Skyline Trail (Jasper) hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Skyline Trail is the highest trail in Jasper National Park and one of the best backpacking routes in the Canadian Rockies. It runs 44.1 km from Maligne Lake to the Signal trailhead above Jasper town, and almost 25 km of it is above the treeline. It crosses Little Shovel Pass, Big Shovel Pass and The Notch, then follows a long open ridge with views over the Athabasca valley to Mount Edith Cavell. Most hikers take 3 days. You sleep at small Parks Canada campgrounds that must be booked months ahead, or at the historic Shovel Pass Lodge halfway along.

The route

From the Maligne Lake trailhead (1,690 m) the trail climbs gently through forest past Lorraine and Mona lakes to Evelyn Creek, then up to Little Shovel Pass (2,240 m) and down into the meadows of the Snowbowl. A long rise leads to Big Shovel Pass (2,320 m) and the Curator junction, where a side trail drops to Curator campground and Shovel Pass Lodge. Above Curator Lake comes the hardest part: a very steep 2.6 km climb on scree to The Notch, the highest point of the trail at about 2,510 m. Then comes about 3 km along a broad ridge, the highlight of the trip, and a 5.5 km descent to Tekarra campground below Mount Tekarra. On the last day the trail crosses the slopes of Signal Mountain to Signal campground and descends 8.4 km on the wide Signal fire road to the trailhead at 1,160 m.

This guide follows the route mapped on OpenStreetMap and splits it into 3 stages, about 15.1 km each: Maligne Lake to Snowbowl, Snowbowl to Tekarra, and Tekarra to the Signal trailhead. Most hikers walk south to north, as here: the start is higher than the finish and you climb, not descend, the steep side of The Notch.

Highlights

• Little Shovel Pass and the Snowbowl: the first big views back over Maligne Lake, then wide flower meadows
• Big Shovel Pass: the high point of the meadows, named on the 1911 survey trip to Maligne Lake
• Curator Lake and The Notch: an alpine lake below a steep scree wall, and the top of the trail at 2,510 m
• The ridge walk: about 3 km on the crest above the Athabasca valley, with Mount Edith Cavell and the peaks around Jasper on the skyline
• Signal fire road: since the 2024 wildfire this descent is open, burned forest with wide views over Jasper and the Athabasca valley

When to hike the Skyline Trail

The season is from early July to early October. The Notch can be blocked by snow until mid-July, and some years later, so the best window is from late July to mid-September. Snow can fall in any month. Afternoon thunderstorms in summer are dangerous on the open passes and the ridge, and by late September the nights are below freezing.

How many days do you need?

Three days is standard: Maligne Lake to Snowbowl (about 12 km), Snowbowl to Tekarra (about 19 km, the hard day over The Notch) and Tekarra out to the Signal trailhead (about 13–14 km). Fit hikers do it in 2 days with a night at Curator campground or Shovel Pass Lodge. A relaxed 4-day trip stops at Little Shovel, Curator and Tekarra. Have two or three itineraries ready on reservation day.

Permits and booking

A Parks Canada backcountry camping permit is mandatory for every night, and you may only camp at the campground you booked. The six campgrounds are small: Evelyn Creek and Signal have 4 sites each, and Little Shovel, Snowbowl, Curator and Tekarra 8 each. There is no walk-in or random camping. Reservations for the whole summer open in late January (in 2026 on 28 January at 8 am MT) on the Parks Canada Reservation Service, and Snowbowl, Tekarra and Curator sell out within hours. Cancellations come up all summer.

Camping costs CA$15 per person per night, plus a reservation fee of CA$11.50 online. You also need a park pass (CA$12.25 per adult per day, or the annual Discovery Pass). Shovel Pass Lodge is booked separately on its own website; it is open from 1 July to 15 September, and bookings for 2027 opened on 1 October 2026. The lodge price includes dinner, breakfast and a packed lunch, but it no longer sells meals or drinks to campers.

Getting there and logistics

Jasper is about 365 km (4 hours) west of Edmonton by Highway 16, and VIA Rail trains stop in town. The Maligne Lake trailhead is 48 km from Jasper at the end of Maligne Road, on the right just before the parking lot on the west side of the lake. The Signal trailhead is about 8 km up Maligne Road from Highway 16; its car park is small, with overflow at the Maligne Canyon overlook 500 m further on.

The two ends are an hour apart by road, so you need a shuttle. Maligne Adventures runs a reserved hiker shuttle: park at the Signal trailhead, take the 9:15 am pickup to Maligne Lake and walk back to your car. It also picks up in Jasper and at Whistlers Campground. Jasper lost about a fifth of its rooms in the 2024 wildfire, so book your night before and after the hike early.

Money and phone signal

Prices are in Canadian dollars and cards work almost everywhere in Jasper; Shovel Pass Lodge takes only cash for extras and tips. Buy everything in Jasper: there are no shops at Maligne Lake or on the trail. Mobile signal is unreliable or absent for most of the hike, so carry a satellite messenger or a personal locator beacon.

What to pack

Carry a tent, sleeping bag rated to below freezing, a stove (fires are not allowed), food for the whole trip and a water filter or tablets, since all water comes from creeks. Bring bear spray within reach, and rope or cord for the plastic tent pads at Snowbowl and Tekarra, where you cannot use pegs. Pack full waterproofs, warm layers and trekking poles for the scree and the long descent. Carry an offline map and a paper map (Gem Trek Jasper and Maligne Lake).

Difficulty and safety

The Skyline is a moderate to hard trail. There is no technical climbing, but you spend two days above 2,000 m with no shelter. The Notch is very steep and loose, often holds snow, and has a drop on one side near the top; do not cross it in cloud, thunderstorms or strong wind. In bad weather the Wabasso trail from Curator is the escape route to the Icefields Parkway; it reopened in summer 2026 after the fire, but check its status first. Grizzly and black bears live along the whole trail: make noise, carry bear spray, keep 100 m away and store all food and scented items in the campground lockers. Dogs and bikes are not allowed.

Check the Parks Canada trail report before you leave. In an emergency call 911 (or 780-852-3100 from a satellite phone) and ask for Parks Canada.

History

The route follows old outfitter trails: the Otto brothers cut the first trail in 1911 for Mary Schäffer's survey of Maligne Lake, Fred Brewster set up the camp that became Shovel Pass Lodge in 1921, and the northern half was finished in 1937. The July 2024 wildfire burned the forest on the lower slopes of Signal Mountain and destroyed about a third of the buildings in Jasper town; the Skyline reopened from Maligne Lake in November 2024 and from the Signal trailhead in December 2024.