So I’m walking along the 8c trail in the Pyramid Bench Trails, a network of trails connecting Pyramid Lake, Patricia Lake and several smaller lakes and runs in the vicinity of Pyramid Lake Road, just outside of Jasper townsite.
Then, in the distance, I see a brown shape but don’t know what it is.
If it is a bear, I probably want to walk the other direction.
But instead, I proceed forward.
As I get closer, I see that it is a deer. It looks straight at me, wondering if it should continue munching on veggies or run away.
 Deer in Jasper National Park I quietly walked by and the deer decided not to run.
This amazing scene was from my recent vacation in Jasper National Park and the Canadian Rockies.
These bighorn sheep were relaxing on Jasper National Park’s Highway 16 east hillside and posing for the camera.
During the daytime, there’s a good chance of seeing some sort of wildlife on Highway 16, but stumbling upon this group of bighorn sheep in Jasper National Park was a whole lot of luck.
Click the picture to view larger to count the bighorn sheep.
 Bighorn Sheep in Jasper National Park Is that amazing or what?
There’s one thing you can count on every year on July 1st in Canada: Canada Day, where Canada celebrates its birthday with fun activities and fireworks.
Jasper and Banff National Park each have Canada Day celebrations planned. They have 3 things in common: pancakes, parades and fireworks.
Jasper National Park Canada Day Celebrations
A nice website maintained by the Jasper Canada Day Committee here has everything you need to know about the festivities. Some of the highlights for 2010 are a pancake breakfast, flag raising ceremony, parade through Jasper townsite, food, beer and music in the afternoon, and fireworks when it gets dark. View the complete schedule here.
Banff National Park Canada Day Celebrations
The festivities in Banff National Park start with pancakes in the morning, fun activities at Central Park in Banff, a parade in late afternoon and then fireworks at night – and more fun mixed in throughout the day. Learn more about Banff’s Canada Day activities here on the town of Banff website.
Jasper National Park’s lovely Highway 16, 93A, Icefields Parkway, Jasper townsite and other roads.
Banff National Park. Lake Louise. Mt Robson Provincial Park. Kootenay National Park. Yoho National Park. Calgary. Edmonton. Hinton.
Wherever your Canadian Rockies vacation brings, there’s a lot of driving. Do yourself a favor and plan to take it easy, take it slow and drive safe.
Reasons:
- You and your passengers’ safety
- The safety of others: hikers, bikers and pedestrians walking where you least expect it.
- Wildlife safety: the bighorn sheep, elk, bears and their friends cross the roads a lot and have the right of way
- Other drivers who unexpectedly stop for wildlife and roadside lookout turn-offs – or just to take in the amazing scenery
- Lastly, if you drive too fast, law enforcement will be giving out tickets
Look for the fun animal signs with the posted speed limits.
Keep it safe and have fun in the Canadian Rockies!!
I was looking at my packing list today for my return trip to the Canadian Rockies.
I either need more suitcases or need to cut some things off the list!
Looking at the list, I noticed 3 things on my list that are essential for a Jasper National Park vacation and thought I’d mention it.
Having forgotten them before, they’re packed early this trip.
The 3 things are… Continue reading 3 Essential Travel Supplies for a Jasper National Park Vacation
When you visit Banff, Jasper and the other Canadian Rockies parks in the summer, the extreme weather conditions often result in fog clouds passing through the mountains.
As an entry on Wikipedia explains, fog is a cloud that is in contact with the ground.
With a digital camera in hand, the trick is to make the most of the drama fog adds to the scene.
Here’s a some examples of pictures of fog in the Canadian Rockies and followed by tutorials on taking pictures of fog.
A Jasper National Park traveler took this shot at Maligne Lake as the fog passed by.
Continue reading Taking Pictures of the Canadian Rockies in the Fog
If you are looking for GPS maps for hiking in the Canadian Rockies, here’s a few free collections of GPS track maps for Banff National Park, Jasper National Park, Yoho National Park, Kootenay National Park, Kananaskis Country, and lots more.
I compiled this list because I thought it would be cool (but by no means essential except for maybe backcountry hikers) to have trail maps on my handheld GPS device (mine is a Garmin GPSmap 60CSx) alongside printed maps.
The word on the street is that the amount of Canadian Rockies trails on the GPS topo maps is very limited and even non-existent for most hand-held GPS hiking devices. The solution is to use GPS track maps (typically .GPX or .GDB files). Put these files on your GPS to have Canadian Rockies trails at your fingertips.
The following offer free GPS track maps for hiking in Jasper National Park and other areas of the Canadian Rockies. Continue reading Use a Handheld GPS for Hiking? Here’s a Few Free Canadian Rockies GPS Track Maps
According to a recent article in Rocky Mountain Outlook, there are reports of 5 tourists allegedly feeding bears in the Canadian Rockies.
The Rocky Mountain Outlook says that the fine is $2,000 to $5,000 for feeding wildlife in the park.
The investigation into the incidents is still in progress and charges have not yet been filed, but I personally think it would be good to send a message.
Seriously, what are these tourists thinking?
Do they really need to be told that feeding bears is a bad thing? That fed bears will be habituated to humans?
 And that a fed bear’s likelihood of survival drops?
Every time something like this happens, park conservation officers have to intervene.
They’ll try to re-condition the fed bear.
They’ll use pain deterrents (shooting sandbags and rubber bullets) and noise deterrents to try to train the bear to associate bad things with humans.
If the re-conditioning doesn’t work, the situation for the bear is much sadder.
The lesson: “Do not feed the wildlife. It is more harm than good.”
If you see someone feeding the wildlife, report them to park authorities. Write down the license plate, time and location. And if you have a camera in hand, I’d assume a picture would help identify the bear.
There’s nothing better than soaking in the hot springs after a day of hiking and sightseeing.
Fortunately for visitors to Banff, Jasper and Kootenay National Park, there are 3 Canadian Rockies Hot Springs to chose from.
1. Banff Upper Hot Springs in Banff National Park
2. Miette Hot Springs in Jasper National Park
3. Radium Hot Springs in Kootenay National Park
Let’s learn a little bit about each of the Canadian Rockies National Park Hot Springs.
Continue reading Canadian Rockies Hot Springs
Whether a hot summer day or it’s freezing outside, the West Edmonton Mall’s indoor waterpark is an unexpected treat that’s plenty of fun for the whole family.
For those planning a trip to the Canadian Rockies with a stop in Edmonton, the West Edmonton Mall waterpark is a perfect way to unwind after a long plane ride or drive. A visit the amazing 15-acre indoor waterpark at West Edmonton Mall offers hours of fun any time of the year.
 Continue reading West Edmonton Mall indoor waterpark – fun any time of year
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