Skyline Trail (Jasper National Park)

A ridge-top traverse in the Canadian Rockies, the Skyline Trail runs about 44 kilometres through Jasper National Park with roughly 60 percent of its length above treeline, offering sustained alpine walking rare on maintained trails.

Most hikers take two to three days from Maligne Lake to the Signal Mountain trailhead, gaining around 1,400 metres cumulatively and cresting The Notch near 2,510 metres, where the views stretch across the Athabasca valley. The exposed high sections leave hikers at the mercy of fast mountain weather.

Practical detail: a backcountry permit and reserved campsite are required through Parks Canada, and the route is a point-to-point that needs a shuttle or car arrangement. Snow can linger on The Notch into July, and there is no shelter along the ridge.

Mid-July through September is the practical season, once the high passes clear and before autumn snow returns; wildflowers peak in high summer. Reached from the town of Jasper, the Skyline is considered one of the premier alpine backpacking routes in the Rockies.