Jasper National Park was our farthest destination for us (considering we started in Jackson Hole, Wyoming). From Banff (town) it is about 3.5 hours to Jasper (town) without stopping. Luckily, the Icefields Parkway, which connects the two towns is one of the most scenic drives. On our drive into the park, we spotted an elk with a HUGE rack…because it was close to the rut being September and all. We packed a ridiculous amount of hiking into less than 2 full days in the park. Similar to Banff, I totally get why people spend a whole week in this park.
Valley of Five Lakes
Our morning (which also happened to be my birthday) started off rainy, but we didn’t let that that stop us. We geared up with our rain clothes and headed out on the approximate 3 mile trail called Valley of Five Lakes. The early morning gave us beautiful reflection pictures and trails to ourselves. Something cool about Canadian national parks is they have red Adirondack chairs randomly located, which make for fun photo ops. Each of the lakes are labeled and there are signs between them so you won’t miss any on your hike. A good tip is to always take a photo at the trail head of the trail map (plus at this trail you can see where to find the red Adirondack chairs). This doubles for helping to keep track of what time you started the hike too.
Maligne Canyon and the Bridges
We parked near the Maligne Canyon Wilderness Kitchen for the Maligne Canyon hike after stopping to photograph some elk on the side of the road. The hike map is really helpful as there are a series of five bridges you have the option of seeing (remember to take a pic). The first two are relatively close and if you’re looking for a short hike, I would definitely recommend at least seeing the canyon and the first two bridges. Of course, if you want to see it all, it’s over a 4 mile hike. We really enjoyed the hike, but from experience and if you’re short on time, feel free to skip the last bridge. Instead of backtracking, we took the high path on our way back to the parking lot. We would highly recommend this (even though it was exhausting to climb) because the views at the top are incredible.
Pyramid Lake and Pyramid Island
Pyramid Lake is located relatively close to downtown Jasper. Near the Pyramid Lake Resort, you can pull off and get some incredible pictures of the lake with mountains in the background. It was so serene and I think because we were there after Labor Day, the lake itself was quiet. Past the Resort, we found parking for Pyramid Island. It’s a really tiny and walkable island connected by a bridge. It’s also a popular wedding spot. Some of my favorite pictures of Addy, Mike and I are from our time here.
Medicine Lake, Moose Lake and Bears
Medicine Lake was not on my radar when I planned our trip. We arrived in the afternoon and the reflection view of this lake was one of my trip favorites and one I blew up on canvas for our condo. When we turned the corner, we found a black bear. We were in our first Canadian bear jam and amongst the leader cars! So I guess you could say, we actually started the bear jam with our sighting! The bear crossed right in front of us and then we continued to watch it as it went down into the valley. All national parks have at least a 100 foot distance rule with animals such as bears. After we finished watching this bear, we continued on our way and came across two more black bears! It was fun to watch one stopping to smell the flowers. From here we made it to the trail for Moose Lake (near Maligne Lake). It was a pretty muddy walk, so our hiking boots definitely came in handy! The view of moose lake was stunning. We made it to the car before dusk set in and on our drive back down the main road, we came across a moose! We were so excited!! Of course we couldn’t get the camera or the phone to take a good picture, but otherwise, we soaked in the moment. A few minutes later, we came across a black bear in the road (our 4th one)! I am so thankful we didn’t hit the bear!
Edith Cavell to the Summit
There is a recently completed parking structure here. Following the Path of Glacier trail, we quickly arrived at Cavell Pond less than 1 mile away. The glacial water is pretty and to this point, it is rather a busy hike. Continuing past here, through bits of rain, we followed a stiff incline, with Addy in tow well over 4 miles and up a 500 foot elevation gain to the summit. What was really funny is even though there were little yellow untitled signs, we weren’t 100% sure it was the end…so we kept going. We made it to another point where it started hailing out of nowhere, so we decided it was time to turn around. What’s amazing is how quickly the weather can change on a hike like this. The actual “end” where we should have stopped was a great vantage point with views of multiple glaciers, Mount Edith Cavell and the Cavell Pond from the bottom. People were amazed we did this with a baby and I’m so glad we did because it was super rewarding and physically exhausting. We also got to see hoary marmots, which are cute small mammals in the huge boulders. They blend in pretty well, so you have to pay attention for movement. This was the last hike we did in Jasper before making our way back along the Icefields Parkway back toward Banff.
Other Jasper Sites We Enjoyed
The town of Jasper is so cute! The train runs right through town and it is extremely walkable. The flowers were beautifully planted around the visitor center (also has wifi) and public restroom across the street. Being my birthday and all, I got two coffee treats! First thing in the morning I got a delicious macadamia latte (with a real chocolate covered macadamia on top) from the Other Bear Paw Bakery. Later in the day a shopkeeper recommended the coffee shop in the laundromat (SnowDome Coffee Bar). I knew I had to try it and my drink here was also really good! After Maligne Canyon, we drove to Lake Annette. This lake has a play area and a beautiful recently completed walkway around the lake. We did have to dodge geese poop though.
Jasper is a fantastic national park and should be on your bucket list! September was a beautiful time to visit and I am so happy this is where we were for my birthday. I’ll write a separate post about our experience along the Icefields Parkway as there are quite a few points of interest worth stopping to gawk at. We found a reasonably priced hotel in Hinton (a bit of a drive north of Jasper) near a Wal-Mart. I mention this because I someone underestimated how many GBs of camera storage I needed for the trip and this place was our saving grace!
If we had more time, here are a few other things that were on my list: 1) Boat tour to Spirit Island on Maligne Lake; 2) Bald Hills Loop near Maligne Lake (6ish mile strenuous hike); 3) Sulfur Skyline hike to Miette Hot Springs (5 mile hike)
Don’t forget to buy the Parks Canada Discovery Pass if it makes sense for your trip! We definitely got our monies worth and are hoping to do a second big Canadian national parks adventure before ours expires. And if you missed it, check out our post, Banff, There It Is!
Treat Yourself to Travel 
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