Guide to Sulphur Skyline Trail: Jasper’s Most Epic Hike

You absolutely need to hike Sulphur Skyline Trail, Jasper, if you want the see the most breathtaking view in Jasper National Park!

This epic hike gives you incredible 360° views of the mountains around you! It makes you feel so small and gives you the feeling of being on top of the world.

So far, this is my favourite hike in Jasper, and I consider it to be one of the best hikes in Jasper National Park. The views from the summit of Sulphur Skyline Trail are epic!

I have done this hike on both of my road trips to the Canadian Rockies, and it was worth the hike up both times. Hiking Sulphur Skyline Trail must be added to your Canada travel bucket list!

It’s a very popular hike in Jasper National Park because of the stunning and rewarding views at the summit, so you can expect to see quite a few other hikers when hiking Sulphur Skyline Trail.

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How to get to Sulphur Skyline Trail, Jasper

Getting to Sulphur Skyline Trail is a fun little journey and pretty straightforward. It’s located at the Miette Hot Springs, so all you have to do is type Miette Hot Springs into Google Maps, and it’ll take you straight there.

Remember that getting to this hike might not be possible at some points since the roads leading to the trail are subject to seasonal closure. You can find more information here to ensure the road is open during your trip to Jasper National Park.

To get there, you just need to head north from Jasper on the Yellowhead Highway, Highway 16, for about 30 minutes until you get to Miette Road. From there, you will drive until you arrive at the parking lot for Miette Hot Springs.

How Long of a Hike is Sulphur Skyline Trail?

Sulphur Skyline Trail, Jasper, is about an 8km hike that takes roughly 3.5-4 hours. If you’re an experienced hiker, that timing is probably accurate.

If you’re a beginner hiker and have never done a challenging/difficult hike before, you might want to make sure you plan more time when hiking Sulphur Skyline Trail.

It took me much longer to do this hike since I took a ton of photos. I also didn’t have much experience hiking anything as hard as Sulphur Skyline Trail in Jasper before.

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Sulphur Skyline Trail Elevation

Sulphur Skyline Trail has an elevation gain of 653m. Because of this elevation gain, the trail is rated as hard on the AllTrails app.

Since this hike is an out-and-back hike, you will complete this 653m elevation gain during the first half of the hike, since the other half, you will be descending from the summit of this mountain.

Hiking Sulphur Skyline Trail

Sulphur Skyline Trail, Jasper, is a 7.9km out-and-back trail with an elevation gain of 653 metres. The hike is rated as hard, so I recommend bringing a set of hiking poles and wearing a good pair of hiking shoes.

The first part of the hike starts off on an incline up a paved path, but it doesn’t take long before the paved section ends. Then it turns to a dirt path for most of the hike. For a large portion of the hike, you will be hiking up steep switchbacks, so it’s a lot of fun (not).

Eventually, you will pass the treeline, and the hike will open up a bit more and give you some fantastic views. This part of the hike gives you a bit of a break before you start hiking up to the Sulphur Skyline Trail summit and an even more steep incline.

You’ll want to be a little more careful for the last stretch to the top. You’ll be hiking up loose gravel, and you’ll have to do a bit of scrambling.

During this hike, you’ll probably question why the heck you’re doing this hike and hate yourself for it. The first time I took my mom, she almost turned around about halfway up but then decided she would push on forward. When we got to the top, she said she was glad she decided to keep going because the view was just that amazing!

You’ll hate yourself on the way up, but trust me, the hike is sooo worth it!

Once you reach the summit of Sulphur Skyline Trail, Jasper, you’ll be rewarded with the most epic 360-degree, panoramic, jaw-dropping, surreal view. This has got to be one of the best views in Jasper!

If you look to the South, you will see Utopia mountain; to the southeast is Slide Mountain and to the southwest is Mount O’Hagan. You also get stunning views of Fiddle Valley and epic views of Ashlar Ridge. 

While hiking Sulphur Skyline Trail, I saw a huge herd of bighorn sheep at the top! Lots of baby ones too! Keep a proper distance from any wildlife you see in the Canadian Rockies on your hikes.

It was also extremely windy both times I reached the Sulphur Skyline Trail summit.

Be careful on your way down. That first part going down can be slippery from the loose gravel, and it is pretty steep. You’re literally walking down the side of a mountain.

You’ll descend the mountain the same way you came back. The descent is where the hiking poles really come in handy to protect your knees.

Sulphur Skyline Trail Map

I highly recommend downloading the Sulphur Skyline Trail map off of AllTrails before you get there. I always download every map before I hike them, just in case.

It’s always handy to see if you’re on the right track, going in the right direction, and just to know where you are on the trail and how much further you have to go.

Having the trail map downloaded really came in handy my first time hiking Sulphur Skyline Trail. There are a few different trails in this area, and we ended up starting off hiking the wrong trail. After a couple of kilometres, I checked the AllTrails app because I was confused about why we weren’t ascending a mountain. Good thing I did because we were on a completely different trail.

From there, we returned and found the Sulphur Skyline trailhead using the downloaded map on the AllTrails app.

Here is a screenshot of the Sulphur Skyline Trail map for you to get a little preview of how the trail looks.

Sulphur Skyline Trail Hot Springs

Soaking in the Miette Hot Springs is the best way to relax after completing this Miette Hot Springs Hike.

I never actually got the chance to try out these incredible hot springs since I always did this hike during sunset and hiked down in the dark. So the Miette Hot Springs were closed by the time I was down.

Miette Hot Springs Hours

Since the Miette Hot Springs are reopening in May 2023, the new hours will be posted later in the year and can be found here.

Miette Hot Springs Price

The Miette Hot Springs price for adults costs $7.75 CAD, and for youth and seniors, it’s $6.75. For children under the age of 3, it’s free!

Best Time to Hike in Jasper

The best time to hike Sulphur Skyline Trail, Jasper, is definitely during the summer. During this time, you are more likely to get the best weather and paths that are dry and clear of snow. Since you are more likely to have good weather, the panoramic view from the top is more likely to be clear.

That being said, if you want to avoid larger crowds, you should avoid going during the summer months since that is the high season in the Canadian Rockies. Just after the summer ends, or just before it begins, is an excellent time to go, but remember that the weather will be a little more unpredictable.

It’s also important to keep in mind that Miette Road is subject to seasonal road closure. You can check that out here.

What mountain is Sulphur Skyline Trail?

The views at the summit of Sulphur Skyline Trail, Jasper, are absolutely jaw-dropping!

But you might be wondering, “what mountain is Sulphur Skyline Trail?” Utopia Mountain is the mountain that dominates the trail, and you can find that one to the South. To the southeast is Slide Mountain and to the southwest is Mount O’Hagan.

You also get stunning views of Fiddle Valley and epic views of Ashlar Ridge. 

The 360° view at the top of this hike really gives you the most incredible views in Jasper which is why I consider this to be one of the best hikes in Jasper National Park and even in the Canadian Rockies overall.

What to Wear

For shorter hikes, I am usually okay just wearing a pair of Blundstones, but I absolutely would not recommend them for hiking Sulphur Skyline Trail. This trail is more difficult and is a constant incline up to the summit. On the last stretch, you do have to do a bit of a scramble to get to the top. 

Coming down can be a bit slippery from all the loose rock on the portion you had to scramble up on. The rest of the hike down is a constant decline, and descents are where most people tend to get injuries.

I highly recommend wearing a good pair of hiking shoes with a good grip and ankle support to prevent injury. It’s also a pretty long hike, so make sure you’ve already broken them in beforehand and that they are comfortable hiking shoes.

I wear these ones on all of my longer and more challenging hikes, and I absolutely love them.

I also recommend bringing a light raincoat since the weather in the Rockies can be unpredictable. This is the one I love bringing on my hikes, and its great quality, light and easily fits in my backpack.

A sweater is always a great idea during the summer months since it gets pretty windy at the top, and in spring and autumn, you’ll want a puffer jacket.

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Tips and Things to Know

Bring Hiking Poles

I highly recommend bringing a set of hiking poles.

I used hiking poles during my second hike up Sulphur Skyline Trail, Jasper. After that, I never went back to doing strenuous hikes without hiking poles. They are great for protecting your knees and easing the tension and pressure, especially during the descent.

Bring Bear Spray

Always bring bear spray, even on popular hikes like this one. I’ve seen videos online of people doing some of the most popular hikes in the Canadian Rockies and bears coming up to huge groups of people. 

Animals are unpredictable; you never know when you’ll run into a bear. You’ll especially want to bring some bear spray if you are hiking alone or with a small group.

Bring a Bear Bell

I also always attach a bear bell to my backpack whenever I am hiking in bear territory. It might not actually scare the bears off, but it will let them know that someone is coming, so they don’t get caught off guard if they run into you on the trail.

Pack a Lunch or Snacks and Water

Sulphur Skyline Trail, Jasper, is a challenging and long hike. You’ll definitely want to bring water and a snack to help fuel your body for your adventure.

I like to pack a lunch and some trail mix for my journey to the Sulphur Skyline Trail summit. I snack on some trail mix during my ascent and descent, and I eat lunch while enjoying the view at the top.

Pee Cloth (women)

I love bringing a pee cloth on my hikes. I genuinely believe in and live by leaving no trace. We need to protect the planet in every way we can.

Bringing a pee cloth helps reduce toilet paper use, and who wants to see toilet paper flying in the wind on a trail? That’s gross!

Pee cloths are reusable absorbent wipes that are eco-friendly.

Stashers for your Snacks and Lunch

Stashers are an eco-friendly way to pack your snack and lunches for your hikes instead of using plastic baggies, creating plastic waste.

We love the outdoors, so let’s protect our planet in every way possible.

You can get them in a clear/white, or you can get them in the cute multi-coloured option. They are available in different sizes and variety packs as well, so you can choose what fits your needs.

Sulphur Skyline Trail Review

Is Sulphur Skyline Trail, Jasper, a tough hike? Oh heck yes!

Is it worth the hike up? Absolutely!

If I had to recommend just one hike in Jasper National Park to a fellow adventure lover and hiker, this would be the hike.

The 360° panoramic views at the top are hard to beat, with mountains surrounding you in every direction, cute wildlife living at the top, and the most stunning sunset in Jasper you’ll ever see.

Sulphur Skyline Trail is my favourite hike in Jasper National Park, and I am waiting for the day that a hike in Jasper tops it.

When that day comes, you will be the first to know and be able to read about it here on KristasCompass.

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Thank you for stopping by, and happy adventuring ♡

Krista x.

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