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OF ICE & SNOW

Winter road trip to Jasper National Park

By Where We Wander

One of the world's best road trips takes on a whole new dimension in the middle of winter when the world is white, the roads are slippery and bathroom breaks are extra refreshing. Consistently ranked as one of top 10 drives in the world, Columbia Icefields Parkway connects two of Canada's most iconic national parks — Banff and Jasper — and is certainly best done in the summer, but for one thing: in the winter it leads straight to the frozen wonderland of Maligne Canyon. A park pass is a must to explore and can be purchased online, or right at the entry booth.

Maligne Canyon is the deepest canyon in the Rocky Mountains that is easily accessible to an average hiker, especially in the winter. When the river that flows through the canyon becomes fully frozen, its very bottom turns into a wonderland of narrow tunnels, frozen waterfalls and ice caverns. There are several canyon tours out of Jasper, but unless you intend to climb up a frozen waterfall, it is nothing that can't be done independently with a pair of clip-on ice cleats. They attach to any winter boots to help explore icy areas safely and are a must when hiking in the winter.

As a kid I always thought it would be really fun to both skate on a frozen mountain lake and to dash across it in a horse-drawn sleigh. Sadly, my skating ability seems to have evaporated by the time I came to live anywhere near mountains, but it was fun to watch others glide with ease on Pyramid Lake. And we got to enjoy the view from that sleigh after all — Jasper Riding Stables offer 40-minute rides on the frozen Pyramid Lake that come with a blanket and jingle bells merriment along the way.

One of the best stops on the Jasper circuit of natural wonders are Athabasca Falls. They have a thundering presence in the summer, as the melted glacier waters form the longest river in Alberta that carves intricate shapes in the limestone rock and cascades into a canyon. In the winter, all that power is tamed by a thick layer of ice and the thundering rush of water is replaced with absolute silence. Unlike frozen waterfalls inside Maligne Canyon, Athabasca Falls cannot be climbed and there is no trail access to the canyon. There are however plenty of great views from this easy trail at the top of the falls.

On our way back to Calgary, the grandeur of Columbia Icefield and Athabasca Glacier was in full effect against the backdrop of the bright, blue skies. The largest frozen mass of ice south of the Arctic Circle practically swallows the small highway and it is impossible to drive by without stopping to admire the incredible force of nature that provides fresh water supply for a good chunk of the northern hemisphere. While the glaciers do look more majestic during winter time, it isn't possible to tour, hike or otherwise explore until late spring or early summer, depending on weather conditions.

Our last stop was at Abraham Lake to see the peculiar bubbles that appear inside its icy cover during the winter months — apparently a bit of a rare phenomenon that even made its way into the Smithsonian magazine. Seeing this guide ahead of time would have saved us a trip, because as it turned out we came too late in the season when the quality of ice had already deteriorated due to melting, re-freezing and cracking. Whatever bubbles we did spot were not very impressive at all, but that didn't stop us from enjoying a sunny day in the middle of a frozen lake surrounded by mountains.