Scenic Views · Fishing · Alberta
A lookout on Maligne Road in Jasper National Park over Medicine Lake, a large lake that drains away underground and shrinks dramatically by late season. Easy parking and short trails to the shore.
Medicine Lake Lookout sits above the lake on Maligne Road, between Jasper and Maligne Lake. In summer, visitors describe glacial blue-green water, a curved shoreline, wetlands and snow-capped peaks behind. What makes it memorable is that the lake drains through underground channels in the limestone, so by late season it can shrink to little more than a river crossing a wide lakebed. Visitors find the geology as interesting as the view.
You can take in the view from the parking lot, and short paths lead down toward the lake on either side. One visitor found a trail section closed to protect an eagle's nest. Wildlife comes up often: mountain goats walking through the parking lot, a marmot on the hillside, eagles, and a moose further along the road. Wildlife tours stop here too.
Medicine Lake is open to angling under Jasper's national park rules, but it's fly fishing only with artificial flies, the season is limited, and part of the lake near where the Maligne River flows in is closed. You need a national park fishing permit; provincial licences don't count.
The 2024 wildfire burned the forest on one side, which several visitors noticed but said didn't spoil the view. Early in the season it can be muddy and icy, and the lake looks its best once the ice is off and water levels are up.
Summarised from visitor reviews on Google Maps. Based on 613 Google reviews. Conditions and rules change — check current park, access and fishing regulations before you go.
