After two days on the Rocky Mountaineer we arrived in Jasper, bearing in mind it was the 5th June 2009, the sun was shining but the temperature was freezing with the occasional snow shower. It was lovely to be able to stretch the legs though as we went for a stroll along Connaught Drive with the mountain ‘Whistler 2470 mtrs’ as a back drop.

The Jasper National Park is the largest and most Northerly of the four Rocky Mountain National Parks and Jasper is the most rugged. Covering an area of 4,199 square miles Jasper encompasses the Columbian Icefield a massive area of 400 year old ice reportedly 2,953 feet thick in places. From the icefield, fingers of ice reach down through many of Jaspers valleys.

Jasper was established in 1911 as a settlement for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad workers, who were laying track along the Athabasca river valley. As with Banff the coming of the railroad and the growth of the parks as resorts went hand in hand and the town expanded to include hotels, restaurants and a visitors centre.

The Maligne Lake drive begins three miles north of Jasper and leads off Highway 16, following the valley floor between Maligne and the Queen Elizabeth ranges, some spectacular views as the river meanders down the valley.

The Medicine Lake in the Maligne Valley is best known for its strange fluctuations in water level, the result of water entering and then draining from lakebed sink holes. The Maligne Valley contains the largest underground river system in the world which begins at the Medicine Lake. The views of Spirit Island on Maligne Lake are remarkable.