Places We Go

Real People Real Travel

  • Destinations
    • Africa
    • Arctic
    • Asia
    • Australia
      • New South Wales
      • Queensland
      • Northern Territory
      • ACT
      • Tasmania
        • Spirit of Tasmania
        • Tasmania’s Western Wilds
      • South Australia
      • Victoria
      • Western Australia
    • Europe
      • Scotland and the Highlands
    • Latin America
    • North America
    • New Zealand
    • Middle East
    • Oceania
    • Antarctica
  • Travel
    • Travel Styles
      • Camping & Caravanning
      • Driving Adventures
      • Family Travel
      • Long Weekends
      • Touring & Cruising
      • Backpacking
      • Luxury
    • Activities
      • Adventure
      • Food & Drink
      • Outback
      • Historic sites and landmarks
      • Walks & Hikes
      • Events & Festivals
      • Wildlife & Nature
      • Island Hopping
      • Snow & Skiing
      • Photography
    • Planning
      • Travel with Kids
      • Packing
      • Travel Tips
      • Accommodation
      • Booking
      • Gear
      • Tech
      • Transport
      • Health
  • PWG TV
    • Episodes & Video
    • PWG Behind the Scenes
    • Recipes
      • Camping & Caravanning
      • Australian Inspiration
      • Global Tastes
    • Interview series
    • People We Meet
  • The Australian Bucket List
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Contact Us

Rocky Mountain High – The Road to Jasper

Emma De Fry | October 26, 2012 | 12:51 pm | Comment

Dove Lake, Rocky Mountains, Canada
Beautiful coffee stop to Jasper, Dove Lake

Leaving the alpine village of Sun Peaks, British Columbia, Canada, our APT tour director Russ immediately spots a bear cub on the side of the road. It scurries into the trees and we are all elated at how well the day is starting off.

Driving to Jasper and the Canadian Rocky Mountains

We are travelling along the Yellowhead Highway today on our way to Jasper, Alberta. Not only are we heading into a new Canadian province; we are also about to get our first taste of the famous Rocky Mountains. Stretching more than 3,000 miles from northern B.C. all the way down to New Mexico in the USA, the ‘Rockies’ are world famous for their dramatic valleys, peaks and glaciers. Here, the Rocky Mountains are protected by national parks and afford visitors some of the most incredible natural adventures to be found, such as skiing, hiking, mountaineering and mountain biking. They are also home to the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains and in all Canada, Mt Robson at 3,954 metres.

We are told that Mt Robson can be hard to spot. Difficult to believe when it is almost 4,000 metres high. However it is often shrouded in cloud and fog so as we have been approaching the lookout spot, increasingly aware of the mountain peaks that are beginning to surround us, we are anxiously craning our necks to see if she is visible.

Mount Robson, Rocky Mountains, Canada
Mt Robson, the highest peak in the Rockies

Luckily for us, it is a beautiful day and there she is, in all her glory. Completely free of cloud and framed by a blue sky and the spectacular autumn colours of the forests, Mt Robson is a sight to behold. Getting out for a better look, we are entertained by Russ and his harmonica, the perfect background music to this wild and beautiful setting and welcome to the Rocky Mountains!

Back on the road, the peaks are all around us now. Snow capped and sculpted by water and glaciers, they sit proudly on either side of the highway with spectacular rivers and lakes at their feet. Every corner you turn is another postcard view and we are continuously asking our cameraman Gary to film yet another shot.

Jasper National Park, Rocky Mountains, Canada
Entering Jasper National Park!

Arriving into Jasper, we are enchanted by this small and friendly town. Quaint and perfectly designed to sit harmoniously in its natural landscape, Jasper is full of timber and stone buildings, parks, historical monuments and views of the surrounding landscapes everywhere you look. It is also a busy little town, with locals and visitors all enjoying the sunny day, cafés and shops.

People come here for a relaxed Rocky Mountains experience, a touch of discovery, and a lot of adventure! Just another one to be had around these parts is jumping in the sidecar of a Harley Davidson! We meet Ted, who is going to be taking Clint for a spin, and it is immediately obvious how friendly the locals are.

Places We Go in the Rocky Mountains, Canada
Clint and Ted

Donning his motorcycle leathers and jumping into the sidecar, Clint and Ted take off with the loud roar only a Harley is capable of. After a quick zip around town, they take the road out towards the Rocky Mountains and are soon winding their way up into Jasper National Park. Whizzing past road signs warning of bears and elk, it is clear this is an adrenalin rush – Clint is letting out whoops of delights as the motorbike guns its way up the foothills of the surrounding mountains. The trees on either side of us are in full autumn glory, and, around another bend, Medicine Lake comes into view. And what a view it is! It is definitely worthy of a stop and, getting out, we learn that this might look like a normal mountain lake, but, in fact, isn’t.

Spectacular Medicine Lake, Rocky Mountains, Canada
Spectacular Medicine Lake

The beautiful blue lake, surrounded by mountains, is a glacial fed lake – filled each year with the waters melting off the nearby glaciers. In autumn and winter, though, the water disappears. But unlike other lakes, where there is a drainage channel, there is none here. The water actually drains through sinkholes in the bottom of the lake – like the plughole of a giant bath. It then streams through a cave system, surfacing again in Maligne Canyon 16 kilometres downstream. This is unique and makes it one of the largest sinking rivers in the Western Hemisphere.

Taking the Harleys around the lake, we see more of this spectacular sight and also stop to get to know Ted a little better. Ted has been living in these parts for many years and loves the community, safety and the privilege of having landscapes like this in his backyard. It really is a natural wonderland, and if further proof was needed, Ted drops Clint off at The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, home for the night and in a unique natural paradise of its own.

Lake at Jasper Park Lodge, Rocky Mountains, Canada
Cabins on the lake at Jasper Park Lodge

The lodge is set in acres of natural wilderness and is completely in synergy with its surroundings. Luxury log cabins surround one edge of a lake, and Canada’s #1 golf course sits along another. The luxury inside is magnificent and faithful to a true wilderness lodge experience. And after a relaxing beer by the lake, watching the sun set on the national park around us, you can’t help but thank your lucky stars you got to experience this.

About Emma De Fry

Emma has been exploring the ends of the earth since she was a teenager, notching up adventures in more than 60 countries and living in 5. Now, with a 5-year-old daughter and baby son, Emma is passionate about family adventures. As producer of Places We Go, Emma helps dream up where we go next, and loves to share our adventures through our stories.

You’ve come this far

(you must have liked what you’ve seen?)

Subscribe to receive regular email updates with competitions and news.

LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Watch Us NEW EPISODE ONLINE NOW

Join our tribe

Subscribe to receive regular email updates with competitions and news.

RECENT AND POPULAR POSTS

Our Armidale Adventure

outback towns

Places We Go, People We Meet – Gary Weir

An Arctic Adventure Diary – Part 2

arctic adventure

An Arctic Adventure Diary – Part 1

scotland by rail

Why you should see Scotland by rail

Quick Links

  • Video
  • Driving Adventures
  • Competitions
  • Travel With Kids
  • About Us
  • Australian Travel
  • Contact Us
  • Food and Drink
  •  
  • Luxury Travel
  •  
  • Caravanning & Camping
  •  
I was lucky enough explore regional Victoria earli I was lucky enough explore regional Victoria earlier in the year (between lockdowns!), and tour the Goldfields with @big4holidayparks – Sure, I got my much-needed fix of the outdoors and was able to feed my insatiable curiosity as I explored the regions utterly fascinating history & culture, but it was sitting up at the old bar of family run Munari wines, just outside of Heathcote that got me.
.
 Chatting to the chief winemaker Adrian Munari, and his daughter India (over a lovely red, of course) I heard all about the historic sheep station that was established in 1871, and life on the property today. (I wonder how the farmers endured the pandemic in 1919?)  
 .
Here’s to a happy summer holiday for us all, of enjoying those ‘moments’, wherever we are. 
.
 I based myself at the @BIG4BendigoAscotHolidayPark 
.
 See link in bio if want to plan your own getaway 😍
 .
#holidayhearthisyear #ExploreBIG4 #BIG4HolidayParks #VisitVictoria @visitmelbourne
WHO WANTS TO **WIN** A LUXURIOUS 2-NIGHT GETAWAY? WHO WANTS TO **WIN** A LUXURIOUS 2-NIGHT GETAWAY?
.
How would you (and a friend!) like to escape to NSW’s New England Tablelands on a 2-night LUXURIOUS getaway, experiencing the best of Armidale’s premium accom, stunning food, wine & beer, an immersion in the local arts AND a World-Heritage Listed backyard to cap it off? 
.
Your weekend will include: 
.
- 2 night premium suite package at the historic Tattersalls Hotel (including food & drink from their award-winning restaurant & breakfast included) 
.
- A special "Private Directors Tour" at the New England Regional Art Museum of HINTON: Treasures of Australian Art, plus some goodies to take home! 
.
- Grabbing a beer at Great Hops Brewing Company PLUS some special gifts delivered to your home
. 
- A special Hema Australian Atlas & Guide plus a NSW State Map 
.
Take it from me, this is worth entering, and if you do in fact WIN, set your alarm and get up for sunrise in the New England National Park, followed by a trip to Wollomombi Falls (the second highest falls in the county!) - it was sincerely exceptional.
.
Oh and say hello to John at the Tattersalls Hotel, Rachael from the Art Gallery, and Sam from Great Hops Brewery. 
.
 **TAG A FRIEND YOU'D  LOVE TO TAKE, and increase your chances of winning by both entering.. I know I would 😉❤
.
 **LINK IN BIO **
Good luck, 
Jen xx
WE HAVE LIFT OFF!!! ON TV TODAY 😎🕺 . Would WE HAVE LIFT OFF!!! ON TV TODAY 😎🕺
 .
Would love you to join me as we celebrate the locals of #armidale on TV today
.
Tune in (or set your record buttons) @ 1.30pm, ON TEN **TODAY**
.
A special thanks to all those that not only shared their magnificent backyard with us, but who opened their hearts and let our TV cameras in.
.
Armidale, you can no longer use the term “hidden treasure” 😉
 . 
Ps did I say “today” enough times? 😆🤪🙏 Jen xx
ARMIDALE IN THE SPOTLIGHT Ready for another cele ARMIDALE IN THE SPOTLIGHT
 
Ready for another celebration of a brilliant person and travel experience for us all?
.
Meet James Rainger from @fleetadventures 
.
He not only spends his life taking us travellers on scenic chopper tours over his World-Heritage Listed backyard of the #newengland region – he’s one of the many brilliant pilots who you’ll find hovering above the blazing heat helping fight our Australian Bushfires.
.
When I shared my nerves about flying, he settled me with in seconds. Super grounded, in safe hands kind-a-feeling, with the biggest sparkle in his eye.
.
“To be part of the firefighting team is being in the #armidale  community - we all live here, our kids go to school here, so we love it. Armidale is a community where we all band together, we’re very passionate about our backyard, and we hope it shows.. and we certainly hope people come and see what it’s like. We’ve got a unique view of part of the world that not many people get to see. And there are not hordes of people here, so it’s very personal, we like to bring people into our world and our life – and share it – thank you for taking the time to come and visit us… “
.
As for the flight? Put it on your @theaustralianbucketlist
 .
Jen xx

Social

© 2023 · Places We Go. All rights reserved. | Privacy | Terms & Conditions

Copyright © 2023 · Places We Go on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in