The Maligne River flows through Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada, draining Maligne Lake and eventually reaching the Athabasca River. The river's name comes from Father Pierre Jean de Smet, a Belgian Jesuit missionary who named it in 1845 — "maligne" being French for "wicked" — after a difficult crossing he made there.

Paddlers should be aware that the Maligne River is closed to all watercraft, including canoes and kayaks, along the 12-kilometre stretch from Maligne Lake to Medicine Lake. This closure is a firm regulatory restriction, not a seasonal advisory.

Beyond the closure, the river presents serious natural obstacles that make paddling largely impractical throughout its length. At the north end of Medicine Lake — itself a large flood plain rather than a conventional lake — the river disappears entirely into a system of underground caves and fissures. It resurfaces downstream in Maligne Canyon, a narrow limestone gorge approximately 50 metres deep, which is entirely unsuitable for paddling. Below the canyon, the river runs as continuous whitewater toward the Athabasca River, though this lower section is also considered unnavigable by at least some accounts. In most years, outside of spring runoff, portions of the river below Medicine Lake run dry.

In summary, the Maligne River does not offer viable paddling opportunities at any point along its course, due to a combination of regulatory closures, underground disappearance, an impassable canyon, and limited water volume through much of the year. Paddlers visiting the Jasper area should look to other waterways in the region.