Blogs from Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada, North America - page 5

We drove to our launch location from Hinton. I got to spend a couple of hours reminiscing about my time there eons ago! There is still only one car wash. ;-) I was impressed that I was able to find the building where I rented an appartment. I know I stayed on the 3rd floor but I couldn't remember which unit. It took a bit of coordination but eventually we got 14 people loaded into 2 voyager canoes with one regular canoe as cargo. Yes, when we go canoeing the regular backcountry weight restrictions go out the window! I do love canoeing because you get to see a remote location but still travel in style! We paddled ~22km to the other end of the lake. We stopped at Spirit Island (famous on all Jasper photos). It ... read more

Grey clouds have settled on the mountain tops this morning. The air is soft with a chill that has us snuggling into our sweaters and scarves. The ice has retreated far from shore into a flat grey plate. Only where the wind is on-shore does a frail glaze push itself into the rounded rocks close to our feet. A few geese honk and glide across the view – perhaps even they prefer the dry land today. The mountains are oddly more remote in the flat, disinterested light – no glaciers picked out by sunny breaks. Our footsteps naturally hurry along the lake path. Only a few dog walkers and their always enthusiastic pets match our enthusiasm for the brisk morning wake-up. Alas, tomorrow we return to daily life at home.... read more

I was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, an isolated, bitterly cold, largish metropolis 450km south of the Fort McMurray oil sands that bring wealth to the province, 275km north of the dinosaur-bone bearing badlands of Drumheller, and 3400km west of Ottawa, Canada’s capital city (with little more than prairies and lakes in between). And to the west, after only a two-hour drive (in Canadian distances, a mere stone’s throw), travelers may get their first glimpse of the grand Rocky Mountains. Another hour brings you to Jasper National Park, Banff National Park’s lesser-known and younger but physically larger brother. Jasper National Park encompasses the incredible glaciers of the Columbia Icefield, not to mention hot springs, waterfalls, 3000m+ peaks such as the towering façade of Mount Edith Cavell, and the practically guaranteed opportunity to spot wildlife such ... read more

Hi All This is my first time here so I thought I would begin by giving a little introduction to myself and what I do. In the summertime my boyfriend and I are operating a guiding company offering guided canoe trips, backpacking and customized adventures here in Jasper National Park in the Canadian Rockies. We also spend a lot of time travelling and enjoying our own adventures. We opperate a blog on our website that keeps everyone up to date with these adventures, but we will start posting here as well. All the best to 2013 everyone... read more

Having arrived back in Lake Louise after three days of hiking in Yoho NP on a sunday evening, I was due to set out on my five-day cycling trip from Lake Louise to Jasper along the famed Icefields Parkway the following morning. So this was it: judgment day. The reason I had gone through the logistical nightmare of bringing my nondescript hybrid bicycle with me from the highlands of Scotland to the Rocky Mountains of Canada; and, to a lesser extent, the reason I had spent two-and-a-half weeks cycling around the Netherlands before coming to Canada, in preparation for my upcoming expedition. The plan had come together so simply. Having decided months ago that I wanted to see as much as possible of the awe-inspiring scenery between Lake Louise and Jasper, but with no towns from ... read more