Alberta 2022 - Jasper

Peyto Lake

On the drive up to Jasper, we made several stops to enjoy and photograph the scenery.  Our first stop was at Peyto Lake, a glacial lake that has an amazing green color.  We hiked into the overlook where the attached photos were taken.  As Kathy says, it was a "huffy, puffy" hike. It was steep and long, but well worth the effort.

Peyto Lake

Two Happy Campers.

 

Sunwapta Falls

Our next stop was Sunwapta Falls.  This area of Canada has many fantastic waterfalls and Sumwata is one of the best.  We had some nice clouds in a vivid blue sky and mountains in the background, what's not to like?

Sunwapta Falls.

A lone pine guards the falls.

Athabasca Falls

We visited two falls on this trip, the second one was Athabasca Falls.  It is a little bit wider than Sunwapta but equally as nice.  The hike we took brought us around the falls, so I was able to photograph both sides.  I like some of the slow shutter speed images that create a nice flow to the water. 

Athabasca Falls.

Shadows and flowing water.

Maligne Lake

Our drive up to Jasper occurred on Sunday and included the stops above.  On Monday, we enjoyed a boat tour of Maligne Lake.  Brian and Kristin did a great job of scheduling at least one major activity a day, usually involving a hike and local scenery.   This day's adventure was not a hike, but still lots of fun.  It was nice to have a day that was relaxed and included some downtime.

Maligne Lake.

The boat dock.

Maligne Canyon

Our final full day in Jasper included a drive to Maligne Canyon.   The canyon was beautiful and a very nice hike.   It was a hot day and the crowds were large, but we loved it.  

The Maligne Canyou.

Kathy gets photobombed!

The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

We stayed at the lodge in Jasper which was a switch from Banff and Lake Louise.  The units were more like rustic cabins dotted around the south side of the lake.  Very cozy and comfortable and a nice relaxed place to stay.  The lodge was located about ten miles outside Jasper, so we were able to eat at several interesting local restaurants as well as the lodge's dining areas.  In Jasper, we eat at the Fiddle River and Evil Dave's Grill.  Both were excellent and I just love the names.

The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.

A great antique car.

Relaxing seating on the edge of the lake.

Brian and Kristin at dinner.

 

The Columbia Icefield

On our last day, we drove down to Lake Louise to spend our last night in Alberta.  On the way, we stopped at the Columbia Icefield for a glacial experience.  It was chilly and cool.  We took a large vehicle up to the ice field and hiked around for a bit.  It was a bit dicey walking on the ice without cleats, but we survived without any falls.  The people-watching was great.   We also visited the skywalk overlook for a heart-thumping experience.  It is built out of the side of the mountain and has clear glass walkways so you can look down into the canyon (similar to the one in the Grand Canyon, but probably not as exciting).  

Columbia Icefield vehicle.

Columbia Glacier.

Great people watching.

The skywalk.

The view below.

 

This trip was one of the best we have taken.  This is in large part due to sharing it with Brian and Kristin and it was our first major outing since Covid hit.  I would love to revisit this area in the fall and possibly the winter.  We loved the scenery, the Canadian people, and the hiking.  Thanks, kids for a great trip!!

As always, I have more pictures of the Jasper portion of the trip out on Google Photos.  Here is a link to the images: Jasper Google Photos