DAY-10 Jasper, AB and the Maligne Lake Region

Day-10: Saturday, September 12, 2015

Starting Location: Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, Jasper, AB
Interim Location: Maligne Lake Region, Jasper, AB

Ending Location: Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, Jasper, AB

We had breakfast around 8 AM, a bit smaller buffet than at other Fairmonts but a good one just the same. At the Jasper lodge we have rooms in cabins around the property. Our rooms are about 5 minutes by foot or 5 minutes by golf cart to the main lodge and lobby. Of all the Fairmont rooms we've had, this is by far the smallest and most spartan but does have historical significance as if one can believe the photo, Arthur Conan Doyle "slept here".



Our travel day began when we met our guide/driver Jean-Marie, a Frenchman by birth but a long time resident of the Jasper area.

Today's ride was in a smaller van, a 12 seater; we'll have to suffer through it. On the ride out of the lodge property we saw a lone male elk.

We would tour the Maligne Lake region with our first stop at Maligne Canyon. The canyon is formed by a narrow channel having been cut through rocks over thousands of years. Jean-Marie was not only a good guide but a botanist as well. He was able to describe local flora in great detail to differentiate the various tall trees, spruce from fir for example. Along with the view of the deep river canyon, we learned more about local berries and bear eating habits than we likely will remember.

We departed the canyon and moved on to Maligne Lake where we were scheduled for a scenic cruise on the lake. Our boat was 47-passenger "tour boat" with a crew of two. The scenery of Maligne Lake is famous and it all lived up to our expectation. The mountains rising in one direction and falling to the lake along with several large glaciers were tour highlights. Additionally we passed burn areas that had barely begun to regrow after the 2003 fire. Apparently the short growing seasons inhibits the trees and vegetation from rapid restoration.

$250K Canadian Solar-Powered Outhouse

Fishing at Maligne Lake must be good as we passed a small boat with two fisherman proudly holding a large brown trout they had just caught.

All along we hoped for a moose sighting but none materialized. We did see bald eagles flying adjacent to the shoreline.

After the boat ride we drove to one of the burn zones that had actually burned only few months ago in July 2015.

On our return from the lake we drove through Jasper en-route to Patricia Lake. At Patricia Lake we walked the boardwalk and ventured a short distance from our van. While there we saw two notable items, firstly a wedding ceremony being held on the shoreline and secondly we saw a well restored 1955 Chevy.

Around 3 PM we returned to hotel.

The lone male elk we'd seen earlier had moved, he was now lounging by the water.


For dinner, Jan & Pete returned into town for a beer & bite at the local brewhouse. The others of us had dinner in the lodge.

While we were dining a rain shower passed through, one of the few over the past ten days. Following the shower we were able to see a rainbow as did Jan & Pete in the town.

It would be an early night, we packed and made ready for the train trip.