Training for hiking in Jasper National Park and the Canadian Rockies

If you plan to visit Jasper National Park during summer, you must be thinking about hiking. Short hikes, long day hikes, and overnight backpacking trips abound in Jasper, Banff, Mt Robson and the other regional parks of the Canadian Rockies.

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10 Beautiful pictures of Cavell Glacier and Cavell Pond in Jasper National Park

Glaciers. Jasper National Park has them. One of the smaller glaciers is Cavell Glacier on the edge of Cavell Pond. Cavell Glacier is next to the larger Angel Glacier and the two share their ice with Cavell Pond.

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The one Canadian Rockies hiking book you need to own

I’m on a quest to do some serious day hikes in the Canadian Rockies next summer and have been looking for a good guidebook to take with me while hiking. Canadian Rockies Trail Guide by Brian Patton and Bart Robinson seems to be such a book.  The book has been around since 1971 and has new editions come out every 5 or so years.  The 8th edition is the latest edition and was published in 2007.

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Rare 1930s Jasper National Park Home Movie of Maligne Canyon Hiking

If you want to know what it was like to hike Maligne Canyon in the early days of Jasper National Park (founded in 1907), check out this rather fun vintage 1930s home black and white movie from YouTube.  Take a look at the people, the signs, and the experience of this rare home movie footage.

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Hiking the Wilcox Pass in Jasper National Park...like a bighorn sheep

If you ever wanted to hike like a bighorn sheep, the Wilcox Pass in Jasper National Park is the place to hike.

Hike the Wilcox Pass for a moderate difficulty half-day hiking trail midway between Jasper townsite and Banff.

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Bringing Dogs to Jasper National Park

I’ve written in the past about cats visiting Jasper National Park.  But it turns out that the park is better suited to dogs.

So here’s one for the dogs!

Dogs have long been a part of the travel history of the region.  In fact, some of the earliest known paintings/drawings of Jasper National Park show dogs in one of the first encampments known as Jasper House.  The drawings were by Henry James Warre and are dated as May 1846 – nearly 50 years prior to the region being turned into a park in 1907.  (This I learned by reading Culturing Wilderness in Jasper National Park, a Jasper history book with an article about Warre and pictures of these drawings on page 44). Read more on Bringing Dogs to Jasper National Park…

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Parker Ridge Trail – Hiking in Banff National Park on the Jasper Border

Ah, the Canadian Rockies.

For those travelers who would enjoy an awesome view of a glacier, snow-capped mountains and the chance to see mountain goats on an easy afternoon hike along an alpine ridge surrounded by the Canadian Rockies, the Parker Ridge Trail in Banff National Park is worthy of consideration.

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Take a Hike with Friends of Jasper

This year, the Friends of Jasper have organized new hiking opportunities for travelers and locals alike. If you’d like to hike with other people, have either beginner or intermediate hiking skills, or just want to get out and experience nature in Jasper National Park, read on.

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Avoiding Bear Attacks in Jasper National Park

Bears, like the one pictured, may look cute, but bears can have a bad side.

To keep from seeing the potential bad side, visitors to Jasper National Park should be aware of the bear.

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Hiking the Discovery Trail in Jasper National Park

Looking for an easy hiking trail in Jasper National Park where you can learn something about natural resource preservation along the way?

A good article on Edmonton’s Vue Weekly entitled “Discovery Trail – Make a Discovery on Jasper’s Newest Trail” goes over the features and history of the 5.2 mile (8.3 km) Jasper Discovery Trail. Author Casey Blais hiked the trail and pointed out its many uses. Blais said that the Discovery Trail can be uses as “a mild stroll along a paved path next to Jasper’s rail yard or it can be challenging uphill sections of single track on your bike.” (via Edmonton Vue Weekly).

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