2013-27 Jasper National Park, Canada
Hello All,
Our next adventure in Jasper National Park took us to Athabasca Falls on the Athabasca River. It is a powerful waterfall, not known so much for the height of the falls, as it is known for its force due to the large volume of water falling into the gorge below it. The roar it made was awesome and made for some great video!
Our next adventure in Jasper National Park took us to Athabasca Falls on the Athabasca River. It is a powerful waterfall, not known so much for the height of the falls, as it is known for its force due to the large volume of water falling into the gorge below it. The roar it made was awesome and made for some great video!
Here are a couple of shots of
the gorge below the falls.
It is spectacular--a spot you
don’t want to miss when visiting Jasper National Park.
You can come across wild
animals just about anywhere in the park. They are always fun to observe.
No trip to Jasper would be
complete without a side trip to Maligne Lake. This 29-mile road follows the
Maligne River to beautiful Maligne Lake, where it comes to an end. It traces a
glacial valley that separates the rugged Maligne and Queen Elizabeth Mountain
Ranges. The 58-mile round trip is a very popular ride for biking enthusiasts.
You can spend an entire day enjoying the beauty and the most unusual geological sites along the route. We will try to break them down for you starting with the Maligne River. This medium-sized river is a major tributary of the Athabasca River. Here are a couple of photos of scenic Maligne River.
You can spend an entire day enjoying the beauty and the most unusual geological sites along the route. We will try to break them down for you starting with the Maligne River. This medium-sized river is a major tributary of the Athabasca River. Here are a couple of photos of scenic Maligne River.
The name Maligne comes from
the French word for malignant or wicked. It is theorized that an early French
voyageur created this name in reference to the current of the river near its
confluence with the Athabasca River. You will see later in this piece that the
river has many other quirks making the name fitting.
However, this is the river as
it starts into Maligne Canyon Gorge.
In the greater Pacific Northwest,
Maligne Canyon is known as different and odd geologically, but is common within
the northern Rocky Mountains. The canyon demonstrates the characteristic of
Karst topography which is common in this region. Limestone is one of the most
dominant minerals within the canyon. The relative soft rock of the canyon has been
deteriorating from churning and swirling water. The effect has made the width
of the canyon at some points as little as 6½ feet and a depth of 160 feet.
The park has established paved
walking trails along both sides and five bridges across the canyon. It is well
worth the time to explore. With the bridges you can make loops based on your
individual desires. However, stay on the trails and behind the fence barriers.
Many photographers have died trying to find a better vantage point beyond the
fences.
At some vantage points you can look down into the canyon and see waterfalls that drop into a pool.
At some vantage points you can look down into the canyon and see waterfalls that drop into a pool.
And, then there’s another
waterfall dropping from that pool!
And it just keeps going down,
down, down from there!
Departing Maligne Canyon the
road next passes by Medicine Lake. Above Medicine Lake the Maligne River flows
as a full size river, but very quickly disappears into seeps in the ground and
completely vanishes from the surface not far from the lake for most of the
year. The smaller streams that feed the valley below the lake rebuild the river
by the time it reaches Maligne Canyon. However, the majority of the water that
disappears into the ground above the lake doesn’t rejoin the Maligne River
until more than 11 miles downstream. It passes underneath Maligne Canyon in a
series of underground caves.
Medicine Lake is known as the
“disappearing lake.” Much of the drainage from the surrounding mountains leaves
this valley through a hidden drainage network. Medicine Lake dramatically
illustrates the effectiveness of this underground drainage system, and gains
its name from its curious habit of vanishing every autumn. It acts like a large
bathtub with the plug pulled. If you add water fast enough, the tub will fill
with water despite the water running down the drain.
Medicine Lake drains upwards of 4,000 gallons of water every second. During the runoff of summer, enough water is flowing into the lake from local streams to surpass this drainage. Before long, the lake bed begins to fill, and by late spring, Medicine Lake is in its full glory. By September, when these photos were taken, the runoff has dropped off and the lake rapidly drains. By later in autumn, the entire lake bed will be exposed. It is the longest underground drainage system known in Canada.
Medicine Lake drains upwards of 4,000 gallons of water every second. During the runoff of summer, enough water is flowing into the lake from local streams to surpass this drainage. Before long, the lake bed begins to fill, and by late spring, Medicine Lake is in its full glory. By September, when these photos were taken, the runoff has dropped off and the lake rapidly drains. By later in autumn, the entire lake bed will be exposed. It is the longest underground drainage system known in Canada.
In this photo you can see that
there is no stream flowing out of the downstream end of lake.
Arriving at the end of the
road you come to beautiful Maligne Lake. This jewel in the Canadian Rockies is
about 14 miles long and reaches a depth of 318 feet. It is known for its beautiful
blue water. At the lake there is a campground and tour boat rides are available
during the summer season. Skyline Trail, Jasper’s most popular, highest, above
tree-line, multi-day trail begins here and ends near the town of Jasper some 27
miles later.
This is a photo of Maligne Lake where the Maligne River flows out of it. A few miles downstream the river disappears into the ground.
This is a photo of Maligne Lake where the Maligne River flows out of it. A few miles downstream the river disappears into the ground.
It is a lake with scenic
beauty second to none.
This is a tour boat returning from
a cruise on the lake.
On the drive back when we
arrived at Medicine Lake, there was a group of about 25 bighorn sheep waiting
to greet us. Consisting of ewes and lambs, they had just about taken over a
wayside beside the lake.
This lamb was in the middle of
the road resting while mom stood nearby in hopes of protecting him from traffic.
We spent about a half hour with
other onlookers filming them before we moved on. It was a nice way to finish
our day.
In our next little blurb we
will concentrate on the sites around the town of Jasper and then move on into
the province of British Columbia. Hope you can tag along with us.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns