Once in the park, though, the landscape slowly came into view. I was in a wide valley with mountains on either side. Spotted my first caribou grazing off the road. The town itself was a winding, congested town. I stopped only briefly to get wifi and leave a message on FB. Then I drove south on AB93, stopping at several short waterfall hikes but having to fight hordes of people. The Athabasca Falls was a nice 2.82 hike along the rushing river. There were far fewer people on the trail once I got past the fortified railing along the falls. I let the dogs offleash so that they could enjoy the catool water.
Jasper National Park is Canada's largest park and it becomes visible while driving on AB93, a mostly north-south paved road. I wasn't sure what I wanted to see as there is so much to see, but I opted to go high on an alpine trail rather than a lake trail where most people seemed to be. I wanted the dogs to be able to walk off-leash, away from people. The farther south I drove on AB93, the higher in elevation I got.
All the trails looked inviting, and I drove up and down AB93 to find something appropriate. There were cars and RVs everywhere! Jasper National Park (JNP) borders Banff National Park (BNP), but I turned around here. I would do BNP tomorrow. I settled on hiking the Wilcox Pass Trail, providing views high above the Columbia Icefield and the surrounding glaciers.
This was a good choice, as the trail offers scenery, challenge, and solitude. I had no idea how far I would go, though, as the sky looked like it would rain. I parked the van in the parking lot, read the kiosk information warning hikers to watch out for bears and Big Horn Sheep, and to be aware of weather changes.
The trail starts out as a wide, level trail as it meanders through an old growth forest, then over exposed pine tree roots. There is even a stretch of boardwalk over a narrow drainage. Once out of the old growth forest, the trees give way to expansive vistas as it meanders northward, along glacier erratics, with AB93 below in the valley. I was clearly in the alpine zone now, with a colder breeze forcing me to hike fast.
Most hikers seemed to turn around near the first vista points, but I ventured on, hoping to spot alpine wildlife besides birds. Where those white spots along the distant mountain sides sheep watching me? It was hard to tell. The soil was saturated with snow melt, and there was snow visible around Wilcox Peak. I wanted to hike there and turn around, but saw a large group of people coming down and didn't want the dogs to bother them. I appreciate that Canadian National Parks allows us to take dogs into their parks, but they must be leashed. I went a bit farther, the trail now leveling out into a high meadow again, and another trail leading east. I could have gone longer here, but had no idea how far I would need to go. I got close to Wilcox Peak, saw the expansive Athabasca Glacier, and turned around here.
What beautiful country. There is so much to see in this area, and here I felt pressured to pick out just one or two sites. The parking lot was still crowded with cars as I returned to the van, driving back to the Columbia Icefield Discovery Center at the park boundary. I wanted to get some history of the area.
It was early evening now and the Discovery center was closing. Here is where I could buy a ticket for the Glacier Skywalk ($25), read up on the early history, grab a bite to eat, or even get a room at the lodge. I'm sure this place is hoping wild during peak hours, with multiple floors and lots to explore.
I found the perfect car camping site, too. Just north of the visitor's center massive parking lot was a smaller lot for RVers. I pulled in here for the night among the big rigs. Cars and trucks continued to come in all night long; it's a busy place indeed and I lucked out with a free place to camp.
More later
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