Athabasca Falls is a powerful cascade accessible within a very short walk from the parking area.
There are several different viewpoints, each with a different vantage point of this huge waterfall and the preceding river. The furthest viewpoint is 600m return from the parking area, along a paved trail.
The optional side trail into the canyon is well worth the stairs (400m extra). It follows the eroded route that the Athabasca River once took.
A Parks Canada parks pass is required to explore Jasper National Park ($22/day for a vehicle of up to 7 people).