As we headed toward Jasper we were getting our first taste of the Canadian Rockies. Beautiful mountains with milky blue glacial lakes and rivers.
Unfortunately the next morning the wild fires caught up with us and the the whole region was shrouded in smoke. Our picturesque views of the mountains had completely vanished. The photo below was from the same spot the previous night with mountains in the background.
Bel and I decided to stick to our plans and see what we could. We went to the information office first and got the run down on the must see places.
First stop was Maligne Canyon. There were three walk options. They all interlinked so we decided to just keep walking from one to the next, about a 4km loop.
The canyon was deep and narrow with a river running through. It was part of an underground river system that ran through the area – the parts we could see were where the roof had collapsed.
While there we saw our first wild life – a Squirrel!
Next stop was Medicine Lake, which empties during summer drawing through the underground rivers, and then refills during winter. It is supposed to be a beautiful blue but was a very hazy grey when we were there.
Maligne Lake was the final stop at the end of this trail. It has a long history as being a major tourist area, established by the early pioneers in the area. It has a large blue lake set against the backdrop of the mountains, but again it was very hazy.
We had lunch there and checked out the gift shop before going on a walk around the lake.
The walk took us passed the original resort which was no longer operating. It looked as though it was used for functions still.
On our way we saw a small deer on its own, and an otter!
There were a few of them darting up and down the banks of the river. Very quick.
On our way back toward Jasper we noticed a car pulled over looking at something so we pulled in too. Just off the road you could see schrubs being moved and then we saw it, a bear! It was a fair way in and moving between trees so hard to photograph, but we think we caught a glimpse. (Look very hard).
It eventually bounded into the forest, jumping over a log very gracefully – we didn’t realize how agile they were. We then went to leave and realised we were stuck in a traffic jam. There were cars pulled up everywhere all over the road. We tried to explain it was gone, but more people just kept pulling up – very funny. We eventually got out, but I reckon people would have pulled up for another half an hour. A bit like a traffic jam where the accident is cleared by the time you get there.
A bit closer to Jasper and we came across a herd of deer along with a buck.
Before heading into Jasper we went up to Pyramid Lake. Another nice mountain lake shrouded in smoke. We went for a walk out to Pyramid Island, a lovely picnic area in the centre of the lake.
Once finished there we went back into Jasper. It was almost 6pm so we dropped our packs in the room and headed straight back to Montanas for a drink and dinner. We tried the fish and salads – not their strong point, we should have stuck with the ribs.
Wednesday morning we were scheduled in to visit Edith Cavell from 11am. You have to get a time slot and pass so that not too money people head up at once. The drive is about 45 minutes and a long windy climb. Thankfully the height lifted us above the smoke haze so it was reasonably clear when we got to the top.
Very picturesque views of the mountains and lake. We did the walk up the mountain path to the main attraction – the glaciers. The main one was Angel Glacier, but there was also one below and to its side.
We walked a bit further along the trail and came across another squirrel? chipmunk? Not sure, but it was very friendly. We walked to the tree line and then turned around, there had been a grizzly alert here the previous week so we weren’t keen to go further.
By the time we got back to Jasper it was about 2pm so we grabbed a late lunch and coffee at a cafe. It was operated by a couple of Australian girls – the coffee was the best so far. We then went into town stopping in for a few drinks. It was a fun afternoon as we met and chatted with other couples that were visiting. First from Japan, then Vancouver island, then Denmark, and finally New Zealand. It’s a part of travelling we really enjoy.
