JASPER – Maligne Canyon will remain closed for the winter season due to safety concerns following the wildfire last summer.
Parks Canada stated the decision to close one of Jasper National Park’s most iconic landmarks was based on safety assessments and stakeholder input.
“The site has been thoroughly assessed by our public safety specialists with Parks Canada, and it’s been deemed that there’s numerous safety hazards with the canyon and the surrounding area due to the significant impact of the wildfire in July,” said Graham Wylde, visitor experience manager of Jasper National Park.
A major hazard is unstable slopes. Burned vegetation and organic soils have already resulted in mudslides and rockslides. Wylde noted there were multiple large hazards such as large boulders that would be eventually swept down into the canyon, creating a significant public safety risk.
The Maligne Canyon area is closed from just below the fifth bridge on Trail 7, which also includes the Fifth Bridge parking lot, all the way to the parking lot for the main day-use area. This closure encompasses all the trails through the area and access into the canyon for the ice walk.
Trail 7 will remain open from Sixth Bridge to just below Fifth Bridge to provide an in-and-out winter walking experience.
Parks Canada will continue to assess the damage to Maligne Canyon over the winter and monitor ongoing hazards. Although some fire-damaged trees will need to be removed, Wylde said they would allow natural processes to stabilize the environment.
“What needs to occur, essentially, is for the site to stabilize, for the debris to fall into the canyon, allow the rockslides and mudslides to happen, basically just let nature take its course,” he added.
Crews will focus on repairing damaged infrastructure, which includes safety fencing and staircases, and restoring the trails. They will also remove debris from the teahouse.
Parks Canada is not committing to a reopening timeline, but the hope is a portion of the area will reopen for summer 2025. It will ultimately depend on how the canyon settles and the restoration progresses.
“What we can say is that we’re actively working on restoration planning and restoration work to get Maligne Canyon open,” Wylde said.
Wylde added he was confident Maligne Canyon would remain appealing to people, even after suffering through a devastating wildfire.
“The beauty of the canyon is its rock and water, and so the actual canyon itself has not changed,” he said. “It’s still an absolutely stunning and beautiful sight to see the canyon, and the trails will still allow people to get an up-close view of the canyon.”
He noted people will also be able to walk through a fire-damage area and appreciate the natural regeneration, which will have its unique beauty by next summer with green grass and new vegetation coming through.
Visitors can stop by the Information Centre in Jasper to find alternative locations in the park for ice walks and ice climbing, and they can check Parks Canada’s website to see what is open in Jasper National Park.
