Continued from My Canadian Rockies Trip, Part 5: Lakes Louise, Moraine and Peyto.

After yesterday’s visit to three scenic lakes, we headed out today to see yet another—the stunning Maligne Lake. Spirit Island in Maligne Lake is perhaps one of the most iconic and photographed spots in Jasper National Park, seen in advertisements by Apple and Kodak showcasing the enhanced photo-capabilities of their iPads and films. A must-see place and I was looking forward to it.

The route to Maligne Lake took us through almost unspoiled wilderness teeming with wildlife. We saw numerous elk and wild mountain goats grazing by the roadside.

We saw marmots, bald eagles nesting in trees and a few bears both near and far. One black bear was trundling along the roadside when it suddenly decided to cross the road just in front of our bus. Naturally, our driver hit the brakes and we had a close-up view as it ambled across the road. It did not deign to even look at us. The bear knew this was his territory and that we humans were the interlopers. Fair point. I got busy with my camera.

I thought about mentally rearranging the perennial question, “Why did the chicken cross the road?” to “Why did the bear cross….” But I got absorbed in the scenery on either side.

Soon we arrived at Maligne Lake, took a short break and headed for our cruise boat that would take us across the blue waters to Spirit Island.

Maligne Lake, fed by water from melting glaciers has a range of colors from azure to emerald green depending on the “rock flour” content—rocks finely ground by glaciers deposited along with the melt-water. It was truly amazing to watch the colors change as our boat whizzed across the lake. The brilliant blue color reminded me of Listerine I use back home. Maybe the company got the idea from Maligne Lake. Who knows.

I stood on the aft deck of the boat with my camera taking it all in. Soon we arrived at Spirit Island.

Spirit Island, located in a box canyon, is not a true island since it is connected to the bank via a narrow spit of land shown in the picture above. No doubt there are times this narrow strip gets submerged making it a proper island. The island is revered by the Stoney Lakhoda First Nation as a sacred place, inhabited by the spirits of their ancestors (hence, Spirit Island), and is one of the most photographed spots in Jasper National Park.

Particularly striking is the jagged, snow covered peaks edging the box canyon. The artist and explorer Mary Schaffer, the first European to visit Maligne Lake, named that spot “Hall of the Gods”. Her rationale: if there were a Hall of the Gods, it would look like that with each Deity sitting on a peak as their throne. It is an awe-inspiring scene. We saw it under cloudy skies which gave it an otherworldly appearance.

Next, we headed for Maligne Canyon with its famous waterfall. We saw the waterfall thundering through a slot canyon as we hiked along the well-defined paths and bridges spanning narrow gorges with the waters roaring below.

One could feel the power of rushing water which for centuries had driven mills and turbines providing the energy that girded human civilization. The air was moist from the spray sustaining the dense vegetation lining the canyon.

I saw the pink Alberta Rose, a species of wild rose (Rosa acicularis), the state flower of Alberta.

We headed back to the charming town of Jasper where we wandered through the many quaint patisseries, boulangeries, bookstores and shops selling home made ice cream. We sampled a few. Jasper had a distinct alpine feel and brought back memories of long ago when I had spent my post doctoral years in France. It was a rainy day and I soon headed back to our warm lodge while my son continued to peruse the town. He brought back a delicious tart for dessert which we greatly enjoyed after dinner.

It had been an eventful day. The next morning, we would see the Columbia Icefields, walk on the Athabasca Glacier and drink the melting glacier ice, a novel experience. I fell asleep thinking of that.

Next: Icefields Parkway and walking on the Athabasca Glacier.