the rewards are considerable.

The Skyline is a point-to-point route, so you need to choose the start and end points. The easier of the two options is to tackle it from south to north, starting at the Maligne Lake Trailhead, allowing you to begin at a higher elevation and save the final 8K fire road decent until the end. From Highway 16, the trailhead is located 45K down Maligne Lake Road.

Last year, I hit the trail after parking at the Maligne Lake Lodge, starting a little after 8:30 a.m. For the first few kilometres I climb through a lovely coniferous forest and past side-trails leading off to Lorraine Lake and Mona Lake. Three kilometres later, I come to the log bridge over the roaring Evelyn Creek. This is also the site of the first of six backcountry campgrounds along the trail. Campgrounds are well spaced throughout the trail for those interested in a more leisurely two- to four-day hike. But keep in mind that backcountry campers require both a Wilderness Pass and camping permits for overnight trips. Book early as quotas fill up quickly during the summer season.  Of course, no pass or permits are required for those crazy enough to run the trail end-to-end in a single day.

Between Little Shovel and Snowbowl, the trail passes through spectacular alpine tundra, dotted with a wide variety of flowers and stunted trees. The area is also home to a thriving community of hoary marmots whose extensive burrows keep them safe from their principal predator, the grizzly bear. Evidently, I in no way resemble a grizzly, as they are more curious than fearful of my presence. No doubt they’ve been conditioned to a diet of trail mix and Clif Bars.

Approaching Big Shovel Pass, the vegetation gets sparser and the air thinner. Here I run by an important marker: the Watchtower Basin Trail. One of two cut-off trails before The Notch, this 14K long side trail offers you a potential escape route off the Skyline (the other is the 13.8K Wabasso Trail located 2.1K further near Shovel Pass Lodge). Weather conditions at these elevations can change in a flash, so anyone attempting this run must be aware of these options. Standing at the foot of the Watchtower Summit, I get my first glimpse of the turquoise waters of Curator Lake. Nestled in the surrounding barren rocks, the lake is a beautiful site.

But the signature feature of the Skyline Trail is The Notch. Sitting right behind Curator Lake, it marks the highest point on this trail and is one of the highest points reached by trail anywhere in the Canadian Rockies. Approaching The Notch, my pace slows to a walk. Even now, in mid-July, the summit is still covered in a deep snow cornice. From a distance I can just make out a line of footsteps, cut into the snow by earlier hikers, which mark my route to the summit. On a clear day the view from here is spectacular. Right across is the Athabasca Valley and I can easily make out Mount Edith Cavell, Marmot Mountain and Ski Area and Jasper Townsite. In the far distance, I see The Ramparts.

Crossing the Amber Mountain ridgeline, the trail descends toward the Maligne River Valley. Near Centre Lake, I glimpse a hoary marmot perched on the top of a huge, incongruously placed boulder. As I draw closer, he retreats under the rock. In fact, this limestone “erratic” was deposited here eons ago by retreating glaciers. From here the trail descends to Tekarra campground, winds its way around Tekarra Ridge and continues on to Signal Campground. The trail makes its final 8K descent down the Signal Mountain Fire Road.

I emerge at the Signal Mountain Trailhead. It has taken me just over eight hours to complete the run this year, 30 minutes slower than it did a year previously. Both tired and sated, I vow to return here again in 2010 – not to better my time, but simply to once again experience this magical place.

An ultra runner since 2006, Terry Buehl lives in Wainwright, Alta.