We're going up there .. on THAT?

On my blog yesterday I talked about my first visit to Maligne Lake in Jasper. If you've never been, put it on your bucket list. We did a tour which took us to the Maligne Canyon and Maligne Lake in the morning and after lunch it was off to the Jasper Tramway for the afternoon atop Whistler's Mountain. I have to admit, I was a little nervous as I'm not great with heights but once we took off and climbed higher and higher, my fear was replaced with being in awe over the views. In order to really appreciate the beauty of the Canadian Rockies, I highly recommend a ride on the Jasper Tramway. It takes only about seven minutes to get to whisk you up to 2277 metres above Sea level! It's Canada's longest and highest guided aerial tramway tour which overlooks six mountain ranges, incredible views include Mt Robson, (highest peak in the Canadian Rockies), glacier lakes, Athabasca and Miette rivers and Jasper townsite.

Once you get to the top, THE HIGH ALPINE, not only do you get to see what life is like on a mountain, but they have this cool tea house/restaurant that appears to be just hanging off the mountain top. You can also stroll the boardwalks viewing the interpretive plaques and watch for wildlife. We had a nice visit from a Hoary Marmot (famous for its whistling alert call) but you could also see White-tailed Ptarmigan, Ground Squirrels, Pikas and the occasional Bighorn Sheep. Keep in mind, it's a bit cooler at the top of the High Alpine so take a jacket.

If you want to keep going to the very top - the Summit - you can walk another kilometer or so but take good shoes as it can be slippery depending on the time of the year. Even good hikers have to stop for breath every so often, and most people only get part way before turning around. It can take an hour and a half if you take your time, but someone in fairly good shape can do it in an hour or less. Very rewarding once you get there - 360 degree views of the many nearby ranges, and of more distant ones as far away as British Columbia. I didn't try that - maybe next time.

Depending on when you go, the line-ups can be long as it is one of Jaspers most popular attractions and worth the wait.

Tomorrow, the story behind Rosemary's Rock in Jasper!

~Seanna~