Horseshoe Lake

Horseshoe Lake is a 4-minute drive from Athabasca Falls.

There is a 1.1 km easy loop trail with an elevation gain of 23 m. This is little visited and we only encountered 2 other people on the trail.

It was hard to appreciate the horseshoe shape of the lake from the trail.

The water was clear and you could see rock formations in the lake.

This hike was low on the Wow scale but if you're looking for a little peace after the crowds at Athabasca Falls, you'll find it here.

2019 06 19

Athabasca Falls

Athabasca Falls is 30 minutes south of Jasper.

Athabasca Falls is one of the most powerful falls in the Canadian Rockies and it was even stronger after a rainfall.

Be sure to walk down to the lower canyon.

The Athabasca River as it flows away from the falls.

2019 06 19

Wabasso Campground

Wabasso Campground is 20 minutes south of Jasper and 40 minutes from Mount Edith Cavell. There are flush toilets but no showers. There is a dumping station.

We had Site A13. There was no electricity at our site but electricity is available in the D section.

Typical Happy Hour in our camper--fruit, cheese, prosciutto, chips & salsa.

2019 06 18

Mount Edith Cavell

Mount Edith Cavell re-opened in mid June 2019 after improvements were made to the parking area and trails.

The short but moderate 1.2 km loop Path of the Glacier Trail leads from the parking lot to a viewpoint. It takes about an hour with an elevation gain of 70 m.

Zoomed in view of the glacier on Mount Edith Cavell

and the waterfalls coming off the glacier.

2019 06 18

Jasper

Jasper is a small town compared to Banff and has a population of roughly 4600.

There is one main street and there are fewer shops and restaurants as compared to Banff.

The Jasper Information Center is worth a stop to get maps and information on the area.

A poster outside of the Information Center lists the estimated wildlife population.

2019 06 18

Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

If you drive south of Lake Annette, you'll drive straight into the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.

The Jasper Park Lodge is a year-round luxury resort.

The resort sits on Lac Beauvert.

Beautiful pool area.

Entrance to the lodge.

Registration area

Sitting area in the lodge

We had lunch on the deck and had a great view of the lake. Elk Burger--CAD27. 6 oz elk patty with citrus sumac aioli, pickled onions, butter leaf lettuce, oka cheese on brioche roll. It was served with cajun crisps. The burger was dry and certainly not worth the price (US $20.25).

Our server recommended the Rice Noodle Stir Fry--CAD20. Thick rice noodles, charred broccolini, bok choy, roasted peanuts, hoisin sauce. It was just okay.

Good thing the view was beautiful because the food wasn't worth it.

2019 06 18

Lakes around Jasper

You'll find many lakes around Jasper.

Lake Annette has Jasper's most popular beach. There is a paved 2.4 km loop trail around the lake. It takes about 1-1 1/2 hours.

Lake Edith just north of Lake Annette can be reached by road or by a short hike from the Lake Annette parking lot.

Pyramid Lake just north of Jasper has several moderate trails, each taking about 1-2 hours.

Valley of the Five Lakes is south of Jasper. It's a 4.6 km, 2-hour moderate loop with an elevation of 66 m. Each lake is a different shade of green, depending on its depth.

Fifth Lake.

Fourth Lake.

Third Lake.

Second Lake.

First Lake.

First Lake is the largest lake.

2019 06 18

Miette Hot Springs

The Miette Hot Springs is 25 minutes from the Pocahontas Campground. It's open May 3-Oct 14. Hours are 9 am to 11 pm June 14-Sep 2, shorter hours the rest of the year.

Admission is CAD7.05. Lockers and showers are available. You can even rent swimsuits and towels if you need them.

There are 2 hot pools and a couple cool plunge pools. The spring is 129 degrees but the water is cooled to 102 & 104 degrees for the hot pools. The surroundings are beautiful.

2019 06 17

Pocahontas

We spent the night at the Pocahontas Campground. There are flush toilets but no showers. We went to the Miette Hot Springs and took our shower there.

We reserved C14. It was private and wooded.

Portable grill we picked up at Walmart--CAD8.98. This included charcoal. There are fire pits at the campsite but this was easier than purchasing charcoal and lighter fluid.

The grill worked well for our steaks.

From the campground, you can hike or drive to Punch Bowl Falls.

2019 06 17

Medicine Lake & Maligne Canyon

On the drive back from Maligne Lake, we stopped at Medicine Lake.

Medicine Lake is a shallow lake and practically disappears in the winter when the lake drains through an underground river.

Maligne Canyon is 15 km and 17-minute drive from Medicine Lake.

Hike the 4.4 km roundtrip moderate trail to see the gorge. It takes 1-2 hours with an elevation gain of 100 m.

You'll see waterfalls in the gorge.

The gorge is quite narrow in some areas.

Other areas still have snow.

There are footbridges that criss cross the canyon. On this trail, you'll see Bridges 1-4.

2019 06 17

Moose Lake

From the western parking lot at Maligne Lake, you can hike the 2.7 km loop to Moose Lake. The loop was closed in sections so we had to take the same route back. It took about an hour for the hike.

This was the only place in our weeklong trip where I was bitten by mosquitoes.

I was hoping to see a moose at the lake.

The only moose I saw was on the signboard.

2019 06 17