A Guide to Mount Edith Cavell in Jasper National Park
Enjoy a day out in Jasper National Park, Alberta, and visit the Mount Edith Cavell area featuring Angel Glacier, alpine meadows, several hiking trails, and stunning Canadian Rockies scenery. This Mount Edith Cavell travel guide includes tips on how to get there, when to visit, and where to stay.
Mount Edith Cavell is a top natural attraction in Alberta Province, Canada, near the townsite of Jasper.
There are so many beautiful places in Jasper National Park to visit that you can easily get overwhelmed when creating the Canadian Rockies travel itinerary. Before you make a final decision on what places are worth visiting, we would like to share with you one tip.
If the Mount Edith Cavell area is accessible during your trip, you should not hesitate a minute. With its 3363 meters, Mount Edith Cavell is one of the crown jewels in Jasper National Park.
The easily recognizable shape, together with fragile alpine vegetation, glaciers, and a small pond beneath, are the main highlights and the reason why this destination stands above others even in such a dense competition.
This area is easily accessible by car, and it is a popular stop for tourists, families, hikers, and photographers alike.
Whether you are looking for a half-day hike and an insight into the Canadian Rockies wilderness or a fairly short hike with beautiful photo opportunities, the Mount Edith Cavell area will not disappoint.
In this Mount Edith Cavell travel guide, we share our tips on how to organize your trip, how to get there, what to expect, and what are the best things to do once you arrive in this beautiful part of Jasper National Park.
MOUNT EDITH CAVELL
The highlight in this area is definitely the meadows, Angel Glacier, Cavell Glacier, and Mount Edith Cavell itself.
With its massive quartzite north face and the shape carved by the glaciers, this mountain is breathtaking.
Together with the Cavell Pond with floating chunks of ice beneath, the scenery of Mount Edith Cavell is a photographers' dream.
It is hard to imagine that massive glaciers used to cover a parking lot in ice a long time ago.
Nowadays, the Angel Glacier is receding and is only a shell of its former self. As time went by and the climate got warmer, plants and animals slowly moved in.
The area around Mount Edith Cavell Meadows Trail is covered with grass and shrubs, all kinds of summer wildflowers, and subalpine firs. And it's such fun to watch pikas scampering in the rocky scree.
HISTORY
If you are wondering, who Edith Cavell was, then we might have an answer in case you missed the information board in the parking lot.
Edith Louisa Cavell was a brave British nurse who helped to save many soldiers' lives during WW1 (from both sides) and helped to escape 200 Allied soldiers from Belgium, which Germans occupied at that time.
For this act, she was arrested and executed. Mount Edith Cavell was named in her honor.
HIKING TRAILS
Mt. Edith Cavell area offers some excellent hiking trails for all types of hikers.
The shortest and easiest is the Path of the Glacier Trail. The trail gets a bit crowded as most of the visitors choose this hike.
If you are looking for a more serious hike in Mt. Edith Cavell, then Cavell Meadows trail might be right for you.
Also, don't forget to read our guide on Best Hikes in Jasper National Park.
PATH OF THE GLACIER TRAIL
Early that day, we explored different parts of Jasper National Park.
We had hiked to Opal Hills, visited Maligne Lake, walked along Maligne Canyon, so we arrived at the dead-end parking lot fairly late in the afternoon.
We decided on hiking one of the shorter trails called Path of the Glacier Trail as we didn't have time to walk to the upper meadows area.
Path of the Glacier Trail is a 1.6 kilometers long way (return) offering superb views of the glacial lake and Mount Edith Cavell mountain.
You will find the trailhead at the far end of the parking lot, where you can also read a little bit more about the history and Mount Edith Cavell area. At the start, the path is paved and climbs steadily to a viewpoint overlooking the whole area.
The trail is not difficult and is great even for families with small kids. From the lookout, enjoy the views of Mount Edith Cavell mountain, Cavell Pond, and Angel Glacier.
The glacier got its name after the glacier's shape, which looks like having a pair of wings, although the wings are not as impressive as they once were.
CAVELL MEADOWS TRAIL
If you have more time, then consider the 3-5 hours long Cavell Meadows trail that will take you above the tree line to the tundra-like environment on a moderately steep trail.
This trail often gets muddy and slippery; make sure you have hiking boots, and always pack a rain jacket, as the weather in Mount Edith Cavell area can change rapidly (as anywhere in the Canadian Rockies).
Using trekking poles, you lower the stress on your knees when walking downhill, and they also help when walking uphill.
TONQUIN VALLEY HIKE
For serious trekking options, look into Tonquin Valley.
Known for the grizzly bear population, Tonquin Valley offers a superb backcountry trail that can be done in three or four days.
This trek is also a great way to enjoy Jasper National Park's stunning scenery on a budget and get away from the crowds (if you have plenty of time).
In general, traveling around the Canadian Rockies on a budget is not easy, so make sure to read our article before you go.
Travel Insurance
We never leave home without travel insurance that was designed to cover our expenses if something goes wrong during the trip.
Travel insurance protects against theft, flight delays, injury, illness, cancellations, and much more.
World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers to cover their trip essentials, including sports and adventure activities.
SafetyWing is affordable travel insurance for backpackers, long-term travelers, and digital nomads.
Travel smarter and safer!
WHEN TO VISIT MOUNT EDITH CAVELL
Before we touch on the topic of getting to the Mount Edith Cavell area, we need to mention first when is the best time to visit Mount Edith Cavell.
The reason behind this is very simple. Mount Cavell road is not open year-round. Cavell Road opens on June 14 and remains accessible to vehicles until October 15.
Additionally, the road is fully closed from November 1 to February 15 for caribou conservation.
Outside these dates, the road is open for cross-country skiing. This is quite common in the Canadian Rockies, and these rules are, for example, similar to Moraine Lake in Banff National Park.
Clearly, that's a very short window of time, and this area gets very busy as all travelers, local and international alike, want to grasp the chance.
As some of the trails will take you around alpine meadows, the best time to visit Mount Edith Cavell is in the late spring, and early summer when the slopes are dotted with colors as the flowers are blooming in full force.
And even though the Cavell Road is already open, the Meadow Trail might still be snowbound and not available for hiking yet. Check the road conditions with Parks Canada before you go.
Furthermore, the Mount Edith Cavell Day Use area has been renovated, and you don't need a Cavell Meadows Permit anymore.
MOUNT EDITH CAVELL DIRECTIONS
One of the most common questions we get regarding this post is how to get to Mount Edit Cavell. Well, here you go.
From Jasper, take Icefields Parkway south 14 kilometers to 93A Wabasso Road exit, and then follow this road for 5 kilometers.
At the junction, turn right onto Cavell Road. First thing you need to know that Cavell Road is 14 kilometers of twisting and turning route uphill.
The road is full of switchbacks and drop-offs, so it is fun to drive uphill, but drive slowly and carefully as the road is relatively narrow, and there will be other drivers on the road.
In fact, this road is very narrow, and no vehicles longer than 7 meters (25 feet) are allowed on Cavell Road.
When you return to the junction after the visit to the area, you have two options.
Turn left and drive back to Jasper, or turn right, and follow the road (93A) all the way down to iconic Athabasca Falls, one of the best stops along the Icefields Parkway.
Here, you can re-join the Icefields Parkway and continue your trip down south in the direction to Sunwapta Falls, Athabasca Glacier, or Saskatchewan Glacier.
GET AROUND
We can't imagine getting around the Canadian Rockies without a car.
If this is your holiday, you should strongly consider renting a car, which will allow you to make the most of your trip to this unique part of the world. Or campervan, of course.
In case you do not travel by car and still want to see this place, your best shot is to arrange a tour or taxi in Jasper.
One of the most popular tours is this Chauffeured Sidecar Tour from Jasper, which, upon request, also includes the drive to Mount Edith Cavell.
WHERE TO STAY IN JASPER
Jasper is the nearest town to Mount Edith Cavell, which is for many travelers a base for visiting Jasper National Park.
This mountain town has many hotels, restaurants, and stores, basically, everything you would expect from an alpine village.
For example, we bought a bear spray there, as we forgot to order it from Amazon before our trip.
Because of its popularity and considerably small size, if you plan on traveling to the national park, it is necessary to make a reservation well in advance, especially in the main season between May and October.
For us, booking accommodation in advance was one of the most annoying things to do, but it was worth the effort.
Campgrounds are equally popular as hotels, and reservations are also necessary.
We've hand-selected Jasper's best hotels in each category for every traveler and covered basic info about the campgrounds near Jasper.
Budget | Mount Robson Inn - It is almost impossible to find budget accommodation in the Canadian Rockies when not camping. This hotel is reasonably priced and offers clean facilities and excellent breakfast.
Mid-range | Jasper Inn Suites - Convenient location, indoor pool, onsite restaurant, and clean and tidy rooms should convince you to stay here.
Luxury | Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge - You will hardly find better accommodation in Jasper. Beautiful surroundings, comfortable rooms, and excellent service are the main reasons to stay here.
CAMPGROUNDS IN JASPER
Wapiti and Wabasso are huge campgrounds in Jasper that accommodate hundreds of visitors each day.
You can make reservation at the official website in advance.
We highly recommend you to reserve a campsite well in advance, especially if you are arriving in the Canadian Rockies in high season.
Most of the other campgrounds in Jasper National Park operate on a first-come-first-served basis.
Read this guide if you plan on camping in the Canadian Rockies.
Travel Resources
Here you can find links to all the travel resources we use and which you might find helpful when planning your next holiday.
Accommodation: When looking for accommodation, we usually search hotels via Booking.com or Hostelworld.
Tours: Although we love to travel independently, some places are better to visit with a guided tour.
We prefer GetYourGuide for its easy-to-use interface and solid reputation. Another great alternative is Viator.
Rental Cars: When going on a road trip, we always use Rentalcars.com, a reliable site for booking a rental car in advance.
Flight Tickets: When looking for flight tickets, you can search Skyscanner to find the best price.
Travel Insurance: World Nomads and SafetyWing cover against risks of travel.
