Jasper National Park

I picked up my rental car in Edmonton in the morning and made my way to Jasper via the Yellowhead Highway (TCH-16), making a few stops along the way. I had lunch at the RCMP Centennial Park in Edson, a nice park with plenty of picnic tables and not too far from the highway. After another short stop at the Lions Park in Hinton, I finally arrived to the town of Jasper and my Airbnb in the late afternoon.

My original plan for my first real day in Jasper was an "orientation day", spending it in and around town, and saving longer drives for subsequent days. However, the weather forecast called for rain later in the week, so I decided to save my "local day" for the rainy day and take advantage of the dry weather right away.

After breakfast at my Airbnb, I drove to the Maligne Canyon trailhead for my first hike of the trip. A popular spot, I shared most of the trail with other people, but it wasn't too busy. This was a spectacular trail, with breathtaking views of the canyon, which reaches a depth of 50 m, particularly from the several bridges that cross it. I made my way down to the bottom of the canyon, reaching the spring, and then turned around.

View of the Third Bridge in Maligne Canyon

I then headed south on Maligne Lake Road and made a quick stop at the Medicine Lake viewpoint.

Medicine Lake

I continued further south until I reached my farthest destination for the day, Maligne Lake. I had lunch there and walked along the lakeshore, taking in the views.

Maligne Lake

On my way back to town, I stopped by the Fifth and Sixth Bridges near Maligne Canyon, since I hadn't hiked to them in the morning but still wanted to check them out. A short walk up the hill near Fifth Bridge had a nice view of the Maligne River.

The drive itself was truly spectacular. And having the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings soundtracks on the entire time made it that much more epic.

My first stop was Athabasca Falls. There's a nice network of paved pathways that provide excellent views of the falls from both sides, as well as the gorge downstream.

Athabasca Falls with Mount Kerkeslin in the background

A few kilometers south of Athabasca Falls, I saw a sign for Goats & Glaciers Lookout and decided to stop and check it out. It was definitely worth the stop. While I didn't see any goats, I was rewarded with a stunning panorama of the Athabasca River valley, with the peaks that define the border between Alberta and British Columbia towering uninterrupted in the distance. I'm not sure how popular this spot is, but I suspect it might be often overlooked.

View from the Goats & Glaciers Lookout

Next on the way was Sunwapta Falls. The footbridge across the gorge provides breathtaking views of the powerful waterfall, and there are is also a trail along the edge of the canyon.

Sunwapta Falls

From then on I drove straight to the farthest destination for the day, the Columbia Icefield area. I first stopped at the Toe of the Athabasca Glacier Trailhead to do the short hike up to the glacier. While it was otherwise very warm and pleasant weather the whole time, the area in the trailhead felt quite cold due to the strong katabatic winds that were rushing down the glacier (I had read about this and packed a warm hat and jacket). This was my first time getting this close to a glacier and it was a surreal experience. I had never seen a landscape quite like that. The walk itself is pretty easy, but the setting is really special. As you drive down the driveway toward the trailhead, and then as you walk closer to the glacier itself,  several markers noting the years when the glacier last used to extend to provide a very real picture of how quickly glaciers like this one are shrinking.

Athabasca Glacier, with the source of the Sunwapta River in the foreground

I then stopped at the nearby Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre for a rest stop and some souvenir shopping. The museum was closed due to COVID, but I did stare at a huge painted map of the Icefield that was at the entrance, centered at Snow Dome, which is a triple drainage divide and, by definition, the meeting point of the borders between Banff and Jasper National Parks as well as Alberta and B.C.

Map of Columbia Icefield at the Discovery Centre (north is to the right)

With the Lord of the Rings soundtrack now well underway, it was time to make my way back north toward Jasper. What was really cool was that driving the Icefields Parkway northbound was a completely different experience than the southbound route I had done earlier in the day, but equally spectacular (unlike other scenic routes like California State Route 1, where the views are consistently on only one side).

I made one final brief stop at Horshoe Lake, a beautiful turquoise lake nestled between cliffs and, evidently, a popular cliff jumping spot.

The Jasper Park Information Centre National Historic Site

Around noon I drove to the nearby Lakes Annette and Edith. The still wind made for some beautiful reflections of the surrounding mountains in the crystal clear waters.

Lake Annette

Lake Edith