Mt. Edith Cavell Hikes, Jasper National Park- Path of the Glacier Trail & Cavell Meadows

The Mount Edith Cavell area is a great place to go hiking in Jasper National Park thanks to its stunning alpine scenery and the option to choose between an easy or moderate trail.

Some highlights of the Mt Edith Cavell trails are seeing a glacier hanging above a turquoise pond, walking among piles of moraine, admiring Mt. Edith Cavell and the surrounding valley, and possibly spotting some small animals and wildflowers.

Hiking Trails at Mt. Edith Cavell

The two Mt. Edith Cavell hikes are the Path of the Glacier Trail and the Cavell Meadows Trail. Both hikes start on the same path then split to offer different routes for enjoying Angel Glacier, Cavell Pond, and Mt. Edith Cavell.

The Path of the Glacier Trail is the shortest, easier route and appeals to casual or non-hikers, families, sightseers, and people interested in a scenic nature walk.

The Cavell Meadows Trail is a moderately challenging half-day hike that climbs to above the tree line.

The Path of the Glacier Trail is a short, well-used path that leads towards Mt. Edith Cavell then terminates at a viewpoint across from Angel Glacier and Cavell Pond.

From the parking lot, a short stairway leads to a paved trail that gradually climbs along the edge of a valley towards Mt. Edith Cavell. Along the way there are unobstructed views of Angel Glacier flowing down the north face of Mt Edith Cavell.

About 0.5 km later, the pavement ends near a junction in the trail. Stay straight to continue on the Path of the Glacier.

A short walk later you’ll reach the end of the trail, arriving at a viewpoint overlooking Cavell Pond. From here you get a close up view of Angel Glacier and the layered ice of Cavell Glacier bordering the pond.

While at the viewpoint, listen for the cracking of ice, as chunks frequently fall from Angel Glacier, making small icebergs in the pond.

After you’re done admiring the view, you can head back to the parking lot the way you came. If you’d like to continue hiking, turn at the junction and follow the trail to Cavell Meadows.

The Cavell Meadows Trail is a moderately steep path that leads to an alpine meadow with stunning views of Angel Glacier, Mount Edith Cavell, and Cavell Pond.

The hike to Cavell Meadows starts on the Path of the Glacier Trail. About 0.5 km in, there’s a junction where the two trails meet. Turn left to get on the Cavell Meadows Trail and begin the climb to higher elevation.

This part of the trail is lined with piles of moraine left behind from when the valley was home to much larger, moving glaciers. Keep an eye out for wildlife, as these rock fields are a favourite spot for marmots and pikas.

While the views of Angel Glacier are quite good along this stretch of trail, once you get directly across from it you can carefully climb up on the rocks to get an even better view with Cavell Pond.

Leaving behind the boulders and Cavell Pond, the trail then enters into a forest and zigzags its way up towards Cavell Meadows.

Once above the tree line, the trail levels out and loops around a meadow dotted with wildflowers, giving numerous vantage points for admiring Angel Glacier.

If you go clockwise, the trail will be steeper going up, whereas counter-clockwise will be steeper coming down.

At the far end of the loop there’s a natural lookout point perfect for taking a break. This high spot looks out over the meadow and valley and is another great spot to look at Angel Glacier and Cavell Pond.

The rest of the loop continues around the meadow, but if you want to extend your hike, you can take a short out and back trail to the rocky summit. This steep trail doesn’t offer anything much different in terms of scenery, but is just a higher point for taking in Jasper’s mountain ranges.

After completing the loop, the trail rejoins itself so you’ll once again hike though the forest and past the moraine on the way back to the parking lot.

Review of the Mt. Edith Cavell Hikes

The two trails at Mount Edith Cavell both highlight Jasper’s exquisite mountain scenery.

While the shorter trail is a quick and easy way to enjoy the beauty of Angel Glacier and Cavell Pond, the longer, more challenging trail rewards hikers with a larger variety of scenery and several spots to admire different views of Angel Glacier.  

No matter what Mt. Edith Cavell hike you choose to do, you’re sure to discover some of the very best scenery Jasper has to offer.

Accommodations in Jasper National Park

For your convenience, here is a list of hotels in Jasper National Park. Please consider booking your Jasper accommodations through the included link. It costs nothing extra and helps support this website. Thank you!

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