Beautiful one day, freezing the next: Rocky Mountains outside the peak

I don’t know what we were thinking when we thought it’d be a good idea to go for a dip in Lac Beauvert, thawed but a few days ago. Fed by glaciers and ice-cold even at the height of summer, this picture-perfect lake fronting Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is so transparent, rocks and logs are clearly visible on its sandy bottom.

Jasper Park Lodge and its lake; cool waters with the spring melt.

You can slip into the lake – its name means “beautiful green” in French – from wooden docks dotted around the shore near the landmark lodge better known as JPL. Wearing white fluffy bathrobes and slippers, we head for the one furthest away from other guests.

A woman strolling the lakeside trail looks alarmed when she sees us dipping our bare feet into the icy water. “You’re not thinking of going in, are you?” she asks.

Unlikely, we say, explaining we headed away from prying eyes so we didn’t feel pressure to go through with something we couldn’t commit to.

The Rocky Mountains and Jasper National Park.Credit: iStock

It’s May in Alberta, Canada, but according to locals, spring has erred on the cooler side. Two short months after our visit devastating wildfires will sweep through Jasper, forcing thousands to flee and destroying approximately 350 homes and businesses. The township of Jasper in Jasper National Park, where many of its 5000 residents are reliant on tourism, officially reopened in September after experiencing the biggest wildfires in a century.

While restrictions on visiting the popular Canadian mountain town have lifted, some areas remain closed (the popular Maligne Canyon and Ice Walk for example will not reopen this season) as Jasper slowly rebuilds, welcomes travellers back and nature heals.

Our driver and guide in Jasper, Sue Podmerow from Sundog Tours, says you can easily pick a local because they carry backpacks with a jacket at the ready.

Snow still falls and lies thick on the ground in the high country while the icy surface of Alberta’s many dreamy lakes are slowly thawing.

Wake-up call: a bear in spring in Jasper.Credit: iStock

Yet here we are. Taking the hint, the woman backs away, we drop our robes and jump in. Any bears in hibernation would now be awake from our ear-splitting screams. We breaststroke out about 50 metres before hurriedly returning to shore; my skin is red and tingles with pins and needles. For good measure we jump in a second time before racing for the hotel’s hot spa, where we gaze out over the Rocky Mountains, never having felt so alive.

We’ve come to experience Jasper and Banff in spring – the lull between the ski season finishing and the summer crowds descending. While the weather is unpredictable (snow one day, sunshine the next), there are upsides to visiting in early May. Restaurants, hotels, attractions and walking trails (albeit those that are open) are uncrowded. Bears have just woken from hibernation (we hear of multiple sightings), while wildlife including elk, white tail and mule deer, bald eagles and osprey are everywhere you turn.

A majestic bighorn ram grazing against a backdrop of rugged snow dusted mountains is the sight that greets sore eyes as we arrive into Jasper after a gruelling flight and four-hour car journey.

At first a novelty, bighorn sheep, deer and elk prove as easy to spot as kangaroos in the bush back home. One night arriving back at our cabin, a security guard chases off three elk while we wake to deer grazing outside our window.

Turquoise waters of the glacier-fed Pyramid Lake.Credit: Parks Canada/Ryan Bray

Blue skies greet us on day two, ideal for taking in Jasper National Park – 11,000 square kilometres of untamed World Heritage wilderness (some areas were affected by fire, however much of Canada’s largest national park remains untouched) – from the top of Jasper SkyTram. We shuffle like penguins in snowshoes towards the summit before (facepalm moment) realising you can easily walk on the edges where the snow has melted.

Afterwards, we have lunch in the charming small mountain town of Jasper, which is bustling despite the off season. We toast our day’s adventure with a “Babe Tangerine Dream” (like a mimosa) at Jasper Brewing Company.

Another day, this time cold and overcast, we visit Pyramid Lake, where a hand-built, seven-metre cedar canoe – a nod to Indigenous canoes – awaits us on the shore. Invitingly, it’s fitted with woollen blankets and binoculars.

Canoeing on Pyramid Lake.

Our guide, Travis Anderson from Wild Current Outfitters, tells us that Pyramid Mountain, overlooking the namesake lake we’re paddling on, has always been in his life. As we gaze up at snow-capped peaks, the canoe glides effortlessly through the velvety water. “The lake’s horseshoe shape offers up different views at every turn,” Anderson says.

We paddle clockwise, hearing loons’ distinctive call and spotting horned greebs and bald eagles with two-metre wing spans. At a sandy beach, we stop for afternoon tea and Anderson invites us to inhale the scent of three different types of trees while soaking in the rare sound of silence.

Before we’re near ready, we’re farewelling Jasper for Banff – oblivious to how beautiful the 230-kilometre Icefields Parkway connecting the towns is until we’re driving it. Sue Podmerow is our driver once more on this stretch through remote, mountainous terrain. We stop by Athabasca Falls before reaching the Columbia Icefield, the largest expanse of ice south of the Arctic Circle with eight major glaciers, including the Athabasca.

Athabasca Falls on the Icefields Parkway.

It’s snowing by this point and I’m glad I’m not behind the wheel. “This is one of the most scenic mountain drives in the world,” Podmerow says craning her neck to spot wildlife for us.

Banff feels immediately more touristy than the laid-back Jasper, but the Rocky Mountains feel closer. From our room at the new Canoe Hotel and Suites, Cascade Mountain and Mount Norquay feel so close you could reach out and touch them.

The next few days are spent finding good coffee at Downtown Sally, brunching at Tooloulous, dining at Una Pizza and shopping for souvenirs along Bear Street (tip: visit Joelene’s Tea House for its famous creamed Earl Grey tea).

On the e-bikes around Banff.

On our final day we join a fat tyre e-bike tour and are surprised to find it’s just the two of us and our guide. We weave past Banff’s landmarks, along the Bow River, stopping at Bow Falls before heading to the golf course to spot wildlife.

After crossing a small wooden bridge on the Spray River Loop, we stop at a clearing and our guide Tyler pours us a cup of steaming hot chocolate. Nursing mine to warm numb hands, I take it down to the glacier fed riverbank still dotted with patches of snow.

The fast-flowing river gurgles as it heads downstream while the fairytale-like Fairmont Banff Springs is visible above the forest line, with the majestic Rocky Mountains beyond.

Here, away from everyone, I feel no need to plunge into icy water yet again. Back home, my mind often drifts back to this beautiful spot and I breathe easy once more.

Five more things to do in Jasper and Banff

Above it all on the Jasper SkyTram.

Wildlife
A Jasper Wildlife Discovery Tour offers the chance to see elk, moose, beavers, osprey and bears. It includes a visit to Medicine Lake to learn about fire ecology and see antlers up close. See sundogtours.com

Taste
Order a tasting paddle of six signature beers brewed on-site, made from premium hops, malts and pure mountain water sourced from the surrounding Rockies. Jasper Brewing Company reopens next month (March, 2025) in time for its 20th anniversary following extensive renovations after last year’s Jasper wildfires. See jasperbrewingco.ca

View
Take in epic mountain views from both the Jasper SkyTram, Canada’s longest and highest guided aerial tramway (also reopening this spring) and the Banff Gondola and boardwalk. See jasperskytram.com; banffjaspercollection.com

Lake Louise
Travel the scenic Bow Valley Parkway to the iconic Lake Louise, stopping at Morant’s Curve, a trainspotters’ dream. Stroll the jewel-coloured lake’s shoreline and see the famous Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Hotel up close. See banfftours.com

Dine
Housed in the historic Mount Royal Hotel in downtown Banff, Brazen’s menu delivers a contemporary take on classic cocktails and seasonally inspired Canadian fare. Don’t miss the dessert in an ashtray. See banffjaspercollection.com/dining/brazen

The details

Stay
Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is set on 283 hectares within Jasper National Park. Opened in 1922, the resort has hosted stars and royalty and is currently undergoing property enhancements, starting with its lakefront suites and estate cabins. From $C510 ($572) a night in the low season. See fairmont.com/jasper
In Banff, the new Hotel Canoe and Suites’ 192 spacious rooms offer a contemporary stay with an outdoorsy edge. From $C290 ($324) a night (low season). See hotelcanoeandsuites.com

Transfer
Sundog Tours offers daily, scheduled shuttle services and private transfers between Edmonton and Calgary airports, Jasper, Banff and Lake Louise from $C99 ($110) one way plus taxes. See sundogtours.com

Tour
Spot wildlife as you paddle Pyramid Lake, hemmed by towering peaks on a private canoe adventure with Wild Current Outfitters. From $147 ($164). Afterwards, dine lakeside at the Nordic inspired Aalto. See wildcurrentoutfitters.ca; banffjaspercollection.com
Soak up the astonishing beauty of Banff National Park on an e-fat bike tour with Radventures. From $141 ($157). See radventurescanada.com

Fly
Air Canada offers direct flights between Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne to Vancouver with connections to Edmonton (the closest hub to Jasper) and Calgary (closest to Banff). See aircanada.com

Note
For a detailed list of areas and businesses that have reopened following the Jasper wildfire see jasper.travel/wild-fire

To check what areas of Jasper National Park remain open see parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/visit/ouvert-fermee-open-closed

More
jasper.travel
banfflakelouise.com

The writer travelled to Jasper and Banff as a guest Jasper Tourism, Banff and Lake Louise Tourism and with the assistance of Destination Canada.