Jasper National Park and Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge - July 2, 2013

Trip Index

• Canadian Rockies: Flying into flooded Calgary, Lake Louise in the rain, saloon dinner
• Sunday brunch at Banff Springs, upgrade to Fairmont Gold floor, hiking, fondue dinner
• Gold lounge breakfast, afternoon tea at Rundle Lounge, town of Banff on Canada Day
• Jasper National Park and Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge
• Hiking Cavell Meadows, Athabasca Falls, Wilcox Pass, staying at Crossing Resort
• Athabasca Glacier Ice Walk, Fairmont Lake Louise Gold, dinner at Fairview Dining Room
• Gold lounge breakfast, Lake Louise canoeing, Marcus the Dog, Tea House hike
• C-Level Cirque, Lake Moraine, Calgary Stampede, landing next to Asiana flight 214

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Kaleb and I left the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel and stopped by Nesters Market in town to pick up some food (we had found the store while walking around town yesterday).  Then it was off to Jasper via the Icefields Parkway (aka Highway 93).  The drive from Banff to the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge took about four hours.  Good thing the car came with complimentary satellite radio!  The drive was very picturesque...can't get tired of big blue skies, rocks and trees.  If you looked carefully, you could see waterfalls tucked in the mountainside.  We did not stop anywhere along the way as we were to drive back the next day and go on hikes.  The weather started to turn cloudy as we approached the lodge.

Check-in was easy and we were given real metal keys to our room.  No e-upgrade this time; I had requested an upgrade to the 1 bedroom "Athabasca Cottage" but was obviously unsuccessful.

The lodge was more rustic than the hotels we had been staying at, but relatively clean and comfortable.  The property was set up with a bunch of different cabins and cottages scattered around Lac Beauvert.  Our room was part of a larger cabin; there was an interior door that could be opened to form connecting rooms.  Our room was in the back, so no view of the lake.  The closest parking area to the cabin was a short walk away so we briefly stopped the car on the one-way lane to unload our bags, then parked.

our part of the cabin

wood-burning fireplace, but not cold enough to use

comfy bed

items in the closet

tub/shower combo

There was no air conditioning and only a couple of small windows could be opened; we felt a bit warm due to the humidity in the air, as a storm was threatening to arrive.  No doubt the room would get very hot if temperatures were higher than 75F.  There was a small fan in the closet just in case.

We got back in the car and went exploring.  Originally we were set on visiting Maligne Lake as the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide described a pretty hike, but it was an hour's drive away and the clouds were getting darker.  We decided to stay close by and went to Maligne Canyon.  It started out as a pretty hike with wildflowers abound; however, the rain started up after we crossed First Bridge.  We weren't equipped for a wet hike so we headed back to the trailhead parking lot.

Maligne River

red clover

blue-eyed grass

We drove back towards the lodge, then decided to stop by Lake Annette.  The water wasn't as blue-green due to the cloudy skies, but it was a very peaceful sight.

Back at the lodge, we walked around the property and the lake, then dropped by Cavell's Restaurant for a light dinner, which was okay.  They had a patio to take advantage of the lake view, but today wasn't a good day for al fresco dining!  I had read that the Japanese restaurant on-site (Oka Sushi) was good and called to set up reservations ahead of time, but none were available.

on Lac Beauvert

colorful Adirondack chairs outside the main lodge

a romantic dinner set up on the lake - risky business considering the weather...

variety of breads with butter and roasted pepper dip

salad with microgreens

carpaccio

vegetable risotto

sorbet trio

hot toddy

chocolates accompanied the bill

It started to pour heavily while we were having dinner; the weather cleared when we finished.

raining cats and dogs outside

a break in the weather

the aftermath - hopefully no one actually reserved this for tonight

We made it back to our cabin just before it started to pour again.

3-second Zoe video of the storm below:


After the rain had stopped, we walked around the property to enjoy the freshness.

a herd of eight deer grazed right through the lodge grounds

the sun seemed to set for hours

still not dark outside

We only had one night here at the lodge...in retrospect, I would have preferred two, as we didn't have any time to hike extensively in the area.  If the weather is good, and as the sun sets so late here, a lot of exploring could be done here in a day.

Tomorrow, we check out of the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and drive back onto the Icefields Parkway for some hiking adventures!  Hopefully it won't rain...

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