Rainy day hikes are just as majestic and beautiful as any other day.

Just because the rain comes in doesn’t limit the activities, indoors and out, to take part in at Jasper National Park. The Canadian Rockies are an enjoyable place year round, and despite the conditions there’s always something to do. Jasper National Park lodge and hotel offerings are always a good time, but here’s a list of some other option to consider when clouds roll by.

Scenic Drives

Fill up the tank and cruise around by car. The mountainous landscape looks just as legendary and beautiful with rainy and swirling clouds as it does in the sun. Waterfalls, canyons, rivers and wildlife are just as noticeable and impressive, not to mention accessible.

Hiking

Grab a rain jacket and hit the trailhead — the wilderness stays outdoors regardless of weather. Visitors up for the thrill of continuing their outdoor activities in the rain can be pleasantly surprised of the cool air and peaceful solitude when grazing through the forests and fields on a rainy day. Cloudy skies lead to majestic views and settings from a fantasy land. And at the end of the day the rewards of a hot chocolate have never been more soothing and well-deserved.

Rafting Trips

Rafting the rivers at Jasper means plunging into water either way, and doing so in the rain definitely helps that the edge off those first chilly splashes. Race through the Athabasca, Fraser and Sunwapta rivers on rapids fun to navigate for all levels.

Miette Hot Springs Pool

Nothing beats a cold rainy day like soaking endlessly in a cozy hot springs pool. Steam rises through the air and patrons slowly sink into a state of relaxation. The Miette Hot Springs is the Candian Rockies’ hottest springs and located 61km east of Jasper. Open May through late November, it’s the perfect escape and soothing outdoor experience.

Indoor Activities

Jasper houses a number of indoor activities from recreation centers to endless shoping boutiques. The Chaba Cinema has two movie theaters, while the summertime also brings local theater performances. The Jasper Municipal Library is located at 500 Robson St and provides also internet access. The Jasper Aquatic Center has a 25-meter pool, waterslide whirlpool and more to try out, and those seeking a more pampered experience can indulge in the many spas in Jasper.

The Jasper Activity Center is full of sport activities, while those wanting to take it easy can stop by video rental stores like Video Stop and Tags. Lastly, Jasper has many captivating museums, such as the Den Wildlife Museum and the Yellowhead Museum and Archive.

Click here to see the Jasper live webcam!

Tags: japser national park, Jasper Activities, movies, museums, Rafting, Scenic Drive
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Jasper National Park, Alberta

If you like to avoid major highways in Jasper National Park for the peaceful meander of a Canadian Rockies backroad, then Highway 93A or “the old highway” is for you. Part of the original Banff/Jasper Highway, it now sees much lighter traffic.

The Athabasca River at sunrise.

The views on 93A open up almost immediately. The road climbs above the surrounding valley, providing perfect panoramas of the Jasper townsite. The work of the glaciers is visible in the broad sculpting of the Athabasca valley. Across the valley, the Maligne Range forms a formidable barrier.

Hidden behind their rugged facade is Maligne Canyon and Maligne Lake. An optional side trip at kilometre 2.4 (1.5 mi.) takes you towards Marmot Basin Ski Area. Portal Creek trailhead, at the 7 km (4 mi.) mark along this side trip, is one of two main trailheads for the expansive Tonquin Valley. Hidden 20 km (12 mi.) along the creek and over Maccarib Pass, it is one of Jasper’s most popular backcountry destinations—winter and summer.

The ski hill’s 48 runs offer a vertical rise of 701 m/2,300 ft. From snowmobile access in the 1950’s, the hill expanded with a T-Bar in the 1960’s, and has continued to grow over the years. Highway 93A passes the junction with Cavell Road at kilometre 5.2 (3.2 mi.). Kilometre 8.2 (mile 4.3) solves the mystery of why the townsite often seems alive with members of the British military.

This British Army Camp provides a base for extensive mountain training. The soldiers descend upon the townsite on regular occasions to take over the Laundromat—not to mention several local watering holes. Wabasso Campground, at kilometre 9.2 (5.7 mi.), offers a quiet alternative to Jasper’s busy urban campgrounds. The Whirlpool and Athabasca Rivers meet at the “Meeting of the Waters” at kilometre 14/8.4 miles. Although quiet today, this site formed a major junction for countless fur trade expeditions. Here they would leave the Athabasca River and follow the Whirlpool River upstream towards Athabasca Pass.

First discovered in 1811, by David Thompson, one of Canada’s premier fur traders, explorers and map makers, it became the standard route of travel west for many years. Normally, at the junction of Athabasca Pass, fur brigades from the east met other traders from the Columbia. Goods were exchanged, and the traders would turn around and retrace their steps in the opposite direction.

With the Oregon Treaty in 1846, the 49th parallel was set as the international boundary, and the mouth of the Columbia became American territory. Soon, the Athabasca Pass route was all but abandoned as travelers began to traverse the Yellowhead Pass. Another short backroad at kilometre 15.2 (mile 9.4) follows the Whirlpool River for 6.9 km (4.3 mi.), ending within a kilometre of Moab Lake.

For the more adventurous traveler, the road also forms the trailhead for the 43 km/27 mi. trek to Athabasca Pass. Leach Lake at kilometre 19.6/12.2 mi.(don’t worry—it’s not named after those slimy blood suckers—leeches), provides a lovely spot for a relaxing picnic. This lake is most likely a glacial kettle formed from large chunks of ice buried by retreating glaciers. As the ice melted, the material above the former ice block collapsed into the void. The water moved to the surface, creating a tiny pond. Many of the smaller lakes in the Rockies were formed in this way.

Another former fireroad at kilometre 23/14.3 mi., climbs 5.5 km (3.5 mi.) up the lower slopes of Mount Fryatt. From the trailhead at road’s end, a short, steep trail climbs to the former site of the Geraldine Fire Lookout. From this lofty vantage point, the valley is spread beneath you. A second trail climbs higher up the slopes of Mount Fryatt towards a narrow glacial valley containing the Geraldine lakes. Shortly beyond the Geraldine Fireroad, Highway 93A meets the main portion of Highway 93 at Athabasca Falls.

Don’t miss this dramatic falls which cuts a gorge through thick layers of quartz sandstone. The true power of water is experienced as the river plummets amidst a thunderous roar. For your own safety, please avoid climbing over the many retaining walls. The rocks are constantly bathed in water vapour which supports a growth of slippery algae. One misplaced step can make you a permanent part of the mountain landscape.

From the junction with Highway 93 at kilometre 24.1 (mile 15), you can continue south towards the Columbia Icefields or return north to Jasper.

Highlights: Views of the Athabasca Valley, Portal Creek Trailhead, Marmot Basin Ski Area Road, Cavell Road, Wabasso Campground, Whirlpool River, Athabasca Falls.
Activities: Sightseeing, photography, walking, hiking.
Location: A few kilometers South of Jasper.
Time: Minimum of one half-hour.

Tags: Hiking, Jasper Sightseeing, Scenic Drive
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Jasper, Alberta

By Kay Barbaro
Staff Writer

Mount Edith Cavell is one of the most historically interesting areas in Jasper National Park and the Canadian Rockies, and also offers a great scenic drive and some great hiking and sight seeing opportunities.

Edith Cavell Lake, one of Jasper National Park's most beautiful.

Traveling south from Jasper, follow Highway 93A for 5.2 km (3.2 mi.). Turn right onto Cavell Road shortly after crossing the Astoria River. The narrow, winding nature of this road precludes motorcoaches, trailers and large motorhomes. Trailers can be left at the parking lot at the start of Cavell Road.

The switchbacks begin immediately, and rapidly climb out of the valley bottom. During the winter months, when this road is closed to traffic, it becomes a popular cross-country ski trail. Skiers often stay overnight at the Mount Edith Cavell Hostel before venturing out into the backcountry of the Tonquin Valley. The Astoria River takes its name from American fur trader John Jacob Aster.

Two kilometres beyond the Hostel, at kilometre 15 (mile 9), the road ends at the Mount Edith Cavell Parking lot.

From here, two short interpretive trails show the two sides to life in the alpine. One, the Path of the Glacier Trail, takes you through the debris left behind by the retreat of local glaciers. In its path, it has left mounds of glacial debris (called moraines), rocks scoured and scraped by the passing ice, and two remnant glaciers, the Angel and Cavell Glaciers. The trail ends at a tiny meltwater pond littered with icebergs, and a fine view of both glaciers. The Cavell Meadows Trail takes you above the glacial debris to a subalpine meadow. This is the trail for flower lovers as it explodes into life each July.

Edith Louise Cavell (1865-1915) was a British nurse during World War I. In 1907, she went to Brussels as a nurse, but by 1914 was put in charge of a unit whose main purpose was to help soldiers trapped behind enemy lines rejoin their units. To the German army, this was treason, and she was executed by firing squad. Today she is remembered as a heroine, and to some, a martyr. In 1916, the snow-capped face of this 3,363 m. (11,033 ft.) peak was renamed in her honour.

Highlights: Astoria River, Access to Tonquin Valley, Path of the Glacier Trail, Angel and Cavell Glaciers, Cavell Meadows Trail.
Activities: Sightseeing, photography, walking, hiking.
Location: 5.2 km (3.2 mi) South of Jasper.
Time: Minimum of one half-hour at the meadows.

Tags: Hiking, Jasper Activities, jasper national park, Mount Edith Cavell, Scenic Drive
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