Posted on

Sulphur Skyline (2050 m)

Summary

  • Area: Jasper
  • Trip Date: 2022 Aug 20
  • Trip Duration: 2 hrs 10 min
  • Elevation Gain: 645 m
  • Total Distance: 8.4 km
  • Difficulty: Hiking
  • Accompanied By: Dan
  • Beta: Miette Hotsprings Area – Jasper National Park
  • Notes: Miette Road closes for Winter. Sulphur Skyline Trail is not the same as Skyline Trail.

Trip Report

Sulphur Skyline is the easiest peak in Jasper and a very popular hike. It’s a good place to chat with tourists from all over the world and would be suitable for school-aged children. We had toddler-friendly afternoon plans with my family, so Dan and I set out early for a quick lap up Sulphur Skyline in the morning. This hike was easy enough that I expect I’ll be bringing the kiddos up it within a few years though. The trail starts to the East of Miette Hotsprings and the parking lot tends to fill up once the hot springs open. It’s a well marked trail with an easy grade. The last 300 m of horizontal distance is above the trees, hiking up a scree slope. There’s a well-worn trail to follow up the scree.

We reached the peak in 1 hr 10 min. Hikers can be seen on the relatively tame trail behind me. The dramatic half-domed ridge behind me (north) is Ashlar’s Ridge.
Dan gazes southeast toward the Fiddle River and Overturn Mountain (right)
We paused for a selfie at the top of Sulphur Skyline. This must have been a big day for the little hikers behind us, but evidently it was within their abilities!
To the southwest is a good side profile of Utopia Mountain’s exposed summit ridge. The bowl below the summit sure looked bigger from above.
Mount O’Hagan stands to the west, which we would head up the next weekend.

After a 10 min break at the peak we hiked back out to the parking lot. The views are great, but the crowds were a bit much for me. The hike back out took 50 min. This hike might be best enjoyed at sunrise or during shoulder season.

Leave a comment