MMW Orlando Adventure: Day 6 Jasper

We woke between half 6 and 7 this morning and after taking out time over a cup of tea we got our selves sorted and headed out into the cold damp morning to find breakfast. It was cold enough for our breath to show in the air at just a couple of degrees! We settled on Smithys cafe on the main road through Jasper town. Keith ordered an omelette breakfast with hash browns and pancakes while I had cinnamon pancakes.

Over breakfast we chatted about what to try and do today given the forecast was for possible rain all day. We decided to start with Valley of the 5 Lakes just a few km away. On the drive it became apparent that snow had fallen to a lower level of the mountains last night with a faint line visible much lower than the main snow from winter (the grey bit in the photo).

We parked up and put on our hiking boots, and warm waterproof jackets and headed off. We had decided to do the moderate 4.5km hike which would allow us to see all five lakes without circling the larger 1st and 5th lakes. We decided to go anticlock wise as Keith had read it was less of a steep climb and more gradual that way. There was a lot of elevation changes and it too a while before we reached the first lake but it was certainly worth it. The green colours of the lake were amazing, the rain had stopped and the sun came out and our warm winter coats were no longer needed really. We walked a little way round the first lake before heading off towards the 2nd.

This was not much more than a puddle, not sure why but we carried on and were rewarded with spectacular views of lakes 3, 4 and 5. With the sun out and the clouds lifting, the mountains in the background gave a stunning backdrop to these amazing coloured lakes. We also saw chipmunks and squirrels. This was quite a strenuous hike but was most certainly worth it and a highlight so far. We passed quite a few other walkers but it still felt quiet and very special.

We eventually trudged back to the car, our ankles and thighs aching. We perched in the boot of the car and ate an apple fritter we'd purchased yesterday. With the weather still on our side we decided to have a look at the Jasper Sky Train for a trip to the top of Whistler's Mountain. On the way we saw a group of female and young elk on the side of the road.

We parked up and went to the ticket book. Our tickets were issued for the next ride in about 10 mins. This is a guided tram rather than a gondola with two trains, one on each side of the station. The base station is just above 4000 feet and the journey to the top lasts around 7-8 minutes.

Not my photo!

The views going up were awesome and the guide in the carriage gave us a running commentary on the mountains ranges and specific mountains we could see with the town of Jasper in the middle. Once at the top we emerged to a snowy scene and had a wander around the very short boardwalk area. To be honest we were a little disappointed that there wasn't more planned walk ways, they were also quick to tell you if you went off their boardwalk you were no longer their responsibility if you hurt yourself! There were plenty of others continuing the snowy climb up to the summit but we decided against it. Instead we headed into the restaurant to have a hot chocolate sitting at one of the windows looking down in the lakes, trees and never-ending trains coming in and out of Jasper.

There were dark clouds approaching and as we booked in for our return trip down the mountain we were told there was a delay due to wind. No one seemed to concerned but the weather closed right it, totally whiting out any few off the platform where the building was, no trees, mountains or anything was visible and then it started to snow! From where I was stood I could see one of the operators reading a handbook about such delays, that started with help for 30 and 60 mins outages. I did have quite a start and a laugh when I caught the next instruction about not talking to guests about overnight stays, as it hadn't happened before! Other instructions were to strongly discourage visitors from attempting the path down the mountain (we were 7425ft above sea level) and for staff to keep calm and in control while understanding scared guests might get angry!! Starting to fear the worst it was a relief when just 30 mins later they announced they were restarting and our group was loaded into the first tram. It did feel like we were guinea pigs but I guess they knew what they're doing. After a couple of mins we set off with our guide saying she would normally point out interesting things out the window but it was still a complete white out! As we descended the clouds lifted a little although it snowed nearly all the way down to the base station. The trip down was smooth although the carriage full of people were peculiarly quiet. It was quite a relief to see the car park come in to view and it was certainly an experience to remember. The weather at the base station was damp with light rain!

We headed back to the apartment and had a rest before dinner. I have also managed to book the Maligne Lake cruise for 2.30 tomorrow.

We walked into town for dinner at Earls. We started with salt and pepper wings to share. Keith then had truffled parmesan chicken with risotto, I had cajun chicken and bbq ribs with warm potato salad and slaw. All really love.