The article, entitled “Add This to the ‘Before You Die’ List: The Maligne Canyon Ice Walk” provides a synopsis of the experience of walking on a frozen river within a canyon and amongst frozen waterfalls.  But is it really worthy of a “Before you die” list?

Melanie argues that there’s no place like this in North America.   She goes on to say:

“It’s as if nature put on an ice carving show deep in a canyon with nothing but the foxes, elk and bighorn sheep to witness it. There are waterfalls of ice 30 feet high, icicles taller than I am, and caves walled by solid ice that drips bit by bit from rock overhangs.”

Seems like reason enough to me to add it to the list!  In fact, the Maligne Canyon Ice Walk is one of the winter activities on the Ultimate List of Jasper National Park Activities.

If you’re looking for something to do in the winter in the Canadian Rockies, a guided ice walk tour should be on your list.  Check out Melanie’s full article here – along with several photos of her ice walk experience.

After reading Melanie’s article, come back to JasperJournal.com to learn more about the Maligne Canyon Ice Walk and other Jasper National Park outdoor activities.

One of the added bonuses of visiting the park in the winter is the low price of hotels in Jasper National Park during the off-season and the opportunity to go skiing or snowboarding at Marmot Basin as part of your visit.

Related posts:

1. Photo of the Day: Johnston Canyon Trail in Banff National Park

To get the most out of hiking, pre-vacation hiking preparation goes a long way to increasing your enjoyment.

If you’re thinking about hiking, I encourage you to try to do step up your training at home as far before vacation as you can.  By preparing for hiking ahead of time, you can build up your endurance and your muscles.  You can use training to avoid being completely exhausted after a short hike and to avoid injuries or dangerous situations on long backpacking trips.

Skyline Trail in Jasper

Training for hiking is easy.  Just walk.  One foot in front of the other.

Practice walking short distances to build up your endurance for longer trails.  Start with short distances around the neighborhood or at a mall or on the treadmill at the gym.  Envision the Discovery Trail around Jasper or the Maligne Canyon trail on the way to Maligne Lake or Wilcox Pass near the icefields. Then progress to longer distances.  By the time you visit Jasper, you’re in top form and ready for all the Canadian Rockies have to offer.

I’d suggest writing your training down on a calender, whether you’re walking around the neighborhood or using the treadmill at the gym.  Seeing it written on a calendar can be motivating.

When you train for hiking at home, remember that you’ll be wearing a backpack in while hiking in Jasper.  If you have a chance while training, try to wear a backpack with a weight similar to what you’d expect to carry in the Canadian Rockies.

If you need motivation, here’s a video from YouTube of scenes from the Skyline Trail.  You DO NOT want to have to turn around because you are tired on a trail like this in Jasper and Banff.

Click here to view the embedded video.

For longer backpacking trips where you may hike 6, 8 or 12 hours a day for several days in a row, obviously a different level of training is required and you’ll really need to work on endurance so you can avoid collapsing from exhausting half-way through!

Related posts:

1. Trekking Poles are the Secret Weapon of Happy Hikers in the Canadian Rockies and Beyond

The Maligne Canyon Ice Walk is one such winter adventure.  Offered by the Jasper Adventure Centre, the ice walk is a 3 hour, 4 kilometer hike through the Maligne Canyon.  The frozen top layers of the Maligne River provide part of the path for this truly “off the beaten path” winter Jasper hike.  You’ll be walking inside the canyon on an ice path, an ice path waiting to transform back into the raging Maligne River come spring.  You’ll see amazing frozen waterfalls from the bottom of the canyon.

This video produced by Travel Alberta features an interview with Murray Morgan, the owner of Jasper Adventure Centre, and one of the Maligne Canyon Ice Walk guides. A really great video, the video provides a lot of details of the Malign Canyon during winter.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Jasper Adventure Centre website for more information on the Maligne Canyon Ice Walk.

Want to know what Jasper Adventure Centre guides do for fun in the cold winter months of Jasper National Park?  They explore the Maligne Canyon even more, rappelling off the cliffs and into the ice filled canyons, walking amongst the Maligne River’s frozen ice waterfalls.  Read a story about it here on their blog.

If Jasper in winter is not your things, take a look at the Maligne Canyon in summer with these Maligne Canyon pictures. A big difference!

Related posts:

1. Photo of the Day: Johnston Canyon Trail in Banff National Park