Tonquin Valley (21.1km each way) Hard

This was a big one for us. The Tonquin Valley hike is one of the big two hikes in Jasper (the other being The Skyline Trail). I have very mixed feelings on this hike, there were some areas of amazing beauty along this trail but there was also some very wet trails and a monotonous trudge back to the car, which may have been our own fault. The trail is traditionally done as a through hike with trailheads along both the Cavell and Marmot roads. You could do this as a 2-3 day trip. There is also a horse option and a lodge but I wont pretend to know anything about either of those. We planned to do the hike in three days but ended up only doing two.

Our original plan was to stay at Clitheroe Campground for two nights and hike out the same way we went in from the Astoria Trailhead (Cavell Road). Although due to some circumstances we will get into further on we shortened it down to two days. If you were planning on doing it as a two day through hike I would recommend staying at Amethyst but our non traditional plan wasnt that bad, you will just have a long hike back. As a three day hike I would do Switchback and Maccarib (although I never actually saw Maccarib campground so it is purely location based). I would try to avoid Surprise Point as it was 2km off the main trail from Clitheroe. Astoria campground seemed nice but it was so early on that it would seem a shame to stop there going either way. From the Astoria Trailhead you will very quickly come across a beautiful ‘lake” called Cavell Lake. This was a great start to the hike and for us a beacon of hope on the way out as well. Taylor also walked up to the stable and saw some of the horses while I took a picture. I could not really describe much of the rest of the first 7 kilometers. I remember it being fairly treed and we crossed the Astoria River. Sarah pointed out some big patches of reindeer lichen and cup lichen.

Our first stop was lunch at Astoria Campground however now I recommend going a bit further before having lunch. Another one and a half kilometers there is an offshoot trail and a place that obviously the riders used to hitch up and have a little break that would have made for a better lunch spot as it was closer to half way and a nice spot along the river. From this spot the big climb starts. Also the trail degrades from a nice dry wide path to a very wet and rocky journey the rest of the way. The climb also went through a rockslide area where there is no stopping allowed. After passing through the rocks there were many switchbacks and the sweat started pouring off of me. We stopped at every turn and I was happy when we saw a Pika because it meant more rest. After you finish climbing at like 13km in the first nice part pops up. Sections of sub alpine meadows broke up small sections of trees the rest of the way to our campground. We were there in September and the colours were great. This area really boosted the morale of our group and pushed us to the campground with many stops to take pictures. Taylor was certain we would see a caribou; but we did not, that day…

The Clitheroe campground was not the most inspirational place. I remember everyone being quite tired and annoyed at how far the toilet was from the main campground. Also I can remember thinking that the slight incline from the tent to the food area was insane on the day we hiked in but the next day it did not seem so bad. We decided that evening that we were going to hike back out the next day because the trail had worn us down and we did not know what we would do to fill the next day beyond walking down to the lake. Also it was supposed to be rainy and cold the next day starting later in the morning. So we went to sleep with the plan that we would go down to the lake then hike out the next morning.

The next morning was amazing. We got up early tried to have a quiet breakfast, trying not to disturb our fellow campers. We then continued on the trail, this part of the trail was 3 kilometers long from our campground to the lake. There was a quick descent into a beautiful valley which I assume was the Tonquin Valley. The first interesting thing that happened was that as we were getting onto a nice boardwalk we spotted a caribou off in the distance. This was a very cool experience and we just stood there for a couple minutes in the peaceful morning. The rest of the hike to Amethyst Lake was very nice and this valley was one of the most beautiful places we have ever been to.

Amethyst Lake was beautiful. When we got there it was perfectly still and there were spectacular reflections of The Ramparts. I went off to look for some photo opportunities while Sarah and Taylor had a sit and a snack. While we sat there a pair of kayakers came by. I think there is a lodge and stable at the lake and also a desirably located campground. The only regret I have on this trip was not exploring more of the lakeshore. I have seen many pictures of these nice rocks that I did not get to see. After spending some time by the lake we started heading back out.

The way back was a slog. The first half was still pretty nice and easier going downhill. Although after stopping at the horse resting area for lunch it started raining and the trail became quite boring and more of a slog. When Cavell Lake popped up around a corner I remember feeling this great relief and excitement. I think that was one of two times that I was excited to be back at the trailhead. The other time was on the Egypt Lake hike. Since we were done a day early and were quite tired we rented a room in Hinton and got some pizza.

I would say this hike is a potential must do but I dont want to say that you have to do it. The subalpine meadows were nice and the area by the lake was beautiful. Although we hiked it in September the trail was quite wet. We did this to try to avoid the wettest conditions that occur from June to mid august. Some friends went in July and apparently the whole trail was just mud. I would say that I am glad that I did it, but I dont know if I would do it again whereas there are many that I would for sure go back and do again.