One of my all-time favorite places to visit is the Canadian province of Alberta, including its two spectacular National Parks, Banff and Jasper. Coming from the north, Jasper is the first town we came to after leaving British Columbia. Jasper was founded in 1813 and made a National Park in 1930, yet wasn't incorporated until 1995. Even now, it has a population of less than 5000 permanent residents. but entertains some 2.5 million visitors each year.
Surrounded by several mountain ranges, and with four rivers joining forces within its boundaries, Jasper has stunning scenery. Wildlife is definitely attracted to the area, so visitors almost always see bear, elk and bighorn sheep, sometimes moose. Summer visitors hike, bike, swim, kayak, raft, etc, etc. In the winter, people come to ski, ice skate or walk in deep canyons where a raging river has frozen.
Unfortunately, this particular visit was marred somewhat by smoke from nearby forest fires. I'm thankful to have been there several times when that wasn't an issue. Some of the photos below show the effects of the smoke, others were taken when the skies were clear.
The Maligne River has carved an enormous canyon through solid rock. The canyon gets deeper and deeper.
Wildlife is plentiful and can be seen on any of the local streets.
Nearby mountains attract rock climbers, hikers and folks who want to observe a glacier up close.
Athabasca Falls is simply magnificent, but is only one of several great waterfalls.
Many visitors come by train which offers numerous stops as it travels across Canada.
Lake Maligne is home to Spirit Island, a spiritual place for one of several local native tribes.
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