Exploring Jasper’s Trails

While much of Canada’s mountain towns are packed for the winter, it is the summer when Jasper swells. Why? This little town, home to about 4000 people year round, is surrounded by miles and miles of trails. It is a outdoor enthusiasts heaven. Hikers, horse riders and mountain bikers have endless routes to explore.

Although I’m travelling solo, I find I’m rarely short of company. Today I was walking with two French girls who are also CouchSurfing with Reece.

The maps of the trails are easy to read – no compass required! The trails are numbered and there are signs along the way, so it’s hard to get lost. We chose a path that was about 5km, but took several detours along the away resulting in a six-hour hike over hills, alongside beautiful lakes, through bush and back home.

Oh and did I mention the weather was A. M. A. Z. I. N. G. I think I’m actually a little bit sunburnt.

We were on the lookout for wildlife – out of interest and safety. As much as I’d love to see a bear close enough to get a great picture, I’m happy to achieve that from a train window. Reece had also warned us the elk have been moody lately and to keep our distance.

The first part of our walk took us through quite sparse bush that had been thinned to create a fire break. On another trail the trees were quite dense and the track a little muddy. The edges were covered with moss. Then it was back to thin little trees and a dusty track before coming out at a gorgeous lake.

I took my boots off and paddled, but didn’t last long before the icy waters got too much.

Further on we came to Patricia Lake. We stood on the shore staring out over the turquoise blue waters stretching out before the snow-capped mountains. Stunning. It was an image straight out of a tourist brochure. The kind of scene you never think you’ll actually see for yourself. And yet here we were with the whole place to ourselves.

It was a few more kilometres to Pyramid Lake, our destination. Each lake was more gorgeous than the last. Aside from the tourists pulling up at some of the scenic spots, we saw just three other hikers and two cyclists. In another few weeks I suspect we wouldn’t be able to count the other people on the trails. Jasper is about to get busy.

The trail back took us past some stables and later back out to the road. After hours in secluded bush land we finally saw our first wild animal (aside from some squirrels). An elk was gazing on the grassy bank by the road, oblivious to the traffic and us, across the other side. We sat down and watched it for a while, although cautious of Reece’s earlier warning.