Medicine Lake 2

The Rocky Mountains are one of my favourite places for hiking. There are many great trails available in Jasper National Park for short to long hikes, with spectacular scenery. There are beautiful strolls around  lakes reflecting the mountains in their smooth surface, walks along the sides of waterfalls and canyons, and challenging hikes up to alpine areas. This weekend I explored the outdoors in the high country of the Rockies again.

This is a picture of the mountains reflected on Medicine Lake. The lake is about 6 km (4 miles) long. The shoreline is rugged, so it is fun to jump from boulder to boulder at the edge of the lake. This water is deeper in the spring and early summer, but is reduced to meandering rivulets in the fall. It received its name because the water from the lake seems to disappear with  no visible outlet. The water goes into underground passageways, and reappears above ground at Maligne Canyon.

Maligne Canyon 2

This falls, recessed between the narrow walls, is part of  Maligne Canyon. For perspective, the falling water itself is taller than a tree. It is fascinating to stare into the dark chasms, between the high walls. There is an easy trail along the canyon with many views of the steep walls, different waterfalls and stunning formations. The gorge is very narrow, but up to 50 m (160 feet) deep at its highest point. The rushing water carves fantastic shapes into the sides and creates splashing waterfalls as it drops in elevation. The sides of the crevasse are cushioned in various mosses. There are a few bridges that cross the precipice to give you fantastic views into the inky depths. You can follow the trail along for quite a ways, but the most dramatic scenery is at the beginning. I like to walk along until the path comes out even with the water downstream. The path connects with other trails even farther downstream. It is a lovely hike that gets very quiet as you get further from the dramatic canyon.

jagged mountain range near Medicine Lake

This mountain range is next to Medicine Lake. It emphasizes that the Rocky Mountains are relatively young mountains, still mostly jagged, tall and pointy, not as eroded and rounded as older mountain ranges. This is an area where I frequently see scampering bighorn sheep, which are perfectly adapted to the terrain. Steep slopes give them the advantage when avoiding predators.

Maligne Lake 2

Maligne Lake is at the head of the Maligne River, above Medicine Lake. There are fantastic views in any direction, since it is completely surrounded by snow topped mountains. There are some great half day hikes here. This time we just walked by the lake and explored the shore. One of my favourite hikes from the lake is up Opal Hills, which takes about 4 or 5 hours. It is a steady uphill walk, that switchbacks up the mountain, and will get your heart racing. The elevation gain from top to bottom is approximately 300 m (1000 feet). The views across the lake are marvelous from the higher vantages of the trail. You arrive up in a meadow between the hills, and can explore the area. It is frequented by bears and caribou as well.

On the other side of the lake, you can hike up Bald Hills. This is another half day hike, with a superb view from the top of the lake and surrounding mountains. The change in elevation from the bottom to the top is around 490 m (1600 feet). As is usual with these steep hikes, about 2/3 of the time is spent walking uphill, and 1/3 down. The walk itself takes around 4 hours, but it is fun to explore the area when you get to the top, or put your feet up on a rock and enjoy the view. On a warm summer day, when you come back down again with overheated hiking boots, it feels good to soak your feet briefly in the icy cold waters of Maligne Lake, which is only a few degrees warmer than a melted glacier.

camp robber

This bird’s common name is camp robber. They are related to the clever jays, ravens and crows. These birds are fun to watch, since they have an abundance of personality. They are friendly, and will get quite close to people. If you have food out, you need to guard it carefully from them. They are very opportunistic. My fellow hiker was not trying to feed the bird, but had just got a snack out of the car, when the bird came swooping in, attempting to scavenge a sausage roll. The human won out in this round of Survivor. The birds stay year round in the park and are very smart. They actually remember where they have stored most of their food supply, which they fasten to trees with saliva, or stash in crevices.

Despite the fact that these are chummy birds that will practically sit on your hand, I didn’t get a good closeup. I’m blaming the fact that I didn’t pay the food toll, for their refusal to let me get a good face shot.

big horn sheep, mom and young one 2

Here is a common animal in Jasper, the big horn sheep. Watching these animals scamper over the rocks makes it look very easy. The young ones seem especially energetic. These are a mom and her young one, so they don’t have the elaborate spiral horns of the mature male. You are practically assured of seeing big horn sheep on a trip to Jasper.

There are around 1200 kilometres (750 miles) of trails in Jasper National Park, so it is easy to explore a variety of scenery when you visit. Some of them are back country trips, while others are day hikes. The wildlife is abundant, so you never know who might be watching you. Here is another post I wrote about camping and hiking in the Rocky Mountains.

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lower Sunwapta Falls

Jasper National Park in the Canadian Rockies is brimming with beautiful scenery, plentiful wildlife, and peaceful trails. We went tent camping on the weekend, and had a fantastic time. In the late fall there are few other hikers on the trails. The woods are tranquil with only occasional visitors, but the temperatures are cool. At night it went to -11 C (12 F), while during the day it went up to 5 C ( 41 F). We mostly hiked at the mid elevations, where there wasn’t too much snow yet. Although we did get some snowfall, it was lovely.

happy little tent

Here is one of our two tents. The silver fly is designed to help reflect heat, to keep the inside cool, but that wasn’t a priority for this trip. If you camp in cooler weather, you know the tricky part is leaving the warm campfire for your cold sleeping bag in the tent at night. I curl up into a little ball inside my sleeping bag, until it warms up. Once it warms up from body heat, it is quite snug and cozy inside.

cooking new banana dish

I love to start a fire first thing in the morning and drink my coffee, while warming my toes close to the blaze. Chopping wood for the fire is also great for warming you up. Our bananas froze over night, so we had to get inventive. We put peanut butter chocolates inside the banana and grilled it in its skin over the fire. What a delicious breakfast it made.

Trail above Pyramid Lake

Instead of doing the usual longer hikes to the summits, we did shorter hikes, keeping mostly below the snowline. This walk was by Pyramid Lake. It’s a lovely stroll up the ridge from the lake, following the ridgeline, with views over to the Jasper townsite and back to the lake. In the mountains the weather changes very quickly, so it went from blowing snow, to almost clear by the time we got to the top. We were fortunate it partially cleared, allowing us to see the vista back across the lake.

Athabasca Falls

We stopped at Athabasca Falls, which is a very short stroll to some great outlooks. In late fall the water levels going over the falls are probably at their lowest, but it is still beautiful. To give perspective to the shot of Athabasca Falls, the little red speck at the very top is a person.

Athabasca River 2

The Icefields Parkway between Jasper and Banff is one of the most scenic drives. As you go south of Jasper, on the Icefields Parkway, there are views over the Athabasca River, with the mountains on either side. I’ve sometimes spotted mountain goats here, but not this visit. We did, however, see lots of elk (wapiti), mule deer, big horn sheep and coyotes around the park. It would be hard to visit Jasper and not see these ubiquitous animals. We didn’t spot any black bears or grizzly bears this trip, probably because they are making their way up to their hibernating spots now. A couple of years ago in October, while hiking in the alpine area, we saw a mother grizzly with three roly poly babies following behind her. They all looked fat enough to survive their winter hibernation. There were plenty of small mammals this visit as well. Jasper is an excellent park for wildlife viewing, but for some reason I didn’t end up taking any animal photos this trip.

At Sunwapta Falls there is a short 4 km (2.5 mile) walk to a series of falls. After the first falls, there is a lovely walk along the top of the canyon, with rushing water, cliffs and forest. You gradually come out down at the water level, to the lower falls. It is a wonderful area for exploring.

If you are looking for an excellent place for wildlife viewing, hiking and other outdoor pursuits, Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada is a great choice. There are a wide variety of walks, from short strolls to backcountry hikes. Here is another post I wrote about  hiking in the Rocky Mountains.

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