Valley of the Five Lakes (Emerald Loop)
📍 Jasper Moderate
5.4 km
Distance
Moderate
Difficulty
✓
Dogs on leash
The trail
Five colourful lakes, from green to turquoise, linked by a network of trails. The Emerald Loop (5.4 km, moderate) visits all five, the Red Chairs and a picnic spot, over rolling terrain with short steep hills.
The 2024 wildfire burned the forest and the bridges. Parks Canada reopened the trail in May 2026 after 20 months of work, and today it shows the forest growing back. You start on Wetland Way, a flat stretch with a boardwalk across a wetland. For something shorter, Wetland Way alone is 1.8 km return; for something longer, the Valley Loop (7.7 km) is quieter and runs along First Lake.
Getting there
P15 parking lot on the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93), 9 km south of the Jasper townsite.
📍 P15 parking lot, Icefields Parkway (Highway 93), 9 km south of Jasper
Best time to go
Late spring to fall. Parks Canada also lists it among its winter walks; with snow, bring light ice cleats.
Wildlife
The wetlands draw waterbirds. Trail 9, which connects to the valley, is heavily used by cyclists. Keep at least 30 m from elk, deer and bighorn sheep, and 100 m from bears, wolves, cougars and coyotes.
Community experiences
User experiences, not official information. Always check the official status before you go.
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