We are saddened by all going on in our home city of L.A. right now, but in keeping with our ABOUT US section, we have no ads or politics in our blog–just our travels…So,…here we go.
In June 2024 we had an amazing week at Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada, viewing grizzly and black bears, elk, bighorn sheep, and bald eagles, and doing gorgeous hikes at Maligne Canyon and the Valley of the 5 Lakes with friends Jacky and Howard. Just a few weeks after we left, there was a massive wildfire throughout the national park and the town of Jasper. Exactly one year after our 2024 trip, we returned to Jasper. The devastation has been overwhelming, and yet the wildlife and beauty are still there!
The drive into Jasper from the Icefields Parkway gave us our first views of the wildfire damage. Even Whistlers Campground where we had reservations sustained pretty massive fire damage. But the elk were still visiting the campground, as they did last year.
When we connected with Howard and Jacky (from Calgary), we joined them in exploring the park to find whatever wildlife chose to be visible along the roads. The first part of our week gave us views of a bald eagle, elk, both male and female, a single black bear, a male bighorn sheep, and some very cute shots of a black bear mama and her two cubs.
Now that we have e-bikes, we had to take them out for a spin in Jasper National Park. This gave us some different views because there are a fair number of roads that are closed to cars but accessible to bikes. Riding along the Athabasca River and Lake Beauvert (near the Jasper Park Lodge) were gorgeous highlights, though we were continuously reminded of the fire throughout the ride.
We finally saw grizzly bears after several days in Jasper. Notably, a mama and two cubs gave us a great show one morning fairly near our campground.
Later in the day when we went back to the same spot, we watched as a male grizzly approached the sow and cubs, and then we viewed the sow and cubs running across the road to get away from the male. What a show!
We also ventured up the Jasper SkyTram for a 360 degree view of Jasper and the surrounding mountains and valleys. Though it was sad to see how widespread the fires had been, it was also beautiful to see the Miette and Athabasca Rivers, along with Mount Robson and other beautiful peaks.
At the Upper tram station, we were greeted by a marmot, and then climbed most of the way to Whistlers Summit (named for the whistling marmots). We couldn’t go all the way to the summit because of the snow still at the peak. The hike was steep and we weren’t used to the altitude, so we were kind-of relieved that we couldn’t go all the way up (well, I was anyway😊).
Dinner with Jacky and Howard, Jacky’s aunt and her friend was a delightful time of learning family stories and Jasper stories from two “old-timers!”
Bear viewing with Howard means getting up early and on the road at 6:45 am, and were we glad we did on our penultimate morning in Jasper! We were the only ones around to watch that same grizzly sow with her two cubs cross the road back to their dandelion-filled meadow. But they hadn’t been there more than two minutes when a different male grizzly came along, and the family once again ran across the road and up a steep hill. We watched as they climbed, rested, played, and climbed again. We heard later that Parks Canada set up a bear trap to capture the sow and put a collar on her so they could track her movements more accurately. No word on whether this has been successful yet.
On the Marmot Basin road, we found our same cinnamon black bear from a few days ago, but she wasn’t alone. Two of the tiniest cubs we’ve ever seen were hiding in the bushes, but came out for a few minutes to follow mom and try eating some grass. We simply cannot get enough of watching these majestic and darling animals in action.
We celebrated our last evening in Jasper with dinner at the Jasper Brewing Company, which thankfully did not burn down (though 1/3 of the town of Jasper did burn last summer).
Next morning, we packed up the RV, headed into town for gas, and then drove back down the Icefields Parkway, as beautiful as ever. Last summer we spent several days in Banff National Park, but this time, we just drove through and enjoyed its beauty from the road.
We returned to the Peter Lougheed Provincial Park in Kananaskis Country and found our campsites at Boulton Creek Campground. After barbecuing burgers for dinner, we enjoyed a walk to Lower Kananaskis Lake, and then hopped in the truck to look for bears once again. Good news! The mama grizzly and triplets that we saw here last year were next to the road, all eating a vegetarian meal that evening! We are so happy that all three cubs survived.
Our trip to the Peter Lougheed Provincial Park was cut short because the G7 Summit was about to take place a few miles up the road, and the security was very tight. But we squeezed in two great bike rides, some bighorn sheep spotting, S’mores roasting over our propane firepit, and on our last morning, the sighting of an enormous male grizzly and a wolf (very close to the road). It was an epic way to end our short stay at Boulton Creek!
Since we had to leave Boulton Creek Campground after two nights because of the G7 Summit coming up, we moved over to Sheep River Provincial Park and Sandy McNabb Campground–still in Kananaskis Country, but not as high into the mountains.
We enjoyed two hikes along the Sheep River as we wrapped up our time in this part of the Canadian Rockies.
After our terrific experiences in Jasper and Kananaskis, we traveled to Waterton Lakes National Park and Glacier National Park (together the International Peace Park). That will be our next blog. Thanks as always for reading!
We had a great time sharing this part of your trip with you guys.
Great wildlife viewing, biking and hiking. Of course the great conversation, happy hour and meals are right up there too.
Until next time……..
Can’t wait for the next shared adventure!
I love following you. All of the pix – especially those of the bears and cubs – thrill me. Thanks for this.
The bears and cubs are my favorite too, as you can probably tell by the quantity :). Thanks for reading!
Spectacular photos…especially the last one of you and Hank at Sheep River!!!
I really liked that last shot of the two of us–our friend Howard took that as we walked along the river. Such a beautiful place. Thanks for reading, Peggy!
Amazing views of wildlife! Inspirational!
Thanks, Suz! We love seeing these amazing animals.
You catch the best photos. Keep em coming
We hope too. We’re heading out to look for bears in our new location!