Access
Two km east of Jasper townsite, follow Maligne Road 28km to parking lot on the south end of Medicine Lake. Follow the summer trail to Jacques Lake. The hut is on the far (north) end of the lake. For approach distances and terrain, please see the summer trail description on Parks Canada website. Approach time is 4-7 hours depending on your party and the amount of trail breaking.
You will be passing by avalanche terrain on the way in to Jacques Lakes Cabin - please have up-to-date knowledge and plans in case of an emergency.
The downloadable image below shows the trail and possible avalanche areas. Note that avalanche paths cross both the summer and winter routes.
Note that there is significant danger in skiing across the lakes on this approach and multiple parties have reported breaking through ice. The Summit Lakes are very shallow but Beaver and Jacques Lakes are potentially more hazardous.
The downloadable image below is from the Parks Canada trailhead information kiosk.