Explore Maligne Lake Differently: Canoe Rentals and Tips
- cam.campo
- Jul 2
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 5
Maligne Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in the Canadian Rockies. Located in Jasper National Park, this lake is a must-see stop within the park. From Jasper, it takes about 50 minutes by car to reach the lake.
There are several ways to discover Maligne Lake, but in our opinion, the best way to enjoy its stunning scenery is by paddling across the lake in a canoe — and you’ll soon understand why in this article.
Different Ways to Explore Maligne Lake
A Cruise to Spirit Island
We were initially concerned that Maligne Lake might feel like a tourist factory and lose some of its charm, much like what has happened at Lake Louise. If you choose to visit the lake via a cruise to Spirit Island — the lake’s most iconic spot — that concern may become reality.
What’s more, the cruise is quite expensive for such a short duration! For the 2025 season, you’ll need to budget €67 per adult and €45 per child (ages 6–15) for a 1.5-hour cruise. Prices are expected to rise in 2026 to €72 per adult and €47 per child.
As you can probably tell, we don’t believe this cruise is the best option for discovering the lake.
If you’re still interested in the cruise, you can book it by clicking below:
Hiking Around the Lake
Another way to discover Maligne Lake is by choosing one of the many hiking trails that offer different viewpoints over the lake. We ran out of time, but we were tempted by the Bald Hills hike, about 13.5 km long, which seems like a real gem and offers breathtaking views of the lake.
A Canoe Excursion
For us, the best way to explore the lake isn’t by cruise or hike — it’s by canoe!
Why discover Lac Maligne by canoe?
As mentioned above, we believe that discovering Maligne Lake by canoe is the best option for a number of reasons.
Firstly, you'll be able to enjoy the views as close as possible to the lake, and you can choose any vantage point to see all the surrounding mountains. You'll be away from the crowds and feel totally immersed.
Finally, you can stop wherever you like for a picnic and enjoy the peace and quiet of this magnificent landscape.
It's also a good idea to hire a canoe for several days and take a canoe trip around the lake, pitching your tent in one of the various wilderness campsites.
Where can I hire a canoe at Maligne lake?
On the edge of the lake, near the main entrance, there's a small canoe hire shed with "Maligne Lake" written on the roof. Don't miss out! The prices are exorbitant: $85 CAD for 1 hour for a double canoe and $175 CAD for a day. What's more, you won't be able to hire a canoe for several days.
For canoe hire at Maligne Lake, we've come across a great address that we really liked, mainly for its flexibility but also for its value for money: Wild Current Outfitters. What's more, the canoes are really beautiful: red and wooden, with lovely wooden paddles too.
Wild Current Outfitters is a small canoe agency that offers self-service canoe hire as well as guided excursions. We opted for the unguided option, and what value for money! 135 CAD (excl. VAT) for one day, for a typical Canadian two-person canoe. If you choose to hire a canoe over several days, discounts of 15-20% apply to the extra days.
This agency also caters for families by offering larger canoes: 3 to 4 people for $165 CAD a day and a canoe for 5 to 6 people, only available over several days for $280 CAD a day. You can book your hire directly online on their website.
We really appreciated their rental system, which allowed us to adapt the timetable of our excursion as we wished, without having a fixed pre-defined booking time.
How self-service hire works at Wild Current Outfitters
1 The day before your trip after 8pm or the morning of the trip itself, you'll need to go to The Jasper Adventure Center, an outdoor boutique in the town centre, where you can pick up your paddles, waterproof bag and lifejackets. All instructions will be sent to you by sms/whatsapp to the number given when you registered.
 2 Make your way to the banks of the lake, where the canoes are loaded and unloaded. When you arrive at the lake by car, don't turn directly left at the car parks, but continue to the right, cross the river and you'll reach the launch car park.
 3  All Wild Current Outfitters canoes are numbered and stored on shore. Find the canoe number according to the information you have been given.
 4  Once you've identified your canoe, all that's left to do is unlock the lock with the code that will also have been sent to you by text message, and launch the canoe!
 5  The hire is considered complete once the canoe has been re-locked and the equipment returned to The Jasper Adventure Centre. We advise you to take a photo when you have locked your canoe.
Wild Current Outfitters also offers 3-hour canoe tours for adults and families on Pyramid Lake with a guide.
How do I get to Lac Maligne?
The lake is mainly accessible by car or RV (there are no special parking spaces, so arrive early and make use of the small car parks). A few shuttles are also available in summer, giving you easy access to the lake from Jasper.
From Jasper, it takes around 50 minutes to reach the lake by car. Initially, you'll drive through the forests burnt down in 2024, which admittedly doesn't look like a picture-postcard landscape. However, you'll then reach another, much wilder section of the road, driving alongside Medicine Lake, in which the snow-capped peaks are reflected. This lake is rather unusual in that it disappears in autumn and winter when it is no longer fed by melting snow.
On the way, you can also stop off at Maligne Canyon, a walkway with suspension bridges. This is part of the area affected by the fires. At the time of our visit in June 2025, this promenade was unfortunately closed to allow nature to rebuild itself. Keep an eye out on the road! There are plenty of wild animals roaming around. We were lucky enough to find ourselves in a traffic jam on the road caused by... a grizzly family.
We hope this article has inspired you to take up paddling!