We had originally planned to visit the Canadian Rockies on the way up to Alaska but, those plans were foiled when I forgot the passports. Now that our journey south was re-routed due to the road washout, it gave us a second opportunity to take a look at the distinctive peaks and turquoise lakes.
I had always heard about how beautiful Jasper National Park was and evidently so has the rest of the world. We arrived in the town of Jasper mid week during the low season and the place was jammed with international tourists. That, and it was rutting season for the elk. So, not only did we have to watch out for bottlenecks of tourists but, we also had to watch out for crazy elk who may just charge you or even your car on a whim.
Once we adjusted to the circumstances, we chose a few hike and bike options that would avoid as much congestion and run-ins with animals as possible. The sun also teased us the whole time we were in the Athabasca Valley. The sun was always shining but not always in the place we happened to be. Often, it would shine brightly on the next peak or on the other side of the valley leaving the shaded areas, where we were, windy and cold.
The city has hundreds of miles of trails through the valley. We chose a bike route along the Athabasca River that turned out to be a great ride with spectacular views. It also put us behind the Fairmont golf course which happened to have a grizzly in residence. Fortunately, we did not meet up with the bear who often shares the fairways with the golfers.
We did a short hike by the Maligne Canyon which surprisingly started out as a small creek flowing over a solid rock surface and ended downstream in a large river. What happens in between those two points is one of natures most amazing works of art. Millions of years of water across the rock has carved out a sheer rock wall gorge with circular pools, waterfalls and depths as much as 160 ft., pretty spectacular.
We then went on to do a day hike along the shoreline of Lake Maligne. With very few tourists, it turned out to be a very peaceful hike and a great spot for a picnic. I was hoping to get the classic Lake Maligne picture with Spirit Island in the middle but found out after several hours of hiking that it can only be accessed by boat. But, it was still a nice hike.
The Dudes worked hard and earned Explorers dog tags, the Canadian equivalent of a Jr. Ranger badge. And, each of them earned a hockey puck after answering questions about wildlife at a ranger talk (I am not quite sure what to do with those). But, their biggest accomplishment was the conquering of the Mt. Edith Cavell hike. It was their first taste of a little bit of mountaineering in which they excelled and it was such an amazing hike that it deserves it’s own post, stay tuned.
So, despite the throngs of tourists ( I would have to give some serious thought before visiting during the high season) and the ornery elk, we had a great time and got to experience a lot of what Jasper has to offer.
“The average tourist wants to go to places where there are no tourists.” Sam Ewing