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Big Red Chairs
What a view! This is an ideal spot: overlooking the beautiful (but ominously named) Maligne Lake in Jasper Alberta.
The words “Jasper, Alberta” never fail to start the songs of John Denver playing in my head:
“Up in a meadow in Jasper Alberta
Two men and four ponies on a long lonesome ride
To see the high country and learn of her people
The ways that they lived there the ways that they died.”
The Rocky Mountains truly are a majestic range, stretching 4,800 kilometers (3,000 miles) from the northernmost reaches of western Canada, south into the United States – through John Denver’s beloved Colorado and ending in New Mexico. I was a regular visitor to the UNESCO-listed Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks as a child and young adult, and now that I no longer live within sight of them, I return whenever I can.
But, I’d only ever been to Jasper, about 662 km (411 mi) north of the US border, once before, many years ago when my husband and I spent a lovely couple of days at Sunwapta Falls (see: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind). On this current trip, I had driven north solo from Banff via the Icefields Parkway (see: Lakes and Mountains).
To give myself a rest from driving and to make the best of the short time I had, I booked a day trip with Maligne Adventures into the Maligne Valley. We alighted our bus for a walk into Maligne Canyon, paused for a short break at Medicine Lake, and finally arrived at Maligne Lake for a longer stop.
Maligne Lake was known as Chaba Imne (Beaver Lake) by the local Indigenous people. It became known as “Maligne” (French for malignant, evil, or wicked) after a Flemish Jesuit missionary Pieter-Jan De Smet (1801–1873) ignored the advice of locals and tried to cross river waters that were turbulent from a spring melt. He barely escaped with his horse and his life – and blamed what he called la rivière Maligne for his misfortune.
The last time I was there, we took the boat cruise on the lake to the much-photographed Spirit Island (see: Places to See). So, I was somewhat disappointed to learn that this trip, it was too early in the season and the boat wasn’t yet running. Instead, we did a short but informative nature walk along the shore.
I was also disappointed to learn the restaurant and gift shop weren’t open. Luckily I had an apple in my bag and wasn’t at risk of starving.
Join me for some short walks in the Maligne Valley:
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Trevor
Our guide was a knowledgeable year-round local who filled us in on all the facts and plenty of anecdotes. Our first stop of the morning was for a short walk into the Maligne Canyon.
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Rushing Waters
The Maligne River is a losing stream: that is, a waterway that loses volume as it flows downstream. Here, at the start of the canyon, it is a long way from its source at Maligne Lake and close to its end-point in the Athabasca River.
The Maligne River
The shallow, glacial waters are fast moving.
Sea Creatures in the Walkway
About 600 million years ago, a shallow sea covered this area from the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico. Over millions of years, layers of clay, lime mud, sand, and silt, sank to the bed of the ocean, trapping small sea creatures in the hardening rock. Then, about 100 million years ago, tectonic forces raised what we now call the Rockies, causing traces of fossilised marine life to be exposed.
Juniper Berries
Juniper berries are widely used in traditional healing as a medicinal, and as a food flavouring (think gin!).
Into the Sun
Maligne Canyon is a slot canyon, running up to over 50 metres (160 ft) deep through the limestone karst.
Maligne Canyon
Douglas fir and lodgepole pine stand tall on the canyon rims which are lined with walking trails.
Mountains on the Horizon
The town of Jasper and the surrounding mountains are just visible from the high points around the canyon.
A Bear on the Roadside
Back in our bus, we are treated to a sighting of an American black bear (Ursus Americanus). These days, animals have absolute right of way, so the bus windows and doors are kept closed to protect her from being startled as she snuffles around for fresh grass and dandelions.
Rocky Foreshore
Our next stop is at Medicine Lake. Named by the local tribes for its magically disappearing waters, the lake is part of the Maligne Valley watershed. In spring, when the snows melt, the lake fills. But, in fall and winter, levels drop to almost nothing. It took some time to establish that the lake is connected to an expansive underground cave system: the draining waters sink into these caves, resurfacing 16 km (10 mi) downstream as the Maligne River before they drop into the Maligne Canyon.
The Maligne Lake Outlet
Just before our main stop at Maligne Lake proper, we hop out of the bus on the bridge where the lake meets the river.
Where the Lake Meets the River
Maligne Lake stretches out 22.5 km (14.0 mi) in front of us.
What Colours!
The Maligne River races off towards Medicine Lake in the other direction, …
Trout in the Shallows
… and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) spawn in the shallows underneath us.
The Boat House
On Maligne Lake, the historic boathouse – built in 1928 by pioneer Donald “Curly” Philips – was open to hire out canoes.
Overlooking Maligne Lake
We had a brief orientation before regrouping for a walk along the shoreline.
Lunch Break
Canoes on the Water
The tiny specks on the water give you some sense of the magnificent scale of those mountains.
Wolf Lichen – Letharia Vulpina
The forest paths are dark and magical. The Douglas fir are healthy, but many of the lodgepole pine are showing the damaging signs of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) infestation.
Mountains through the Trees
The walking path brings us to a partial clearing with explanatory boards outlining the modern ‘rediscovery’ of the lake in 1907 by Mary Schaeffer Warren, a wealthy Quaker from Philadelphia.
View over Maligne Lake
Schaeffer (1861–1939) is recognised as an American-Canadian naturalist, illustrator, photographer, and writer. She returned to the lake in 1911, and at the request of the Geological Survey of Canada, named many of the surrounding mountains, lakes, and glaciers.
American Black Bear
On our drive back to the town of Jasper, we come across another (?) bear, and watch through the glass for a long time.
American Black Bear
Even though it is early in the season – when black bears typically emerge from hibernation skinny and cross – this one looks positively glossy with health!
Female Elk
It is early afternoon, but the light falls fast in the mountains – bringing the animals out. This female Rocky Mountain elk (C. canadensis nelsoni) is resting in the grass just outside of town.
“… And the time is upon us today is forever
Tomorrow is just one of yesterday’s dreams.
…
Clear waters are laughing they sing to the sky
The Rockies are living they never will die.”
Let’s hope that is true!
Photos: 30May2023
