While traveling through the Canadian Rockies on a long road trip, I passed a sign heading north from Banff. The sign mentioned Sunwapta falls in Jasper National Park.
I love finding waterfalls to go explore so obviously I pulled off the main road to see what it was about.
Where can you find the falls?
What does Sunwapta mean?
Sunwapta means “turbulent river” in the native language. The falls were created by an abrupt change in the flow of the turbulent river, and it carved out a canyon through the limestone rock to create the awesome falls we see today.
The hike to Sunwapta Falls is short, less than a mile round trip actually.It is so short that I didn’t even bother taking pictures of the trail. It is paved some of the way down then turns into a dirt trail filled with tree roots.
There is also an epic foot bridge that goes over the top of the falls and you can look down and out to see how much water is truly flowing through.
Behold, Sunwapta Falls!
From the bridge you can see over the sides and see where the water is churning underneath you. It creates palpable sounds, and is quite incredible.
When you come back from the bridge, you can go back down the dirt trail to get closer to the waterfalls. Be careful there are tree roots sticking out of the ground. I tripped and slipped plenty of times.
If you wish to stay close to here, there is the option of staying at Sunwapta Falls Rocky Mountain Lodge. I did not stay here, instead I camped out at the Silverhorn Campground in Banff.
You can read the full post here: SILVERHORN CAMPGROUND
Sunwapta Falls in Jasper National Park was awesome, until next time Banff!
Heres a few other places I found on this trip.
- Amazing Lakes in Banff
- Trail of the Cedars in Glacier National Park
- Avalanche Campground in Glacier National Park
- Calf Creek Falls in Utah
- Jenny Lake and Hidden Falls Trail Grand Tetons National Park
“Water is the most perfect traveler because when it travels it becomes the path itself.”
– Mehmet Murat Ildan
Absolutely stunning!
Thank you so much!
Beautiful countryside. Your photos are exquisite
Thank you so much! Theres more to come!
Beautiful photos!!
Thank you so much!
Such an awesome land, Erik! The strength and beauty of the land shows so clearly in your pics! 😊
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m definitely not a professional photographer yet, but I do my best to capture what I see. I’m glad you have enjoyed it!
Capturing what “you” see, I’m beginning to think, is a true professional+ 😊
thank you for you kind comments! Im doing my best with the photos, even though im currently only using my GoPro and iPhone! haha
Ahhahaha, I get a lot of my pics via my iPhone 😊 Never used a GoPro but seen some great results; so you ain’t doing anything wrong far as I can see 😊
Well thank you very much!
Those falls are amazing.
The pictures do no justice at all! You have to go see for yourself!