Jasper National Park (part two) --- Lakes and Mountains

Medicine Lake in Jasper National Park

Roger here...  This post from Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada focuses on the Lake and Mountain scenery that we saw during the five days of our visit.  Let's start with...

LAKES...

Medicine Lake...  can be found along the Maligne Lake Road.  This gorgeous little gem was a definite bonus along the way to the much larger Maligne Lake.

After passing Medicine Lake, the delta-styled flats, where the turquoise stream entered the lake, were just as scenic as the lake itself.

Maligne Lake...  This jaw-dropping lake was the destination of a 3 km hike along the Mary Schaffer Trail.  The lake is 22 kilometers in length.  Mary Schaffer was the first white person to discover it.  She paddled the entire length of the lake in a raft.  

  The picture below is one of my favorites.  Dianne took it as we walked along the trail (singing the bear song).

Pyramid Lake...  Pyramid Lake was one of those surprising delights for us.  We had intended to hike the Five Lakes Trail on the journey back from Athabasca Falls (next post).  However, the trail-head parking lot was full.  

I remembered seeing pictures of Pyramid Lake and knew it was a short drive north of Jasper.  It was on the way back to our motor home.  Why not?

This very serene one-kilometer walk began by crossing a bridge to Pyramid Island.




The short pathway (built by local residents) circled the island.  

You have to love all that clear water --- a myriad of reflections --- clouds, trees and mountains.

More crystal clear water showing every rock and limb underneath

A historic shelter (recognized by the Canadian National Parks) was erected on the island.  This is a picture taken through one of the windows.

Pyramid Lake is a good segway to the mountain views segment of this post.  The lake is adjacent to Pyramid Mountain, which is widely visible in the entire Jasper area.  The picture below was taken during our walk around the island.

Colorful Pyramid Mountain

MOUNTAIN VIEWS...

Columbia Ice Fields...  I will start this section with views of the Columbia Ice Fields that were visible along the highway as we drove from Radium Hot Springs to Jasper.  This is just a teaser.  We intend to visit the ice fields during a later stop at Lake Louise.

Vista photos along Highway One between Lake Louise and Jasper...  

Vista Photos along Maligne Lake Road...

We stopped along the stream next to the roadway.  Dianne took some interesting photos.

Look at the pine tree growing from the top of the boulder in the middle of the stream.

Our third and final post from Jasper National Park will be dedicated to canyons and waterfalls. We also had a night on the town with yet another surprise visit with friends who just happened to be in the area.  Please be patient.  We know that we will not have wifi for the next seven days.  It might be a while before we post again.

PET PICTURE OF THE DAY...

Bandido wading in the clear waters of Pyramid Lake