Jasper Highlands

Dates   Price   Meeting Place & Time   Itinerary   Difficulty, Fitness & Prerequisites   Guides & Group Size   Accommodation & Meals   Transportation   Clothing & Equipment   Booking Information  
A Guide's Perspective

In the remote headwaters of Jasper National Park's Brazeau River, where Poboktan and Jonas Creeks pass, are huge expanses of alpine meadows that we call the Jasper Highlands! Our hiking journey circumnavigates much of this expanse in a huge triangular route also known as the "Brazeau Loop". The South Branch of the Brazeau River which we follow for the first two days is a very old trail long used by the indigenous people to be followed later by European trappers and explorers. Now this trail is used by backpackers and wildlife including wolves and the elusive mountain caribou. The ambiance of this valley plus that of the peaks and meadows above is evocative of all that is wild, remote and beautiful in the northern reaches of the Canadian Rockies.

If you have already enjoyed the Mount Assiniboine Backpack or the Rockwall Highline this is a natural step onto another level of mountain adventure. It's a more challenging and remote trip that should be on the list of any backpacking enthusiast.

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2010 Dates

July 25 - 30, August 21 - 26

Cost

$1165 CDN  Includes guides, National Park 'Wilderness Pass', out-trip meals, group camping gear and local transfers.

Not included: Canmore accommodation, Gratuities & 5% Goods and Service Tax (GST)*. Cancellation insurance available for $62.

Optional pre and post trip accommodation packages  are available from $80 per person per night for shared room lodging ($160 for single occupancy). Purchase with booking. Subject to availability.

* a 50% rebate of the GST is available to non-residents of Canada.

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Meeting Place and Time

We will meet you at our Yamnuska Mountain Adventures office at 7.30pm the evening of Day 1.

Our office is located at 200, 50 Lincoln Park, Canmore. See this map for location.

For your greater convenience we offer a pre-meeting shuttle service within Canmore. Please let us know in advance where you will be staying if needing this service. Pickup will occur between 7.00 and 7.20pm.

Please ensure that you have your hiking equipment with you.

Program Itinerary

Day 1: At 7.30pm we meet at the Yamnuska Mountain Adventures office in Canmore. We'll go over the trip with you and check to see that you are properly outfitted.

Day 2: Nigel Pass Trailhead - Four Points Campground.
We will pick you up after breakfast, deal with last minute gear issues and food packing then head off. Driving north from Canmore on the Icefields Parkway we travel 190 km to the Nigel Pass Trailhead which is just a few km from the Columbia Icefields. Crossing the pretty limestone canyon of Nigel Creek we head upstream to Camp Parker where carefully carved tree blazes date from early European visits in the late 1800's to when the road arrived in the 1940's. Gradually, we climb through slide paths, forest and meadows to reach Nigel Pass and the Jasper Park boundary. Leaving spectacular views of Mt. Saskatchewan and the peaks south of the Columbia Icefields behind we drop into the upper reaches of the Brazeau River to reach our first camp, Four Points, 5 downhill km later. Distance 14 km. Total elevation gain & loss: +335m / -275m.

Crossing a bridge on the Jasper Highlands Hike. Seiko Ohashi photo.

Day 3: Four Points  - Brazeau Lake.
Before heading out we lighten out loads and cache food for our last night and day for this is also our last campsite. Today will be a longer day, though the gradually descending trail makes it much less onerous. Traversing lodge pole forests and frequent lush meadows, we travel north along the Brazeau River. This is an old, old trail used by Natives and early European explorers. It is also used by wildlife as the tracks of bear, moose and wolf attest. We continue along the valley dropping through the forest to emerge on a bench which allows us to traverse above a spectacular canyon of the river before dropping yet again. Reaching the junction of the Brazeau North Branch we follow it to our camp by Brazeau Lake. This turquoise marvel is one of the largest backcountry lakes in the Rockies! Distance 19 km. Total elevation gain & loss: +90m / -150m.

Day 4: Brazeau Lake - Jonas Cutoff Campground
A more challenging day as we climb John-John Creek to Poboktan Pass (2300m) to enter the Jasper Highlands! These huge tundra-like meadows cover many, many square kilometers and are home of the Jonas Creek mountain caribou herd! The view from the Pass is extensive, we can see for miles, and if lucky we may see bighorn sheep or even mountain caribou grazing nearby slopes. Views absorbed and photos taken we then hike several kilometers to our campsite at Jonas Cutoff . Distance 16km. Total elevation gain & loss: +490m / -180m.

Day 5: Jonas Cutoff Camp - Four Point Campground.
Today we enjoy one of the most impressive alpine traverses in the mountain parks, a 13-kilometer section of trail that never drops below timberline. After a day of spectacular views that includes several nearby glaciers and glaciated peaks, we drop steeply to the valley bottom and the Four Points Camp and completion of the Brazeau Loop. Here we retrieve our food and fuel cache having enjoyed relatively light backpacks for the day. This is a great camp where we can enjoy life in the hills around a campfire. Distance 19 km. Total elevation gain & loss: +350m / -555m.

Crossing Jonas Shoulder, Jasper Highlands 2007

Day 6: Four Point Camp - Nigel Trailhead
At our camp by the Brazeau River we pack up for the last time. The 14km trail over Nigel Pass to the road passes quickly as light packs and a wonderful view to the west, that we really never appreciated on the first day, help the kilometers slip quickly by. We meet our van and drive back to Canmore, to hot showers and the customary final night of celebration. Distance 14km. Total elevation gain & loss: +280m / -335m.

View west over Nigel Pass, Day 6 of Jasper Highlands. Seiko Ohash photo.

Read a "GUIDE"S PERSPECTIVE" for more about the hike and its special ambiance!

How difficult is it? How fit and experienced need you be?  

This trip is rated challenging due to successive longish days (14 - 19km). On the first and second days backpack weights are heavier. Participants will be carrying personal clothing and gear plus a fair share of food and group gear (tents, stoves, etc). By keeping personal gear light, pack weights need not exceed 20kg (44lbs) on the 1st day, thereafter weights drop quickly. Please read our Travelling Light & Making Backpacking More Fun for  information and suggestions for clothing and equipment.

Prior hiking experience is not a prerequisite but is strongly recommended. Participants must be in good physical condition and able to carry a backpack over hilly terrain for a succession of longish days.

The trails are generally good with occasional boggy sections. We will hike at a regular and steady pace that conserves energy but you still must be in good hiking shape before you come. We cannot emphasize enough that training pays great dividends in enjoyment. We suggest you train by walking and/or cycling and/or hiking (ideally in hilly terrain).

Visit our Trip Difficulty Comparison Chart.

Guides and Group Size

Yamnuska Mountain Adventure guides are certified through the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides.  Our professional guides have extensive experience in the Canadian Rockies.  Guides also have advanced wilderness first aid training and heritage interpretation accreditation.  Guides carry emergency equipment including a first aid kit, bear spray and radio.

There will be a maximum of eight guests and a minimum of four.

Scorpion Weed, hardy alpine biennial seen on scree, Jasper Highlands 2007. Ugo Mazzarolo photo.

Accommodation and Meals

On the trail you will be staying in modern, lightweight 2- and 1-person weather-proof tents.

The first and last night's accommodation in Canmore is NOT included. For your convenience we can arrange bed and breakfast hotel rooms for these and other nights at $160 per night. These will be at the recommended Westridge Country Inn. Double or single occupancy, the cost is the same. For those wishing to defray this cost we will try to pair them with other participants. This accommodation can be booked with the trip online or by calling us. Subject to availability.

You can also make your own arrangements. Check our links page for a range of Canmore accommodations.

Excess luggage can be left at your hotel or our office.

We supply all meals and trail snacks from lunch on Day 2 to lunch on Day 6. Groups generally go out for dinner in Canmore with the guide on the final evening (own cost).

Trail cuisine is constructed from lightweight ingredients including our Yamnuska custom-made dehydrated dinners. Please specify any special dietary requirements you have on booking so we can incorporate them into our menus. In case of more complicated diets a surcharge may apply.

At the top of  Jonas Shoulder. Seiko Ohashi photo.

Getting to Canmore and Transportation

Canmore is situated 100km (65miles) west of Calgary on the Trans-Canada Highway. It is well served  by scheduled bus lines both from Calgary (airport and downtown), Banff (20km west) and points further west. Calgary International Airport is well connected to major cities throughout North America and Europe. Once in Canmore we will supply all transport needed for the trip.

 

Frequent shuttles connect Calgary International Airport and Canmore. Greyhound Bus Lines (1 800 661 8747) serves Canmore from points east and west along the Trans-Canada Highway. Call 609 8790, 609 0300, 609 1490 or 609 8505 for taxis in Canmore.

We supply transportation from Canmore to the hiking trails.

Clothing and Equipment

We supply group camping and cooking equipment plus a full emergency and first-aid kit. You will need to bring personal equipment (backpack, sleeping bag, etc.) and clothing. Yamnuska Mountain Adventures does have rental and retail equipment such as sleeping bags, mats, and backpacks. Rental Gear List. Contact us in advance to reserve. 

What you bring will have a big impact on the quality of your experience, we especially urge you to read our notes on lightweight gear and clothing. 

Please download the list below and make sure that you will have the items listed.

Clothing and Equipment List (pdf)

Contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Fishing

Brazeau Lake fishes well for large cutthroat and hybrid varieties of trout. Participants are welcome to bring lightweight fishing gear. A National Park fishing license is required (purchase in Canmore). Fishing is only possible on the 2nd evening so it might be wise to consider whether carrying fishing gear for the whole trip is worthwhile.

Insurance

In the National Parks there is no charge for rescue, however you may have to pay for evacuation should you hurt yourself or fall ill (not astronomically expensive). Ensure that you have adequate travel insurance or that your health plan will cover you whilst here.

To Book

Please book as early as practical to avoid disappointment. A deposit of  $428 CDN (including GST) is required at time of booking. Final payment is due eight weeks before the start of the trip. To avoid unnecessary cancellation penalties we suggest you take our cancellation insurance for an extra non-refundable $62, this can only be purchased at the time of booking.

For detailed Booking Instructions and Conditions, click here.

Please note that you will be required to sign our waiver before commencing the trip. Click here for waiver copy.

Please don"t hesitate to contact us if you need to know anything else about this hike.

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More about the hike, "A Guide's Perspective"

"Hiking the Jasper Highline is an amazingly varied backpacking trip. We go over mountain passes, wander through lush meadows and camp by rivers and the beautiful Brazeau Lake.

Inka Karlsen

Nigel Pass acts like a guard for the grand tour of the southern ranges of Jasper Park, it welcomes us on the first day, and whispers goodbye as we leave. Poboktan Pass is encountered a few days into the trip, when the packs have been adjusted and our loads lightened. Hiking through the Pass, we are again above tree line, and can enjoy rolling terrain and the wonderful views. This is a good day to keep the binoculars handy, and scout for bears or caribou in the distance. Going up and over Jonas Shoulder is a highpoint of the trip, also literally with its 2470 meters. It feels as if we can touch the glaciated peaks just across the valley. The "alpine" feeling stays with us as we traverse along Jonas Pass, before dropping below treeline again.

Living for a week on the Brazeau Lake Loop is an easy going life. After hiking through lush meadows and green forests, or over a high pass we hit camp in the afternoon.  The campgrounds are situated in beautiful forest, and have rivers or lake water close by.  Hanging out at the beach is possible at Brazeau Lake campground. You can dry yourself off in the warm afternoon sun while you wait for someone else to make afternoon drinks and snack. The food is great tasting, and feels wonderful in your tummy after being carried on your back all day.

Spending this time in a remote, quiet and beautiful place effects all of us who do this. We have a chance to spend some time with just ourselves as we silently hike along as a part of the group. And being in a group with new and exciting people with the same passion as yourself, offers endless amounts of opportunities to have good conversations and many belly laughs.

After hiking the Jasper Highline I have warm and fun memories in my mind, great pictures in my photo album and new friends who write to me and want to go out hiking again."

Inka Karlsen