Jasper National Park

Yes! We're done! We arrive at the gate to Jasper National Park on Thursday, September 6th! We will immediately get a combo annual pass for Jasper, Yoho, Lake Louise, and Banff parks. After a long drive, we are excited to be surrounded by nature. Jasper is everything we imagined a park in Canada to be. Incredibly diverse landscapes and mountains as far as the eye can see. There are plenty of beautiful trails to explore. Unlike Denali in Alaska, here we have trails that we are accustomed to 😃.

We drive directly to the town and immediately love Jasper. It is a manageable size with many shops and restaurants, a brewery that brews good local beer, and plenty of spacious parking lots. It is still busy here, and we can only imagine what it would be like during the peak season. At the Visitors Center, we grab a hiking map, then we relax at the brewery and enjoy a "Crisp Pils" for an apéritif and a "Jasper The Bear Ale" for dinner. Only then do we start looking for a free spot for Verny and our tired bones. Wild camping is not allowed here, the lady at the Visitors Center made that very clear. We drive to the nearby Whistler Campground, a huge campground with 781 sites, but surprisingly, once parked, it doesn't feel crowded at all. There are significantly more tents here compared to the places we've visited so far. We would prefer not to give up the little luxury that Verny offers, especially when we see the tent campers crawling out of their shelters in the rain. Drying clothes or towels after washing them is already a challenge with Verny when the sun doesn't shine, and if the entire van needs sunlight...

The night is starry! We walk around the campground to find the perfect spot to photograph the possible northern lights. The alarm goes off at 2 am (oh yes, at the park entrance in Alberta, we set our clocks one hour ahead, so it's -8 compared to Switzerland). We don't see any northern lights, BUT the starry sky is breathtaking!!! There are hardly any dark spots in the sky, it's full of stars!

The next morning, we want to go to Maligne Lake to hike the loop around the Opal Hills. Since the parking lot is limited and there is still a decent crowd, we set off early. The spectacular mountains of the Rocky Mountains, a golden eagle, the river, and a lake enrich the beautiful drive. At the Visitors Center, we were informed about bear sightings in the area. Therefore, it is only natural that a large warning sign stands in the middle of the trailhead. "Proceed with Caution," we take that to heart. Nina's bear bell rings cheerfully. When we reach the tree line, the view is so impressive that we extend the hike along the ridge towards the east-southeast instead of turning towards the plain behind the Opal Hills. The wind blows quite strongly over the ridge. After taking the obligatory "Pikschures," we retreat to the wind shelter to enjoy our sandwiches. Just as we are about to eat our prepared vegetables, we notice a group of "hikers" moving quickly on the plain. Through binoculars, we see that it is a grizzly bear female with two yearlings. The little ones are still playing around in the berry bushes before following their mother and running in our direction on the trail. We lose sight of the animals roughly where we need to descend. We immediately start walking downhill cautiously and go in the opposite direction towards the plain. Shortly after, we meet a group of ladies from Manitoba. We have bear spray, and they talk a lot, so together we form a large group, the perfect setup to avoid problems. In the group, we safely reach Maligne Lake. On the way back, we visit Maligne Canyon. You have to cross many bridges...

Tired and sweaty, we return to the campground. We freshen up, make a fire, and cook. The weather forecast for the next day is good, so we decide to leave early again to hike the "Sulphur Ridge Trail" in the Miette Hotsprings area. Another amazing drive with several elk sightings. They are currently in their mating season. They mess around in the stuff and roar around. Interestingly, many cars, including locals, pull over to the shoulder and watch and photograph enthusiastically. No one gets upset about the temporary chaos. The trail is very beautiful, and when we reach the top of the ridge, an incredible panoramic view opens up. After enjoying a delicious pasta salad, we make our way back to take a shower. The Miette Hotsprings are perfect for that. They even provide towels and a swimsuit for Nina (she looked quite strange). And all for less than $20. A bargain considering that public showers often cost $5-6 per person. The 40°C warm mineral water was soothing for our tired muscles. squeaky clean, we return to the sun and the stove.

The next day, the weather is not as great, so we decide to hike near the city limits of Jasper, stroll through town, take care of some urgent matters, enjoy a snack before heading back to the campground. Just before arriving, we encounter a grazing elk bull with a whole herd of cows and calves. We watch the animals fascinated for a while.