Last updated on March 18th, 2023 at 03:53 am
Paddling to Athabasca Island in Jasper National Park to camp for a night has been on my mind for many years but it is notoriously hard to get a booking and if I’m entirely honest, I’m a little nervous of paddling! It’s something I haven’t had a lot of practice at and although I’m getting better I’m definitely no expert! My partner on the other hand is a very competent paddler having starting canoeing back in his youth in Scouts.
When you book this trip, Parks Canada does say this isn’t a beginners paddle, you should have at least intermediate paddling skills to complete the paddle to Athabasca Island. They weren’t wrong!
Paddling to Athabasca Island
12 Mile Bridge to Athabasca Island
Due to inexperience we decided to paddle the shortest distances possible when paddling to Athabasca Island, putting in at 12 mile bridge and taking out the following day at Jasper Lake. This would leave us with approximately a 4km paddle to get to Athabasca Island and another 4km to reach our take out point.
For those with more experience who are looking to extend their paddling to Athabasca Island, you can put in at Old Fort Point just outside the town of Jasper, making for a 22.3 km paddle to Athabasca Island. Based on the trail sign on the Island it also appears to be possible to keep paddling past Jasper Lake on towards Hinton.
For us, putting in at 12 Mile Bridge was easy, there is a big parking area and a boat ramp. There are parking areas on both sides of the bridge, the best side to put in is from the parking area on the Jasper side of the bridge. Once we were loaded we headed out on the water to start paddling to Athabasca Island.
The first section when paddling to Athabasca Island, for me, was the worst part. Instantly you get out into the flow and have to go under the bridge where there was a sweeper. Once on the other side of the bridge the river becomes very braided, it takes caution and forethought to pick the best line through here and this is where the intermediate paddle experience comes in. Quick steering and ability to maneuver the canoe in moving water is a must.
Soon the river opens up into one big, wide and deep channel, there are the occasional submerged shallow areas, so always be on the lookout while paddling to Athabasca Island. Before we knew it we could see an island in the river in the distance with the tell tale, big campground sign on it. We kept right around the side of the island and cut across just as the trees finished on a sand beach, right by the trail marker sign and where there is a path which cuts up to the campground.
The Athabasca Island Campground
The campsite is perched on the highest part of Athabasca Island, as you walk up the obvious trail from the right hand side of the island you’ll first find a bear locker. It’s a large communal locker shared with the other campsite occupants. Our cooler easily fit in one side of the locker with space to spare for other smaller stuff.
Near the locker there were two or three flattened sandy areas we initially thought were tent pads, however we walked to the far side of the island and found two tent pads, clearly marked with wood borders looking out over the river and the mountains. A beautiful spot but don’t forget the tent stakes, as the sun started to set it got very windy!
Between the bear proof food locker and the tent pads there is a cleared area in the trees which is home to a picnic bench, fire pit and grey water disposal down a plastic tube. This is clearly the eating area. Closer to the tent pads there is a small sign signalling the trail to the left takes you to the outhouse. An open air, plastic green throne awaits you surrounded by trees and shrubs.
The true gem of the Athabasca Island is its true remoteness. There are only two tent pads on the island and for our visit the second tent pad, although booked on the system, was left empty. This meant we had the whole island to ourselves. While we were there the water level seemed on the lower side and stretching from the main island down river was a huge and wide sand bank, a great spot to sit and relax.
There is nothing to do here, so bring a fishing rod, a book, some music and enjoy having this little slice of heaven to enjoy, a place, mostly untouched by others due to the tiny size of the campground and the lack of ease of getting there!
To book a much sought after spot on Athabasca Island you’ll need to be online at 8am when backcountry reservations open for Jasper National Park. If you are flexible with dates you may be lucky enough to grab a cancellation over the summer. Either way, you’ll need to book and pay through the Parks Canada reservation site here.
Paddling to Athabasca Island
Athabasca Island to Jasper Lake
Leaving Athabasca Island we shot straight out at 90 degrees to the island, paddling hard to get out into the deep part of the river and not get caught up on a sandbar and the shallow waters which surrounded the island. We hit the water early while it was calm looking and there was little wind. When we’d dropped the car off at Jasper Lake the day before there were white caps crashing into the lake shore and we wanted to avoid that if at all possible.
As we said goodbye to the Island and started paddling down the river we spotted a bobcat which had come to the water, he stood frozen when he saw us moving his eyes with the boat as we flew along. Shortly after we were faced with a huge island, we checked the map and kept right, we had reached the edge of Jasper Lake.
Parks Canada warns people of Jasper Lake on its information about paddling to Athabasca Island, stating that due to the large number of sandbars, canoes have been know to capsize in the lake. We slowly picked our way through the sandbars using the stranded trees which littered the entrance to the lake as navigators of where the most shallow spots were.
We kept fairly close to shore where we could see water was still running fast. It was a slow paddle from here on out. Often being so shallow, we didn’t ground out, but our paddles constantly hit the soft bottom.
Due to the silt in the water it’s almost impossible to see the sandbars and the shallow and deep areas while on the water. Eventually with the car in sight we couldn’t paddle anymore. We hopped out and grabbed the rope we had attached to the back of the boat and waded through the shallows to where our car was parked. The water in the shallow areas close to shore were pleasantly warm. The water did still have a current though so keeping hold of the boat as we walked along was a must.
Shortly after we were dragging the canoe up onto the sand beach below the car. I was relieved we had made it with relatively few incidents as I can’t say I’d entered this trip feeling overly confident. Paddling to Athabasca Island was an incredible experience though and one I’m looking forward to doing again in future summers.
Logistics of Paddling to Athabasca Island
Jasper Lake is just over a 20 minute drive from the town of Jasper and the put in at 12 Mile Bridge is around a 10 to 15 minute drive. We didn’t want to take two cars for the short shuttle, so we ended up booking a taxi through Caribou Cabs. We decided to drop off the canoe at 12 Mile Bridge and secured it to a tree with a cable and lock. We then dropped our car at the exit point, Jasper Lake and the cab picked us up from there and dropped us to the canoe at 12 Mile Bridge.
Caribou Cabs were fantastic, there is no cell reception at Jasper Lake so we called ahead and booked in a time to meet at Jasper Lake. They gave us a set rate over the phone of $60 and showed up with a car, plenty big enough for all our gear and more! The whole experience was easy and completely stress free.
Doing it this way meant our vehicle was waiting for us at the end, so we could load our gear and the canoe quickly and hit the road. We headed to Jasper, parked up and headed to Coco’s Cafe for one of the best sandwiches I’ve had in a long time. I can’t believe we hadn’t found this gem before, we will definitely be back!
If you are planning on an early start, make sure to book a front country campsite in Jasper, they are well equipped and convenient, my favourite is Wabasso, it is a little more remote and peaceful feeling, especially if you get a site near the river, alternatively I also enjoy staying at Wapiti which has the added bonus of showers.
