The best place to park and start the icewalk is at the 5th Bridge. From the parking lot, cross over the bridge and follow the trail to the right along the river. The start is not well marked as the Parks are trying to encourage people to go with a tour for safety.

We chose to do the Maligne Canyon Icewalk in Jasper National Park on our own without a guide. Going on a guided tour is recommended as they provide all the equipment you will need and they have the knowledge to keep you safe and to teach you all about the history of the canyon and to point out interesting features like fossils. If choosing to hike the ice walk on your own you will need to provide your own equipment and should have some previous experience with winter hiking, especially on ice and near open water.

The icewalk along the bottom of the canyon is only possible during the winter with January through March being the best times. As the river is still flowing underneath the ice it is important to wait until the ice is thick enough. Some years it is possible to hike the Maligne Canyon Ice Walk as early as December or as late as April, but its best to check with the Parks staff or a tour company before heading out during these times.

Officially the ice walk is 2.3km. Tours start further up than where we did. Altogether, we covered 6km in just under 2 hours. I suspect the extra distance was from wandering around and exploring a lot. Generally, this is an easy to moderate winter hike. There were a number of kids on the trail when we went. There are some trickier spots that require good mobility with steep slopes and rocky or icy ledges to climb up and down from. If you have mobility issues it is probably best to stay on the upper trail above the canyon.

Follow the trail along the river to access the bottom of the canyon and the icewalk. Be sure to have the proper gear to keep you warm and safe so you can enjoy the experience. Ice cleats are a must, and a hiking pole is a good idea to help with balance, big step ups/downs and for safety to probe soft spots on the ice before you step on it. Winter gear like snowpants and mitts are important even on a warm day if you plan on belly crawling through the cave, ice sliding and crawling up and down rocks and ice ledges.

This is the first waterfall that we encountered. It was right in the middle of the trail and blocking our access further up the canyon. It appeared to be a dead end. Fortunately, a little ways back and on the right hand side of the river there was a trail that lead up the canyon and around the top of the falls.

It gets pretty cold in Canada in winter, eh? Why aren't the falls frozen? Maligne river is fed by Medicine Lake but before the water reaches the canyon it passes below ground for 14km before resurfacing at several springs along the canyon. This water is warmer then it would have been had it traveled along the surface from the lake and into the canyon which is why these falls are only half frozen.

If you opt for a guided tour, this is the first point where you venture into the canyon for the icewalk.

Although for much of the trail the canyon floor is actually wider than it is up top, this particular spot is bit of tight squeeze. Making for a fun little adventure within an adventure. The rock is quite slippery, especially when it is in contact with ice cleats making the little scramble up and down it a bit tricky. My not very glamorous technique, was to first remove my gloves so that I could get a few good hand holds. Since, it was a nice day so I wasn't worried about the cold. Then I basically crawled up on my knees which worked a whole lot better than the people before me who kept trying to use their ice cleats on the rock. Having some experience rock climbing and knowing a few techniques helped as well.

This is spot presented us with another little challenge and an adventure within adventure on the icewalk. This is when you hope that your ice cleats are good in good condition. Not only are the ice and rocks slippery to get onto the narrow ice bridge, you 'hand holds' are also smooth and slippery ice. Fortunately, it was easier to cross then it looked.

This is why you wear snowpants. It is so you can let your inner child out to play as you explore the cave behind the falls and belly crawl through a small tunnel to get out.... or you could just walk out the same way you probably came in, but that isn't as fun and adventurous.

Maligne Canyon is made of limestone that has been shaped and molded by the Maligne River since the last ice age. Perhaps this part of the canyon was once a cave that the water swirled around to create this rounded, almost cathedral-like section on the icewalk.

Maligne Canyon is over 50m deep in sections. Here you can see the fourth (4th) bridge visible above. This bridge is part of the Maligne Canyon hike, which is a year round trail that follows the canyon from the fifth and sixth bridges up to the Malign Canyon Wilderness Kitchen.

Interestingly, parts of Maligne River never freeze. The river is supplied by Medicine Lake. Scientists believe that once the water leaves the lake it travels underground for 14km through caves and fissures only to resurface at springs along various points of the canyon. As the water resurfaces, it comes out about 4 Degrees Celsius.