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Jerry W. BirdJasper National Park,
Crown Jewel of the Yellowhead

by Jerry W. Bird

 

Many travelers first love affair with Jasper's Rocky Mountain paradise was by train, sprinting off for souvenirs during a brief stop at the town station. Today, most visitors arrive on four wheels. By car you can seize the moment, cooling off under a waterfall, standing bug-eyed at a viewpoint, catching every photo opportunity. Allow at least one extra day for this Rocky Mountain high, which includes Maligne Lake, Jasper Lake, Punchbowl Falls, the Whistlers, Pyramid Lake, Henry House, Skyline Trail and Pocahontas for starters. The hottest water on the entire drive (54°C) is at Miete Hot Springs. Don't worry, it's cooled to a comfortable 39° in the mineral pool. Near the mouth of Rocky River, a cairn marks the Jasper House National Historic Site, where a supply post was built by the Northwest Company in 1813. Jasper National Park is a wildlife sanctuary, where deer and antelope play, bighorn guard the peaks, elk and bears are everywhere. A friend describes Jasper National Park as follows, "Our first lodging here was a war surplus tent; the most recent visit was years later at luxurious Jasper Park Lodge, where the waiter brought dinner to our cabin by bicycle.

We've enjoyed it both ways &endash; Jasper provided two of life's greatest moments." Jasper National Park's southern boundary is the Columbia Ice fields, a marvel of nature with the largest mass of ice in the Rockies. This seventh wonder of the world is part of a formation that blanketed Canada for a million years. Today, fleets of snow coaches traverse the Athabaska glacier, looking from a distance like ants on a giant vanilla marshmallow sundae. To get to this site from the Trans Canada Yellowhead Highway, take the Icefields Parkway, following the Sunwapta River to Sunwapta Falls. Take your time in the park and enjoy a Rocky Mountain high you'll never forget.

Getting There
If you are driving your own car or a shiny new model from Avis, or if you decide to board a Via Rail Canada Silver and blue coach from Winnipeg to the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii), Jasper National Park is a natural place to stop and spend some quality time. I first experienced this Rocky Mountain playground by train, sprinting off for souvenirs and a snack during a brief station stop. Since then I've always arrived on four wheels - the most enjoyable was a complete circle tour with my son, of two of Canada's great cities and two of its most grandious parks - Calgary to Edmonton, to Jasper to Banff and return By car you can seize the moment, cooling off under a waterfall, standing bug-eyed at a viewpoint, or catching every photo op at that exact moment. Allow at least an extra day for this Rocky Mountain high. Why? --Jasper Park Lodge, the Whistlers , Punchbowl Falls, Pyramid Lake, Henry House, Jasper Lake, Skyline Trail and Pocahontas for starters.

My choices are Miette Hot Springs -- hottest water in the Canadian Rockies, and Maligne Lake, a portrait of serenity. Our first lodging in Jasper - a true outdoors honeymoon, was a war surplus tent from the Army & Navy Store in Edmonton, where three of us worked the Edmonton Journal newspaper. The most recent trip was at Jasper Park Lodge, where the waiter brought dinner by bicycle -- a real feat of gymnastics. Near the mouth of Rocky River, a cairn marks Jasper House National Historic Site, where a supply post was built by the Northwest Company in 1813. The park is a wildlife sanctuary, where deer and antelope play, bighorn guard the peaks, and bears are everywhere.
Allow at least an extra day in the Jasper area , and enjoy a Rocky Mountain high you'll never forget.

 

 

 

 

 

Heading westward, you approach the Continental Divide and Mount Robson Provincial Park, home of the tallest peak in the Canadian Rockies. Near Tete Jaune Cache and Valley of a Thousand Falls, the Yellowhead develops a split personality; one branch swings south along the North Thompson and Skeena; the other ambles westward to the Fraser-Nechako junction. The first BC. community on our great Yellowhead drive is McBride, in the beautiful Robson Valley.

 

We then follow the Icefields Parkway south to Banff National Park and on the way, we stop to enjoy the grandeur of Lake Louise.