NATURE

Athabasca Falls At Dusk, Jasper, Alberta, Canada

The headwater comes from the Columbia Glacier about 70 kilometers south. Among the most powerful and breathtaking falls in the Rocky Mountains, The Athabasca River thunders through a narrow gorge where the walls have been smoothed and potholes are created by the sheer force of the rushing water carrying sand and rock. Parking and restroom facilities. paved trail and picnic sites available.  

In the winter there are track-set cross-country skiing trail nearby. In the summer this is also a starting point for whitewater rafting which takes you down some scenic sights only accessible by water craft. Check out the sponsors below and take in the adventure that awaits you

Athabasca Falls is a waterfall in Jasper National Park on the upper Athabasca River, approximately 30 kilometres south of the townsite of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, and just west of the Icefields Parkway. A powerful, picturesque waterfall, Athabasca Falls is not known so much for the height of the falls (23 metres), as it is known for its force due to the large quantity of water falling into the gorge. Even on a cold morning in the fall, when river levels tend to be at their lowest, copious amounts of water flow over the falls. The river 'falls' over a layer of hard quartzite and through the softer limestonebelow carving the short gorge and a number of potholes. The falls can be safely viewed and photographed from various viewing platforms and walking trails around the falls. Access is from the nearby parking lot, which leads off Highway 93A just northeast of the falls. Highway 93A takes off from the nearby Icefields Parkway, and crosses the falls on the way north to the town of Jasper. White water rafting often starts below the falls to travel downstream on the Athabasca River to Jasper.

It is a Class 5 waterfall, with a drop of 80 ft (24 m) and a width of 60 ft (18 m)

Originally found from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athabasca_Falls