Tonquin Valley, Jasper National Park, Canada
Tonquin Valley is a stunning region located in the southwestern part of Jasper National Park.
The hike is a circuit from Edith Cavell Road to Portal Creek. It is 43.1km one way, and features towering peaks, pristine lakes, and lush forests.
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| View from Lookout on Edith Cavell Road just before the trailhead |
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The trailhead is well signposted
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It is one of our favourite hikes in the Rockies!
As far as getting there - you can check the Parks Canada website. You will need to book your tent sites here too.
Or if you would like to try the cabin experience you can check the Alpine Club of Canada website for availability.
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| Cavell Creek - close to Cavell Trailhead |
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| Stables close to the trailhead - if you're a horse lover you can go check them out |
On our first trip, we stayed in the Tonquin Valley Backcountry Lodge. These cabins have since been bought out and shut down in order to protect the caribou population.
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| Tonquin Valley Backcountry Lodge |
We were among the last to visit the cabins. And we were very happy we were able to. It was a unique experience, and allowed us the opportunity to explore the area more fully, and even take boats across the Amethyst Lakes to the base of the ramparts.
If you plan 2 nights at the Amethyst campground you can spend a day exploring around the Amethyst Lakes. It is so worth it - especially if you have a clear day. Although the cloudy days that we got made for some moody photos.
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| Getting the boats ready |
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| Exploring at the base of the Ramparts |
Also, staying at Cabins meant that our food was packed up by horses. Less weight for us to carry - and better food than dehydrated camp meals.
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| The horses that packed up our food. |
Two weeks after the cabin trip we completed the Tonquin Valley Hike again - but this time in a tent.
Like with all mountain hikes, the weather can be very unpredictable. Our first hike started on August 31 (summer), and it was raining and cold at the trailhead, and a full on blizzard as we ascended.
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Arriving to the Tonquin Valley Backcountry Cabin |
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| Sunrise on day 4 before leaving - snow melted |
Yet, when we hiked out 4 days later it was beautiful and sunny and warm.
Two weeks later when we did the hike again it was nearly autumn. The weather was milder, but not too cold. We still experienced a little snow, though. Actually, we haven't done a hike in the Rocky Mountains where it hasn't snowed a little.
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| Amethyst Lakes - The Ramparts |
One of our friends hiked in jeans. Don't ever do that!! Seriously.
There are several campsites to choose from, so you could do this hike in as little as 2 days, or as much as a week if you are fortunate enough to find availability at each site.
We have met hikers that have their little kids with them (like 3 year olds), and they plan their route according to what the littlies can handle. It's such a great idea to teach them young. If we had kids we would totally be taking them hiking with us.
We did the camping version of the hike in 3 days. Stopping first at Clitheroe, then Maccarib.
From Clitheroe we did a little exploring in the early morning - leaving our tents and packs behind so we could move faster.
Here are some more photos from our two Tonquin Valley Hikes:
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| Fall Colours along Astoria River |
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| The Ramparts |
Dean & Kay
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