Seton – Jasper Healthcare Centre (Emergency)
- 24/7 emergency
- Stages 1, 2, 3
518 Robson Street, Jasper, AB T0E 1E0
Skyline Trail (Jasper) · Checked October 2026
Skyline Trail (Jasper) emergency & health guide: hospitals, rescue, 911 and bears
How to call for help with little or no phone signal, the nearest hospital for each of the 3 stages, and the park rules: permits, campgrounds, bears, The Notch and the wildfire closures.
In an emergency call 911. Say you are in the backcountry of Jasper National Park on the Skyline Trail and that you need Parks Canada; the operator connects you to the Visitor Safety team, who usually come by helicopter. Mobile signal is unreliable or absent on most of the trail. From a satellite phone call 780-852-3100. With a satellite messenger, press SOS: the response centre alerts Parks Canada. Give the nearest campground or pass and your GPS coordinates.
Emergency numbers
| Number | What it is |
|---|---|
| 911 | Police, ambulance and fire, free from any phone, 24/7. Say you are in the Jasper backcountry and need Parks Canada: they run mountain rescue. |
| +1 780 852 3100 | Jasper backcountry emergency line for satellite phones, 24/7 (operators often cannot route satellite calls to 911). |
| +1 780 852 6155 | Jasper Dispatch, Parks Canada, 24/7: aggressive or injured wildlife and park incidents that are not life-threatening. |
| 811 | Health Link Alberta: advice from a nurse when it is not an emergency, 24/7. |
| +1 780 852 6176 | Jasper Park Information Centre, Parks Canada: trail conditions, closures and permits (opening hours only). |
Mobile signal is unreliable or absent on most of the Skyline, so carry a satellite messenger (such as a Garmin inReach) or a personal locator beacon and know how its SOS works. Parks Canada dispatch cannot receive text messages; after an SOS, Visitor Safety may give you a number to text through your device. Leave your itinerary with someone at home, check the Parks Canada trail report and the weather before you start, and do not cross The Notch in cloud, thunderstorms or strong wind.
Rules to know
- A Parks Canada backcountry camping permit is mandatory for every night, for the campground you booked. Each campground has only 4 or 8 sites and there is no walk-in or random camping. Reservations open in late January (28 January in 2026) on reservation.pc.gc.ca or 1-877-737-3783.
- Fees: backcountry camping CA$15 per person per night, plus CA$11.50 per online booking (CA$13.50 by phone). You also need a park pass: CA$12.25 per adult per day, or the annual Discovery Pass.
- No fires at any Skyline campground: bring a stove. Store all food, cooking gear, toiletries and garbage in the metal food lockers, and pack out everything you bring in.
- At Snowbowl and Tekarra the tent pads are recycled plastic: do not peg into them, tie your tent to the anchor points with cord.
- Bears: grizzly and black bears live along the whole trail. Carry bear spray within reach, make noise, travel in a group, and stay at least 100 m from bears and 30–50 m from other wildlife.
- Dogs are not allowed on the Skyline, bikes are not allowed between Maligne Lake and the Signal fire road, and recreational drones are banned in the national park.
- The Notch (2,510 m) can be blocked by snow until mid-July or later; Parks Canada advises a GPS and a topographic map. Snow can fall in any month. In bad weather the Wabasso trail from Curator to the Icefields Parkway is the escape route; check that it is open.
- Wildfire recovery: the 2024 fire burned the lower Signal Mountain slopes. The Skyline is open from both trailheads, but stay on the trail: burned areas off the trail corridors can be closed by order, with fines up to CA$25,000. Check the Jasper open/closed page before you go.
- Transport: the trailheads are an hour apart by road. Maligne Adventures runs a reserved hiker shuttle that picks up at the Signal trailhead at 9:15 am for Maligne Lake, and also from Jasper and Whistlers Campground.
- Shovel Pass Lodge (1 July – 15 September) feeds only its own guests: it no longer sells meals or drinks to campers, so carry all your food.
Nearest hospital for each stage
| # | Stage | Hospital (24/7 emergency) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maligne Lake → Snowbowl | Seton – Jasper Healthcare Centre (Emergency) |
| 2 | Snowbowl → Tekarra | Seton – Jasper Healthcare Centre (Emergency) |
| 3 | Tekarra → Signal trailhead | Seton – Jasper Healthcare Centre (Emergency) |
Hospitals
Hinton Healthcare Centre (Emergency)
- 24/7 emergency
- Stages 1, 2, 3
1280 Switzer Drive, Hinton, AB T7V 1V2
University of Alberta Hospital (Emergency, trauma centre)
- 24/7 emergency
- Stages 1, 2, 3
8440 112 Street NW, Edmonton, AB T6G 2B7
Pharmacies, cash and supplies
- Pharmacies:
- ATMs:
- Shops:
- Shuttle stops:
There is no pharmacy on the trail or at Maligne Lake, and Canada has no duty-pharmacy rota. Jasper town has pharmacies with normal shop hours: buy your medicines, a blister kit, water treatment and bear spray there before you start. There is no power on the trail: carry a power bank.
Pharmacies, ATMs, shops and stops: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hospitals and health centres checked online.
Have the nearest help on your map, offline
Outest shows these hospitals, pharmacies, ATMs and stops on the Skyline Trail (Jasper) map, offline, together with the route, water and places to sleep.