Jasper National Park, Alberta Canada

From Banff we drove 4 hours to Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada along the jaw dropping scenic Icefields Parkway. The parkway is a must when in the area.

Icefields Parkway

There are more than 100 glaciers, dramatic waterfalls and rugged mountains. We would loved to have spent more time here, but the distance, reservations and weather didn’t allow it.

Jasper

Jasper was named after Jasper Hawes who operated a trading post in the area. It became a National Park in 1907. It is not as busy as Banff, but is just as stunning with the Columbia Icefields, miles of hiking trails, wildlife, hot springs, lakes, mountains and waterfalls.

Athabasca River

It widens, becomes shallow and the water was warm.

People were enjoying the river in addition to a herd of female Bighorn sheep.

We came across a female Grizzly with 2 cubs foraging in the rain.

A bull elk was out in the afternoon, maybe liking the temperature drop from a summer storm.

Maligne Lake

The road to Maligne Lake was a scenic drive where we saw Bighorn Sheep, Moose, Bald Eagle and Black Bears.

There was an easy to walk dog friendly paved path along the lake.

A Bald Eagle’s nest with a juvenile waiting to be fed.

A Moose relaxing on a hot afternoon.

There were numerous black bears. Two cubs gorging on buffalo berries. An adult can eat up to 250,000 berries a day.

Annette Lake

There was a nice paved 1.5 mile trail around a beautiful lake.

A couple of elk were probably cooling off in the lake from the hot weather.

Miette Hot Springs

Another Canada National Park hot springs, similar to Banff and Radium Hot Springs. The water is at 129 F coming out of the spring, but cooled to 104 F for soaking pleasure. Records show that the springs have been in use since the 1800s.

Hinton

We stayed at a KOA which had 50 amp service, water, sewer and marginal wifi. Best part is that it’s close to Jasper and had a nice dog park. The town of Hinton had all the amenities.

Folding Brewery

We visited a few times. They had a nice atmosphere, good food and beer. Sandy liked the firewood wall, kind of looked like candy corn art.

Beaver Boardwalk

In 2006, West Fraser Mills sponsored the construction of a boardwalk though a marshland inhabited by beavers. We went in the early evening and saw a few beavers busy repairing their dams.

Usually, when beavers exhaust their resources, they move on. However, because of land constraints, danger from beavers felling trees, and to create a refuge, biologists and the forest service got together. They decided to supply the beavers with Trembling Aspen every fall by the truckload for their winter food cache. During the summer, beavers prefer to eat emergent vegetation that grows naturally in the wetland, so aspen deliveries are not required. It’s up to the beavers to stay or move on, but they seem to like the arrangement.

It’s a beautiful and peaceful place to walk and take in nature. When we were there a group of classical musicians played on the boardwalk for an impromptu session.

There were muskrat that would hide under the boardwalk driving Jake crazy. Muscrats have long thin tails.

Plenty of birding opportunities with over 120 species visiting the marshland.