What is the Bald Hills Trail?
The Bald Hills Trail is a 13.4km hike in Jasper National Park leading you to the most amazing views of Maligne Lake. The trail starts at the bottom of the lake and you’ll find yourself climbing high above the tree line, gaining 708m in elevation. It is a strenuous walk and gets quite steep near the top. The hike took us about 3-3.5 hours, this includes time sitting at the top admiring the view and lots of photo taking. Online guides will say that the hike takes between 3.5 – 6 hours depending on how fast you walk. It’s best to allow for extra time just in case it does take you longer. If you like hiking, this should definitely be on your list, you won’t get these views anywhere else!
What do I need to know for the hike?
Maligne Lake is around a 50km drive from the town of Jasper which will take around 50mins. You can access the trailhead from the Maligne Lake Car Park, there are signs for the Bald Hills Trail across the car park follow them until you reach the start. Of course you can always follow maps.me if you can’t see the signs. We started the hike at around 11am, after visiting Maligne canyon. The Maligned Lake car park is quite big and there was plenty of parking when we arrived at about 10:45ish.
Once you get to the start of the trail, follow the wide fire road, you’ll be walking along here for the majority of the hike. Around halfway you’ll come to a fork, with the fire road on the right and a narrower, steeper path on the left. You can choose to stay on the fire road for a more gradual climb, or take the steeper one. We took the steeper path as it is shorter. Yes, it definitely was steeper but both my brother and I are fairly fit and we didn’t find it too challenging with regular breaks. Whilst walking up you won’t see much you’ll be walking amongst the trees. However when you get just above the tree line, you’ll catch a glimpse of Maligne Lake. From then on the views just get better and better!
You’ll then meet the main path again, and if you turn right you’ll reach a look out point. If you turn left you’ll continue up the path to one of the summits. If you’re like me you’ll end up taking so many photos. You’ll be in awe of just how big the lake is, I’d never seen anything like it before!
When we reached the summit, it was so windy at the top. We had to put our extra layers on to keep warm. We sat down to eat the sandwiches we had packed for lunch, a much needed source of energy. From here you can continue following the path to the other summits. To reach the next summit you have to walk up an incredibly steep incline and then across large rocks. It really is worth doing this though, when you get there you’ll find lots of people sat down on the rocks admiring the lake below.
Once you’ve soaked in all the views make your way back down following the trail. We also took the steeper path coming down. However you may want to take the fire road so that there is less pressure on your knees.
This was such an amazing hike, it was so cool to see Maligne Lake from above, as from the ground you just don’t appreciate just how big it is! I’d definitely recommend this if you enjoy hiking and have a good level of fitness.
What to do after the hike?
Maligne Canyon
If you didn’t visit Maligne Canyon before you got to Maligne Lake, it’s a great stop to make on the way back to Jasper. Maligne Canyon is the deepest canyon in Jasper National Park. Walking along the canyon will see you crossing 6 different bridges depending on the hike you want. For an easy hike cross over the first and second bridge. Crossing the third bridge will enable you to reach a picture perfect spot for an amazing waterfall. Hike all the way to the sixth bridge for a longer hike. The sixth bridge is the lowest bridge and ends at a car park. In total it’s about 7km to the sixth bridge and back and so will take between 2 and 3 hours.
Maligne Lake Cruise
This Lake Cruise takes you to Spirit Island, one of the most photographed places in Canada. Spirit Island sits 14km up from the dock of Maligne Lake. The only way to get here is by boat, you can paddle yourself but that would take for 4 hours! The lake cruise is the best way to go. As you get closer to Spirit Island you’ll notice the water becoming a more turquoise shade of blue. This is due to the rock flour from the glaciers that feed the lake.
When you get to Spirit Island you have about 15-20 minutes to walk on the Island. There is a short path that takes you round allowing you to see Maligne Lake from a different view. I’d definitely recommend this cruise the views from Spirit island are amazing!
Tips
- Start early and begin with Maligne Canyon, then do the Bald Hills Hike and finish with the cruise to Spirit Island. You’ll have a full Maligne Lake experience!
- Hiking boots are a must!
- Wear/bring layers as it can get a bit chilly at the top
- Carry water & snacks!
- Use maps.me if you have trouble finding the trailhead
- Book your Maligne Lake Cruise in advance online or straight away when you get to Maligne Lake
- Remember your bear safety! Make noise as you’re walking, whether that be talking or using bear bells and carry bear spray if you’ve bought some
If you liked the sound of this hike, I’d also recommend hiking the Sulphur Skyline Trail. It’s another stunning hike with 360 degree views, starting at the Miette Hot Springs.
