Jasper: Athabasca Glacier and Tangle Falls

After hiking Wilcox Pass it was only natural to visit Athabasca Glacier as it is basically right across the road. This glacier is very well known as it is easy to reach from the Icefields Parkway. There is a large parking lot and then all you have to do is climb up a short path and you are literally standing within feet of this massive glacier.

Path leading to the Athabasca Glacier

 Just like at Wilcox Pass it was rather chilly. A result of the wind blowing over the Columbia Icefield. Dad and I saw many people in a wide variety of dress. There were girls in flip flops and mini-skirts, guys in shorts and t-shirts, and one couple looked as though they were about to undertake an arctic exploration as they were so well covered! My suggestion is to wear a pair of running shoes to make climbing the path easier and to have a sweatshirt of jacket handy. Many people do stop here for a few minutes as they are traveling down the parkway so dressing in layers would probably be best so as to be comfortable in the car but warm when you stop to see the glacier.

It is possible to actually go out onto the glacier but you should not do so unless you are with an official guide. It can be very dangerous to walk out onto the glacier by yourself and there are many informational signs telling you exactly why this is not a good idea. Unfortunately, many people ignore the warning and cross the fenced off area to walk on the glacier anyways.

Here are some of the plaques they have on display telling you about the glacier and warning of the dangers.

Standing at the foot of the glacier

A very sad story

Some of the not so wise people who decided to risk it and walk on the glacier

After taking in the glacier we jumped back in the car and continued up the Icefields Parkway. I had Dad stop for a few minutes so I could take in Tangle Falls. These beautiful falls are literally right on the Parkway. I am drawn to water, I love it. I love waterfalls, and lakes, and oceans, and rivers. If you are a water lover like me you will adore these Falls, they are picture perfect.

Instead of heading right back to the campsite Dad and I made a detour into town to gas up the car as we would be moving campsites in the morning. There are some lovely views as one drives into Jasper on the parkway.

The dogs and stepmother were waiting for us back at the campsite. Dad and I rewarded them for being so good that day by taking them for a walk along the Athabasca River that runs right next to the campground. There is a nice trail that runs next to the river. The dogs loved it and splashed around in the water. A nice way to spend our last evening in Jasper.

 

Jasper National Park:Wilcox Pass

Dad had the alarm set to wakeup us up at an absurdly early hour as we would be driving about two hours south to hike Wilcox Pass which is near the Athabasca Glacier. I am NOT a morning person and it was very difficult to drag myself out of bed.

The stepmother was once again not joining us on this hike for whatever reason, no complaints from me!

It was a beautiful drive to the hiking trail, the sun was coming up and there was a lovely misty fog settled around the mountains.

We were the first hikers at the trail that morning thanks to dad's insistence of an early wakeup. I was grateful for that as we were able to get a good ways up the trail before more accomplished hikers showed up and started to pass us due to my slow hiking speed.

This trail has a steady elevation gain, there were not too many steep slopes to scramble up which made it more enjoyable.

The hike starts out in the woods and you gradually climb above the treeline and are greeted with fantastic views of the Athabasca glacier and the other glaciers that surround it as they all come down from the Columbia Icefields.

Athabasca Glacier

Once out of the treeline you are hiking out in the open with the view of the glaciers to your left.

You eventually reach a large valley that appears to stretch on forever. Dad says you could continue walking through the valley for hours but we did not have time for that. Instead we decided to climb up a bit higher and find a good lunch spot.

View from our lunch spot. It was VERY cold up there. Dad says it is because the air is blowing over the glaciers which cools it. It is also because we were on an exposed hilltop. If you ever hike this trail make sure to pack a warm sweater or fleece! 

Wilcox Pass is well known for the Mountain Sheep that frequent the valley. On the way up Dad and I did not see any and so thought we were out of luck. However, on our way back down another hiker pointed one out to us. Up where Dad and I had been eating our lunch there was now a Mountain Sheep! We could barely see it as we were so far away but Dad was able to get some pictures thanks to his zoom.

Journey to Jasper: Mountains, and Glaciers and Bears, oh my!

In August 2012 my dad, stepmother and I spent two weeks exploring Jasper, Banff and Yoho National Parks. My brothers had visited my dad earlier in the summer so this trip was all about traveling my style. The pace on the trails was not as speedy and my dad incorporated visits into the townsites of Jasper and Banff, activities that would not have interested my brothers.

My dad lives in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia so we had to leave his house early in the morning in order to make it to our campsite in Jasper at a decent time. We would be taking Dad's small trailer with us so no sleeping on the cold, hard, lumpy ground for me! Hurray!

A new four-legged family member was joining us on this trip, my dad's 10-month old puppy, Tilly. It would certainly be a bit cramped with the three of us and the two dogs in the trailer for two weeks!

Marcus (left) and Tilly (right)

Even though the dogs had the entire back of the car to themselves they insisted on spending the entire journey crowding around my seat.

We stopped at a campground and picnic area as we entered Yoho in order to let the dogs run around and do their business. Dad and I were a bit worried about the smokey haze in the air as we were scheduled to hike Lake O'Hara in just over a week and this sign of smoke meant that our views might be obscured. We crossed our fingers that when we returned the smoke and whatever was causing it would have drifted away.

Once we got back on the road we continued into Banff until we reached the turnoff for the Icefields Parkway. We would be driving up the Icefields Parkway to get to our campsite just outside of the townsite of Jasper. We made a few stops along the way to take some pictures. First stop was the Crowfoot Glacier.

Crowfoot Glacier

I asked my dad if we could stop at Peyto Lake on the way to Jasper as there was no guarantee we would have good weather when we drove back in a few days time. As is always the case in the mountains the weather can be unpredictable and change quickly. For instance, while we were visiting Peyto Lake it would was sunny, then cloudy, then sunny again, and then it started to pour rain as we were leaving. It was also a nice place to stop as it got us all out of the car and we were able to stretch our legs as there is a small walk to get to the viewpoint. Peyto Lake is very famous and one of the most photographed locations in Banff. The colour of the water changes depending on the time of the year and the amount of sunlight. The day we were there it was rather cloudy and so the water looked like a cold milky blue. On others days it can shine bright as a sapphire.

Peyto Lake

Peyto Lake

Tilly and Marcus enjoying the time out of the car and all the attention they were getting.

Peyto Lake

Peyto Lake

I took advantage of the bathrooms at Peyto Lake as there would be no more stops for us until we got to the campground.

We continued on our drive along the Icefields Parkway. We drove past the Athabasca Glacier which Dad and I would be visiting in a few days time.

Athabasca Glacier

When we were about an hour away from the campsite Dad noticed that there was something wrong with the trailer. He and the step-mother got out to investigate while the dogs and I watched in concern from the car.

Marcus

Tilly

I think we spent a good 30 minutes on the side of the road.You will have to excuse my ignorance here as I am not a handy girl at all and know nothing about cars. Turns out the problem was that the protective cover (protetcs from rocks and debris etc.) over one of the wheels on the trailer had come loose and was about to fly off. Dad could not find the screws to fix the issue so he ended up having to take it off. It wasn't a huge deal as everything still worked just fine.

View from our spot on the side of the road while dad tried to play mechanic

 Finally, around 5pm we reached our home for the next few days, Wabasso Campground. Once we got there we found out that the site they gave us was not very trailer friendly despite it being a trailer campsite...

The dogs and I watched in amusement as Dad and the stepmother tried to back the trailer into our campsite and then stabilize it. It took a loooooong time.

Once we had our trailer stabilized and everything set up and in order we decided to head into the town of Jasper to take a look around. This was mostly for my benefit, I doubt that dad would have gone into town if I had not been there. 

Jasper was adorable. Much smaller than the town of Banff but it had everything you would need. We parked on the main street and then made our way to the Visitor Centre to check out what sort of information they had and to browse through their shop.

Town of Jasper

Jasper Information Centre

 After the Information Centre we walked around a bit and stopped at a small grocery store. It was not impressive, overpriced and looked rather rundown. However, Dad and I went in anyways and got some overpriced juice since the stepmother had forgotten to pack any.  It wasn't until the next day that dad and I found a real grocery store further up the road in the slightly more residential section of the town. At least we know for next time!

There was a beautiful rainbow as we made our way out of town.

Much to our delight, in the woods right outside our campground we spotted a black bear and her cub. My first bear sighting, ever! We were the only car on the road so we stopped so we could get some pictures. We were very careful and never got out of the car. Unfortunately, we saw many people getting out of their cars and trying to get closer to bears later on in the trip, that is a disaster waiting to happen!

My pictures were rather blurry as I was having to lean into the front seat and look though my dad's window as the dogs would have gone crazy if I had rolled down my window. Dad got better pictures than I did. 

I did manage to get a brief video clip of the bears http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pIaL30kJr8

We eventually moved on as a few more cars had arrived and stopped. As we entered the campground we made sure to notify the Parks Canada staff of the bears nearby as they track this sort of activity, especially near campgrounds and townsites. There was also a potential "bear jam" in the making if more cars showed up and stopped.

Once back at the campground we had dinner and got ready for bed. The Wabasso campground, unfortunately, does not have shower facilities, however, the bathrooms were very nice and only a short walk from the trailer. No smelly port-a-potties here, these were roomy clean bathrooms with flushable toilets, always a bonus. We went to bed early as Dad and I would be heading out early in the morning for our first hike of the trip.