Alberta Rocky Mountain Tour – Jasper

2020 AUGUST 24 —

With the onset of Covid-19 and its many restrictions, travel being one of them, we decided to take advantage of our own local travel destinations. People come from all over the world to see and experience our beautiful Rocky Mountains. They are only a few hours drive for us.

We headed out on Highway 16 west, as we started our journey to Jasper. We made a quick stop in Edson, hoping to catch my niece at the Timberjack Home Hardware, which she and her husband own. Alas, they were not there.

Side Note: We were also hoping to use the bathroom. The usual roadside turnouts, with public toilets, were mostly locked up. Thank you Covid!

We carried on to Hinton, where we stopped for a bite to eat (and bathroom break) at Milos Grill, a Greek restaurant with excellent food at a very reasonable price. We then topped up with gas, knowing full well that the prices within the park will be much higher. (They were 15-20 cents per litre higher.) Then on to Jasper.

It was threatening rain the rest of the trip, which hid a lot of the spectacular mountain views. Even though we have been through the Rocky Mountains countless times, we are always gob-smacked by the beauty. We followed the highway along the Athabasca River, and even if we could not see the distant mountains, those that were visible were still breathtaking. I was slightly disappointed that we did not see any wildlife. It is not uncommon to see elk, moose, mountain sheep and goats, or even bear.

Arriving in Jasper, we took the opportunity to drive completely through the town on Connaught Drive, which skirt along the railroad tracks, then returned via Patricia Street. We easily found the Jasper Downtown Hostel, where we were booked in for 2 nights. We had our own room with a private bathroom. At my age, I like the comfort of not having to listen to someone snore nor to share a shower. The hostel had 4 parking spots in the back of the building that was covered by the second story of the building. We unloaded our meager luggage and checked in before heading back out to explore the town on foot. Masks were mandatory – even on the street!

Jasper is a small town with a population of about 4500. It started as a fur trading post in the early 1800s. The beauty of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains, glacier-fed lakes, waterfalls and pristine forests and nearby hot springs (closed this year due to the pandemic) soon drew tourists. Jasper National Park was established in 1907. The railroad followed in 1911. It even had a brief stint as an internment camp at Dominion Park from February to August of 1916. Tourists can arrive by car, tour bus or VIA Rail. In talking with some locals, they said business was slow this year, due to Covid. There were no tour buses or VIA rail bringing throngs of tourists. However, they said that more Albertans were coming this year. Which may serve well in the long run. Ed and I have already talked about returning this winter, if the travel bans are still in effect. Once you like a place, you tend to go back.

The town is set up for tourists. It seemed every second business was a gift shop, interspersed with a restaurant or trekking outfitter shop. Most of the shops, regardless of what they sell, has an alpine architecture and interior decor.

We meandered up one street and down the other, popping into various shops to have a look. We came across a candy shop that had items for sale that I hadn’t seen since I was a kid. Kool-Aid, Mackintosh’s toffee, Cracker Jacks, Pop Rocks, Popeye Candy Cigarettes, Gold Mine Gum, Lucky Elephant Pink Candy Popcorn, Pixy Stix, Whoppers, Charleston Chew, Gobstoppers. Is your mouth watering yet?

We took pictures of the Jasper Bear. In 1948 a Canadian artist created the cartoon-ish character to bring attention to the importance of environmental stewardship – kind of like Smokey the Bear, only Jasper wasn’t a real bear. In 1962 Jasper National Park officially recognized the now-popular bear and erected a statue.

It was getting late and shops were closing. We opted for dinner at the L&W Restaurant. The food was good, but not excellent. However, the ambiance and service made up for the lackluster meal.

The next day we headed out toward Maligne Lake, a 49 km drive that took us over an hour to get to. The road is somewhat winding, but picturesque. Along the way we came to a turnout with an incredible view of Medicine Lake. Medicine Lake is located in Maligne Valley and is formed by the Maligne River, which eventually merges with the Athabasca River. The lake sits above a series of underground limestone caves. In summer, the huge amount of glacial melt water is too much for the cave system to handle which causes it to pool and form icy blue green Medicine Lake. By autumn, the water drains through the sinkholes to reappear at Maligne Canyon, leaving the lake shrunk to a few pools and puddles. Dye testing has shown that it can take less than 12 hours during peak run-off times or as long as 88 hours during the winter low-water season to run its 16 km underground course.

There was a Park Ranger there with an elk, a bighorn sheep and a moose antler/horn. It didn’t take much imagination to realize the size of the animal they came from. We took some pictures of the lake and carried on.

Maligne Lake is a long skinny lake, fed and drained by the Maligne River. The word Maligne comes from the French word “malin” (meaning malignant or wicked) that early French traders used to describe the turbulent and treacherous river. That said, the tranquil blue waters of the lake, surrounded by some of the park’s highest mountain peaks and three glaciers, looks anything but wicked. Unless you are using the Urban Dictionary version of “wicked!”

Colonel Fred Brewster built a guest house, wash house and restaurant in 1927, as part of his Rocky Mountain Camps. For a time, the Maligne Lake Chalet was the largest, most luxurious place to stay in Jasper National Park. In 1928, Donald “Curly” Phillips built the boathouse, to accommodate his wilderness tours and fishing trips. He also stocked the lake with brook trout, which he hauled overland in barrels. It was a clever way to keep the fishing part of his business alive. In 1970 Parks Canada introduced rainbow trout. The largest rainbow trout ever caught in Alberta was from Maligne Lake – 9.2 kg. The boathouse still offers boat rides 14 km up-lake to Spirit Island. We inquired, but at a price of $85 each, we opted out. Instead, we walked along the lake shore and read the interpretive signs near the Chalet. We got a snack at the snack bar/gift shop then headed back toward Jasper, with a stop at Maligne Canyon.

Coming back along the lake, the traffic was at a near stop. Creeping along we saw an SUV stopped on the highway, with the driver trying to pet a goat through her open window. UGH! There are signs everywhere saying NOT to interact with the wildlife! For our safety, but mostly the animal’s safety. Wild animals are ALL unpredictable! That cute little goat could just as easily jumped into their open car windows. The animals get used to people and have no fear of wandering out onto a fast lane of traffic, risking getting hit. Look from a distance and, for God’s sake, don’t touch!

The landscape along the road goes from tranquil lake to raging river to majestic mountain peaks to harsh landslide gashes to pristine forest. One stretch of road had the lake on one side and massive slabs of rock that looked like they could slip and crush us on the other. Beauty and the beast!

We stopped, again, at the head of Medicine Lake. It was just too pretty to not enjoy one more time.

Maligne Canyon is the deepest canyon in Jasper National Park. Geologists speculate that the canyon was formed by glaciers exposing the limestone caves. Some points of the canyon (the second bridge) are only 2 metres wide, but 50 metres deep.

There are six bridges that cross various points of the canyon. A well-marked hiking trail has interpretive signs describing the geological history. The first five bridges are in a 3.5 km loop. The sixth is 2 km further, off on its own. The first four bridges offer the most spectacular views. From there, the trail follows the lower gorge to the fifth bridge, where we cut onto the horse trail and made our way back to the parking lot. The first hundred metres were very steep, but once we reached the top of the ridge it was easy walking and offered some spectacular views.

We opted to drive to the sixth bridge, just to say we were there. However, in hindsight, I wish we had walked to it, as the trail looked very relaxed.

There is only a couple of cubic meters of water per second that flows under the first bridge. But at only a few metres across it looks like a massive water cannon. The water is churning and boiling, cutting perfectly circular alcoves into the rock as it fights against itself.

By the time the water reaches the sixth bridge there can be up to 45 cubic meters of water per second. Springs between the Fourth and Fifth bridges feed into the river, turning it into a deceptively calm looking torrent.

It reminded me of Niagara Falls, you know it will kill you, but it looks so inviting.

We went back into town and bought a couple of items we had spied the night before. As a perfect ending to our stay in this beautiful mountain town, we were treated to a spectacular double rainbow.

The next day, we got up early and headed south on highway 93, towards Banff, with a couple of stops along the way.