Despite my arthritic left foot, we were making satisfactory progress on the trail enjoying the views of distant snow capped mountains and views of Jasper Town.
All of a sudden, Rayyan, my son, turned towards me and asked in a very low note, “dad, where is the bear spray?”
The question itself and the way it was asked had an answer within it.
I looked for spray, but it was in my backpack. How foolish can one get as we were hiking in bear country and there were warning notices at the start of the trail.
I dug in my backpack for the spray and pulled it out and immediately brought it into a quick use position. It may have taken me 15 seconds, but it felt like an aeon.
My son pointed out a pile of scat. It was surely a big animal, but being southern Ontarian with limited exposure to even black bears, we were not able to identify whether it was grizzly’s or black bear’s. However, it was fresh and called for desperate measures.
It was the first week of June and we were out alone on the trail.
For the remainder of the trail, we decided to talk loudly to warn any bear of our approach and only felt comfortable when we met another group of hikers from southern California going the other way round.
Back in the parking lot, I asked Rayyan if the bear spray would have deterred an attacking grizzly bear.
Rayyan, pointing out at my arthritic left foot, quipped, “I don’t know about that and I wasn’t counting on it either. I was counting on outrunning you in the race for survival”.
Rayyan and I had completed the hike at the edge of Maligne Canyon and were completing the loop by taking the trail through a dense forest at a higher elevation back to the parking lot.
The reason why we were so nervous and should have been prepared for such a situation at all times is that we had a grizzly bear experience just the previous day. The size of that bear on all fours had awed us. The boar was being monitored by a very alert lady park ranger. However, we would like to give full credit to that bear for minding his own business. He even started moving in the opposite direction as soon as it noticed humans.
the park
My family of 5 spent 2 days at Jasper National Park in Alberta in June 2024. This was just before the wildfires that burned down vast swaths of forests and part of Jasper Town itself. I have researched and talked to people and have found that Maligne Canyon, part of Malign Road to Maligne Lake, and trees all the way down south on Highway 93 to Athabasca Falls were burned. Maligne Canyon is closed for the 2025 season due to extensive damage there.
The park spans over 11,000 sq. km (4,200 sq. miles) and offered viewing of the present day mega fauna of north America of a magnitude that we had not seen till then.
The sight of a herd of Bighorn Sheep soon after crossing Athabasca Glacier was the first of any Rocky Mountain wildlife.
Jasper National Park is a land of mountains, glaciers, canyons, lakes and wild animals and we explored the diversified geography to the fullest while we were there.
a personal ordeal
My son and I had several long distance hikes in mind in the 4 national parks in the Canadian Rockies, but because of my arthritic pain in the left foot that developed on day 1 of our trip, we resorted to enjoying roadside trips and to short distance hiking. The pain was so excruciating sometimes that I had to put a sandal in my left foot and a hiking shoe on the right and walk with the help of crutches. My wife, son, daughter and several strangers visiting the Park lent me a helping hand throughout.
exploring attractions around jasper city
Maligne canyon
We started the hike from First Bridge near the parking lot at the top and it took us about three hours to reach the Sixth Bridge. We reached here at about 8:30 am and it was still dark.
We read all the exhibits along the trail and observed the interaction between rocks and water. The rock formations deep below, carved by the erosion of water, provided a contrast to the landscape at the ground level.
Up until the Fifth bridge, the canyon was deep, sometimes reaching a depth of 30 meters.
At the Fifth Bridge however, the Canyon started to get shallow and the waterway widened to become more of a river. Rayyan and I were the only hikers in this section. This section was mostly forest-bound stretch that followed the water and finished at a popular wildflower viewing area.
Our suggestion to other visitors is to take selfies and photos of the Canyon in the backdrop of distant mountains.
After completing the hike at the edge of the Canyon, we took the trail at a higher elevation that passed through dense forest to return to the parking lot. The views of Pyramid Mountain and of Banff City nestled at the bottom of snow capped mountains captivated us.
Note: Due to the wildfires of 2024, Maligne Canyon’s surroundings were badly impacted. The Canyon is closed for the 2025 season.
medicine lake
We spent some quality time here observing a nest of bald eagles with two chicks (see at the bottom of this page) about 300 meters (300 yards) from the lookout that the Park had provided for wildlife photographers to take photos. The lake itself had little water in it, but offered beautiful scenery of snow covered mountains in the distance.
There were no trees around the lake. All trees on the far side were denuded of any leaves as they had succumbed to the mountain pine beetles invasion.
Maligne lake
We continued on and, after spending some time at a roadside picnic spot, reached Maligne Lake. Due to the off-season, we were all by ourselves and enjoyed our lunch while taking in the beautiful scenery.
Maligne Lake is known for being the largest natural lake in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. From different points around the lake we could see several prominent mountains, such as Leah Peak, Samson Peak, Mount Paul, Mount Charlton, and others.
Note: Wildfires of summer 2024 have not impacted Maligne Lake and its surroundings.
patricia lake
The lake is about 10 minutes drive west of the city and is a good picnic point. It offers views of Pyramid mountain.
Note: Wildfires of summer 2024 have not impacted Patricia Lake and its surroundings.
pyramid lake
This lake is located 2 minutes away on the same road. Rental canoes are available. This lake offers closer views of the Pyramid Mountain. We saw several herds of elk on this stretch of the road.
Note: Wildfires of summer 2024 have not impacted Pyramid Lake and its surroundings.
exploring attractions on highway 93 south towards banff
Shelving our long distant hiking excursions due to my arthritic pain, we drove from Jasper town south on Highway 93 towards Banff and explored 7 top roadside attractions of Jasper National Park. It was the first week of June and the day was pleasantly cloudy and cold.
1st stop: a magnificent view of Mount Kerkeslin
We liked Becker’s Gourmet Restaurant, which is located about 5 minutes south of Jasper Town on the east side of the Highway. The restaurant has great breakfast and dinner options and offers a jaw-dropping view of Mount Kerkeslin and the Athabasca River.
Note: Wildfires of summer 2024 have not impacted the restaurant, but the nearby buildings and township have been destroyed.
2nd stop: horseshoe lake
Our 2nd stop was at Horseshoe Lake. This lake, shaped like a horseshoe with surrounding cliffs, is located 20 minutes (28 km) south of Jasper town on Highway 93. We stopped here for 15 minutes just taking in the scenery. The lake has a 1.5 km loop trail, which my son and I thought of hiking, but then because of my arthritic pain, which was the worst on that day, we decided against it.
Note: Wildfires of summer 2024 have impacted Horseshoe Lake and its surroundings.
3rd stop: athabasca falls
Our 3rd stop was at Athabasca Falls. This falls is located 4 minutes (4 Km) south of Horseshoe Lake on the west side of the Highway. We stayed here for half an hour with my son exploring the trail and the rest of us taking pictures. We saw Mount Kerkeslin to the west of the falls, Mount Fryatt to the south of the Falls (photo on the left), and Mount Hardisty to the northwest of the falls (photo on the right).
Note: Wildfires of summer 2024 have significantly impacted Athabasca Falls and the surrounding area.
4th stop: goats and glacier lookout (goat lick)
Driving south from Athabasca Falls on Highway 93 for 5 km, we reached the lookout on the west side.
We were greeted by rocky mountain goats, which congregate here to lick the salt off the rocks and by beautiful scenery.
Note: Wildfires of summer 2024 have impacted the area, but is in the process of quick recovery.
5th stop: sunwapta falls
The Falls is located on the west side of the Highway, about 18 km south of Goats and Glacier Lookout. We stayed here for two hours hiking and taking in the scenery. We saw snow capped Catacomb Mountains towards the south of the Falls.
Note: Wildfires of summer 2024 have impacted Sunwapta Falls and the area remains closed in 2025.
6th stop: tangle creek falls
This Falls is located 42 km south of Sunwapta Falls and comes on the east side of the Highway. The parking lot is on the west side of the highway and one has to cross the highway carefully to get on the other side.
Tangle Creek Falls is an impressive multi-tiered waterfall. The waterfall has a 35 meter drop split between multiple layers. Each tier at the top level splits into lots of smaller streams which seem to be in a tangle, hence the name.
Note: Wildfires of summer 2024 have impacted the area, but the attraction and the roadside facilities are operating in 2025.
7th stop: Athabaska glacier and columbia icefield
No trip to Jasper is complete without visiting this destination. The Glacier is located 9.4 km further south of Tangle Creek and comes on the west side of the Highway. My son and I had planned a long hike here for getting to the glacier and doing photography. Due to my arthritic foot, we had to shelve the plan.
There is a huge building of Columbia Icefield Discover Centre from where the Athabasca Glacier Ice Explorer buses transport visitors to the Columbia Icefield.
These special buses are designed to take passengers onto the glacier for guided walks and exploration.
The Discovery Centre offers beautiful views from the upper deck, including those of 5 glaciers.
The Centre has various amenities, including restaurants, and gift shops, washrooms, and a huge parking lot (seen below).
Note: The wildfires of 2024 in and around Jasper National Park have impacted the Athabasca Glacier and Columbia Icefield primarily through the increased melting of glaciers due to wildfire smoke.
Wildlife of Jasper national park
We have not seen more wildlife anywhere else than at Jasper.
A herd of bighorn sheep was the first glimpse of wildlife in Jasper National Park.
This was our first encounter with a grizzly bear, a boar, in the wild and its size alone sent shivers down our spine. Because it was past dusk, the quality of the photo is not up to the mark. However, the bear started moving in the opposite direction as soon as he noticed us.
We saw Rocky Mountain goats at Goats and Glacier Lookout (Goat Lick). This one wanted to cross the road, but then decided against it.
Black bears seemed to be common along roadside.
Elks were everywhere around the road to Patricia Lake and Pyramid Lake.
A bald eagle with two chicks, waiting anxiously for its mate to return with food, was a site to behold at Medicine Lake. The chicks seem to take the worst of the midday sun on a warm and hazy day of early June.
However, the forest in the background was devoid of any leaves as it had succumbed to the invasion of mountain pine beetle. 98% of pines in the park are infested with mountain pine beetles.
Not a good shot of a mule deer near the parking lot of Maligne Canyon.
where to stay
Brick and mortar accommodation in the Park was already short on supply. The situation may have worsened because of the wildfires of summer 2024. We recommend availing RV camps and camping. The best RV campground, in our humble opinion, is Wapiti Campground. The fires devastated flora around the campground, but it is still worth staying here.
final words
Until our next blog, au revoir! Be outdoorsy, embrace diversity, and support causes for the conservation of nature!
K2, the Kuvasz, and me 