There are over 1,700 lakes in Jasper National Park! Most of them are hidden in the mountains, but the largest and most beautiful can be reached directly by car. Maligne Lake is the largest natural lake in the Canadian Rockies. Its length is 22 kilometers. Located 45 minutes from the city of Jasper.
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| Maligne Lake Jasper National Park |
It is famous for its small picturesque island - Spirit Island, which has appeared in advertisements of large companies many times. You can take a guided 90-minute cruise to the island, or sail by kayak with an overnight stay at the campsite.
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| Maligne Lake Jasper National Park |
By the way, we didn't get on the cruise even with tickets. We drove from the city of Valemount, forgot about a different time zone and were an hour late! I was almost upset when two moose came out to the lake at once to drink some water. Company Pursuit, where armored boat, no problem changed a missed flight to Jasper Lake in Banff.
Very close to the town of Jasper is Maligne Lake Road. It is a forty-five kilometer highway that leads to the famous Maligne Lake. But the road has many more attractions: Maligne Canyon, Medicine Lake and the possibility of seeing the large mammals of Canada.
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| Maligne Lake Jasper National Park |
A few kilometers after the start of the road, there is the Maligne Canyon parking lot. However, we decided to pass by. We prefer to go to Maligne Lake first, where we want to hike, and stop at the canyon in the afternoon.
On the way to Maligne Lake, the road runs alongside Medicine Lake. It is a 7 km long lake famous for the great variation in the level of its waters that occurs during the year. During the autumn it is usually almost dry, while in the spring it fills up again thanks to the meltwater carried by the Maligne River. This phenomenon is due to the network of caves and underground channels that drain the lake (as if it were a bathtub in which the plug has been removed), and that re-emerge as a river sixteen kilometers later. The cave and groundwater system beneath the lake is believed to be the largest and most inaccessible in the world.