We recently took a few days off work for a much-needed mountain getaway. We headed out to Jasper National Park in Alberta Canada. We live about 4 hours away in Edmonton. Spring in the mountains is beautiful but can be a bit unpredictable. Our main purpose of the trip, other than to just get away together for a few days, was hiking. The first trail we hiked was the Maligne Canyon Loop. We began at the bottom, Sixth Bridge, worked our way to the top, had a snack, and then took the high trail back down.
The image above shows how the trail looked at the lower levels from bridge 6 to bridge 4 and also the high trail was very similar to this. Beautiful scenery and nice walking. But, from bridge 4 to the top things were much different. Ice, ice, and more ice. Nothing that would stop us from walking it but it was pretty tricky in some spots. Crampons would have been a good idea! But the views were very much worth the slipping, sliding, and falling that we endured. The canyon is stunningly beautiful in all seasons.
After the canyon, we popped over to Athabasca Falls for a quick view. When frozen the falls are amazing. During the summer when the water is flowing at a mind-blowing rate over the falls it’s one of the most powerful sights I have seen. The falls are fed by the Columbia Icefield. It may not be the highest in the Canadian Rockies but it’s one of the most powerful falls due to the volume of water that flows over them.
We ended the first day off with a nice meal and a walk around the town of Jasper. There are several high-quality restaurants in town to choose from. The shopping has everything from souvenirs to clothing to outdoor equipment. There is something for everyone. What a great first day in Jasper.
