Entering Jasper National Park

The word Jasper alone evokes all kinds of inevitable comparisons.

Jasper. The Canadian Rockies' other park. Jasper. Banff's quieter sibling. Jasper. Just like Banff except with more glaciers and less lakes.



Many visitors, faced with limited time and budget, are bound to ask the question of "how much time should I budget for Jasper while I visit Banff?" That's quite unfortunate of course, as anyone who has spent more than a couple days in both parks can tell you that each has many unique things to offer. We were fortunate to spend three nights in the town of Jasper, yet the vast expanse of the surrounding wilderness seemed like it would take at least a couple of weeks to properly appreciate.



While both Banff and Jasper offer spectacular, world class views and adventures, I feel that the main difference between the two parks is due to geography. Banff is 1.5 hours from Calgary (and thus from a major international airport) and an easy day-trip destination; Jasper on the other hand requires much more time and effort to visit and deters many casual tourists. This advantage leaves Jasper with a less commercialized townsite, less crowds to get in the way of great pictures, and most importantly to most visitors, an amazing abundance of wildlife.



And we didn't have to travel far to start running into these locals. Note the wires at the top of the picture -- these white-tailed deer were foraging at the edge of the townsite. In fact during our three days in Jasper, we could hardly travel an hour without running into some species of deer, elk, bighorn sheep, hoary marmot or ground squirrels.



We were enjoying the scenery somewhere between Medicine Lake and Maligne Canyon when we saw this pair of massive antlers sticking out from a bush on the roadside. I was able to walk within 5 metres from this gentle giant of a bull elk, and he was too busy scratching his forehead against a small tree to bother even looking at me.



In fact, the Maligne Lake Road was the most prolific wildlife viewing area on our entire trip. The rock face above Medicine Lake's north shore seems to contain certain mineral deposits, known locally as a "salt lick," which attracts herds of bighorn sheep from higher elevations. We came across at least two different herds, lounging along the grassy roadside and licking at the natural salt deposit. This huge ram in the picture stared down the oncoming traffic, while its harem of ewes congregated to taste the rocks in salty bliss.



The 48km drive along Maligne Lake Road is just packed with wildlife, spectacular views, as well as easily accessible scenic walks. The grey limestone cliffs of the Maligne Canyon, polished for millenia by the glacial water of Maligne River, is only one of the many beautiful canyons and falls within Jasper National Park.



Following the canyon upstream leads to the rocky shores of Medicine Lake, which drains into the canyon through an extensive underground cave system. During our visit in July it looked just like any other emerald-colored lake in the Canadian Rockies, but will soon start to drain and turn into a large mudflat in a matter of months.



The reflection of Spirit Island in the deep turquoise of Maligne Lake is no doubt the quintessential image of Jasper National Park, and one of the most recognizable images of the Canadian Rockies. Be prepared though, to fork out a steep CAD$55 for the 90-minute boat tour (or to paddle about 40km roundtrip, which is near impossible to do in one day). So we were content with strolling the well-maintained footpaths on the lake shore, and opted for the panoramic view from the Bald Hills which was free.



The Parks Canada brochure described the Bald Hills trail as medium intensity, 10 km round-trip, 4 to 6 hours to the lookout and back. Now I have to admit that we're novice to intermediate hikers, physically unfit (we're both office workers and don't regularly work out), and it was our first hike in about a year. It took us only 2.5 hours to reach the lookout, and 4 hours round-trip including lunch and wandering around the lookout for 30 minutes. I figure if we can do it as a half-day hike, any reasonably fit person can do it, as a great addition to a day at Maligne Lake.



The panoramic view of snowy peaks crowning Maligne Lake from the Bald Hills lookout was definitely worth the 4 hour round-trip. A complete 360-degree panorama can be gained by means of a further 45-minute hike to one of Bald Hills' peaks, for those more adventurous (and more physically fit) than us.

These are only some of the sights along the Maligne Lake Road -- I haven't even started with my photos of the wildly scenic and more famous Icefield Parkway. That will come in the next couple of posts.


THE TOWN OF JASPER


The only real settlement within a vast 10,000km2 national park, the town of Jasper is a true gem of a Canadian small town -- large enough to cater to the demands of modern tourism, yet small enough to remaining peaceful, unpretentious, and authentically Canadian. This is a quality that the now internationally-flavored "village" of Banff has lost forever.

You won't find any major retailers like The Bay or even a neighborhood Safeway -- the largest store in town is a locally owned, 90-year-old grocery store (Robinsons Foods). The major bank (CIBC) occupies a beautifully maintained heritage house, as does the Parks Canada information centre. The two main drags (Connaught Drive and Patricia Street) are filled with small eateries and watering holes, nondescript souvenir shops, and a high concentration of outfitters and outdoor equipment stores. Fast food franchises like McDonalds and A&W are marginalized to the edge of the commercial district.


CHEAP EATS AND CHEAP SLEEPS IN JASPER


No disrespect to the dining scene in Jasper and Banff, but we would have chosen Montreal and Quebec City for our vacation if the best Canadian cuisine was our focus. Here in Jasper we chose to spend more of our time in the great outdoors, and sought recommendations by locals on where they would go out for inexpensive, quality food.


BEAR'S PAW BAKERY
Address: 4 Cedar Avenue, Jasper
Hours: 06:00-18:00 Daily
Website/Map: Official Website
Directions: Corner of Cedar Avenue and Connaught Drive, half a block from the train station.


We sampled a number of eateries based on our guesthouse host's recommendations -- a steakhouse, a pizza and taphouse, and a sushi restaurant among them. Here I'm passing on to you the number one worthiest recommendation -- a tiny, extremely popular bakery widely considered to Jasper's best.

We were first introduced to this little bakery by a fellow blogger, secondly by our guesthouse, and thirdly ... most importantly ... by the incredible amassment of 40 or so customers lining up within the tiny shop for fresh-off-the-oven baked goods in the morning. Some were tourists, but many were locals walking down the block in shorts and sandals for their daily dosage of freshly brewed coffee and muffins.


Prices were very reasonable for a small town -- around CAD$1.5 for bakery items such as scones, sausage rolls or cinnamon rolls. Pictured above is the shop's signature item aptly named ... what else ... Bear Paw. It's actually a cutely shaped cinnamon roll -- not too flaky, not too sweet, but filling enough to power our mid-morning hike up the Bald Hills. I regret not taking a photo, but the sausage roll was definitely one of the best I've ever had.

For budget travelers like us, Bear's Paw also sells decent sandwiches for a measly CAD$4.5, probably among the cheapest in town (Robinsons Foods has a different selection, but costing a little more). We made them our designated lunch supplier for our daily hikes and excursions in Jasper.


SELDOM IN GUESTHOUSE
Address: 123 Geikie Street, Jasper AB
Price: $95 including tax in high season; double room with ensuite bathroom; breakfast not included
Website: http://www.bbcanada.com/11539.html


The entire town was nearly fully booked during July's peak season, and there just weren't a lot of options when it came to inexpensive lodging -- cheaper hotels in town generally charged $150 and up for double rooms, guesthouses charged anywhere from $90 to $120, the town's HI hostel charged $71 for a private double with shared bathroom, while dorm beds ran around $30.

We booked several months ahead at a little guesthouse on the northern side of the town, run by a Canadian couple with the help of a couple of Japanese assistants. Seldom In Guesthouse gave us a smallish but spotlessly clean room, with a huge ensuite bathroom and shower, for $95 including tax. Breakfast was not included, but coupons for complimentary coffee at Bear's Paw Bakery was provided.


An advantage of staying at guesthouses is of course the use of the living room, fridge, microwave and other conveniences of staying in a fully functional home. The clear view of the mountain peaks from our room window was just an added bonus.