Maligne Lake ... heaven in Alberta!

I was treated to a wonderful day trip on my last journey to Jasper. There are many tour companies that will take you to any of the Jasper landmarks and the guides are very knowledgable. Dieter was our tour guide from the Jasper Adventure Centre ... he took great care of us and had some very interesting stories.

Our morning started at Maligne Canyon - it's one of the most amazing canyons in the Canadian Rockies, with sheer limestone cliffs that plunge to depths of over 50 metres. You can hike across six bridges and have a picnic if you want as well. I'm told that in July and August, the parking lot is packed so arrive early. In the winter, you can take a guided Canyon Tour across the floor of the frozen canyon.

Then it was a stop at Medicine Lake which is one of the most intriguing lakes in the world. It's not actually lake, but a part of Maligne River that, after having gone underground, resurfaces. This causes the lake's water levels to change drastically over the course of the year, which led local tribes to call it Magic Lake.

Then it was off to Maligne Lake - the second largest glacier-fed lake in the world at 22 km. The color of the lake is what you'd see in the Caribbean - every shade of blue you can imagine. You know, that turquoise color that you'd never think you could witness in Alberta. It was breath taking. We took this fabulous 90 minute scenic boat cruise where you get to see beauty at it's best. The cruise has been crowned as the "BEST BOAT TOUR IN CANADA" by 8 million Reader's Digest subscribers. It takes you to Spirit Island - you've seen the photograph a million times and probably didn't even know it was in Jasper and so close to home. It's a site you'll never forget. You can't walk on Spirit Island but you do get off the boat to take photos. Our Captain was Jesse and Trish did a fabulous narrating the details about Maligne Lake as we cruised along. We stayed for lunch and took in the remarkable view. This is a MUST attraction to visit on your next trip to Jasper.

Tomorrow, the afternoon tour! Let me just say ... it was one of the "highs" of the day.

~Seanna~