Jasper National Park is part of the Canadian Rockies in Alberta. My husband and I went there to celebrate my birthday. We drove all the way from Edmonton but it was a nice drive. There are roadside rest areas inside Jasper with spectacular views that we couldn’t afford not to stop and be enthralled, even if we did not intend to rest. There were times when we just did not stop for the views but upon the sight of wild animals grazing near the road.
We stayed in Becker’s Chalets for two days. The good thing about it, is that you can cook your own food because the chalet has a well-equipped kitchen and dining room. The chalet could accommodate a family with three children so it was quite comfortable for just the two of us. We brought two Coleman coolers with us, one for the drinks and the other for the food. I mostly cooked our meals so we really felt very much at home there.

Becker’s Chalets – Our Home in Jasper
During our first day, we went to Medicine Lake. The lake was almost completely dried up during that time because it was almost winter. Next stop was Maligne River. We took a cruise by the river going to Spirit Island. Along the way, we saw two bald eagles. The view of the spirit island is one of the best you can have in Jasper. Then off we went to Malign Canyon then Athabasca falls and Athabasca river. There was a part of the river that’s so noisy then a few steps ahead, the river starts to calm down.

Medicine Lake – Fall 2008

Lake Maligne

Spirit Island

Athabasca Falls
On our second day, we took the Jasper Tramway and got to the top of Whistler Mountain which is 7,452 feet above sea level. There we had a stunning panoramic view of Jasper. From there, we proceeded to Columbia Ice fields. Sadly, the Ice Explorer bus was not available to take us to ice fields so we just managed to walk up to the mountain until we could see some glaciers.

Jasper Tramway

Looking down from Jasper Tramway

view from the top of Whistler Mountain
When we went back to our chalet, we were exhausted yet more than contented. We could not get enough of what we just experienced during the past two days. We decided we were going to plan another trip to Jasper in the near future.

Castle Mountain

Columbia Icefield

cracked glacier