(#7) Jasper Park Lodge & Spirit Island
Turquoise lakes? Check. Epic mountain views? Check. A moment of 5-star luxury as we travel through the Canadian Rockies from Calgary to Jasper National Park? Double check! 😍
For this diary-style travelogue, we’re bringing you along as we take the dreamiest 10-day road trip through the Canadian Rockies, stopping in places like Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper National Park and driving the Icefields Parkway — twice!
Later on, we'll share detailed itinerary posts to help you plan your own Canadian Rockies Road Trip, but in the meantime, this diary-style travelogue is dedicated to sharing the fun adventures — and a few misadventures — of our own. Wondering if this bucket-list destination really lives up to the hype? Let’s go!
Table of Contents Hide
Day 8: Maligne Canyon, Spirit Island, Jasper Planetarium
We’ve only just passed through the entrance to the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge when Jonathan’s phone chimes, and he reads aloud, “Good morning, Mr. Welch, your room is now ready..."
Unbeknownst to me, Jonathan checked us into the hotel earlier that morning, and with a bit of luck, our room is ready almost 5 hours early. It’s just 11:06 am, and we’re able to check into what’s about to become our lakeside retreat for the next 24 hours in Jasper National Park.
We immediately feel more relaxed as we drive through the grounds of the resort and make our way toward the hotel lobby. I read somewhere that the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge feels akin to a luxuriously tranquil adult summer camp… with its various cabins and amenities strung together by manicured walkways throughout the resort’s 700 acres. I agree and there’s no doubt someone (ahem: me, though I suspect Jonathan, too) could get used to this level of comfort right next door to one of the most beautiful national parks in the world.
Just a small glimpse of the exterior of Jasper Park Lodge. This is a view of the “Bayview Cabins” where we stayed.
As soon as we walk into the lobby of Jasper Park Lodge, we notice it's grand in a more relaxed way than the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. The wood and stone accents on the resort’s exterior continue indoors, keeping the resort feeling cozy in a way that maintains the focus on being in nature and spending time outdoors. Jasper Park Lodge has a rustic charm rather than a regal elegance, making it feel more down-to-earth than its sister hotel on Lake Louise. (We love them both, so glad we don’t have to choose. 🤗)
But that, of course, doesn’t mean Jasper Park Lodge is lacking in amenities or luxury! There’s a casual dining room that we can see from the hotel lobby, with additional dining options tucked behind doors and beyond a set of stairs on our right. Plus, there’s a world-class golf course, wellness spa, and hiking just steps away. What we’re most excited about, however, is the pool, hot tub, and lake just outside the windows of the lobby’s far end. After an incredibly full week exploring the Canadian Rockies, we cannot wait to rest and soak up the sun!
I wish I had a better picture of the lobby, but if you can look past the coffee I picked up in town, you’ll see some of the lodge’s rustic charm in the background 😍
After checking in, we drive around the resort to our suite in the Bayview Cabins. Our room is situated at the base of Beauvert Lake and comes with a small private patio that’ll allow us to enjoy breakfast tomorrow al fresco. (If you read about our stay at Lake Louise, you know how seriously I take breakfast, ha!)
At the center of our suite is a large king bed, with a bathroom and small kitchenette on one side and a partition that leads to a living area on the other. The (almost) floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room not only let in the sun but also the gorgeous turquoise color of the lake. It’s incredible!!!
The view from our cabin. You can see a chair from our small patio at the bottom of the picture and the corner of the living room is what you’re seeing to the left.
The living room area in our suite — plus one very content dog who is also ready to enjoy 24 hours of luxury!!
Not long after we arrive, a manager surprises us when he stops by to make sure we have everything we need. He tells us our visit is coming at the perfect time as it has been so hazy the last few weeks due to wildfires that the mountains across the lake weren’t visible. We experienced a lot of haze during our drive along the Icefields Parkway to Jasper, so we’re excited about the views opening up and the weather beginning to clear.
Apparently, Lincoln has become a 5-star kind of dog, and she plops in the middle of the living room, requesting we move around her as we unload our things from the car. But as much as we’d like to join her in a moment of rest, we’re just dropping our things, quickly taking in the view, and then heading back into the park for an afternoon at Maligne Canyon and Spirit Island. Alongside the Valley of the 5 Lakes hike, these are two more of the most popular and beautiful things to do in Jasper National Park. Since we’ll be here for only one more night, we want to see as much as we can before hitting the road tomorrow.
Maligne Canyon is first on our agenda, as it’s only a short drive from Jasper Park Lodge. It’s dog-friendly, which means Lincoln begrudgingly gets up from her nap to join us for the hike around the canyon.
Located in Jasper National Park, Maligne Canyon was carved over thousands of years by the rushing waters of the Maligne River. The option to hike through the canyon is one of the reasons it's so popular; the narrow winding passages are fun to explore, with towering cliffs often on both sides of the trail.
When we arrive at Maligne Canyon, it's midday, and the area is busy. But we’re able to find a parking spot and begin our hike fairly easily. You can pick and choose your adventure here, deciding how far you’d like to go and how many of the lakes and bridges you’d like to make it to. Our recommendation, for whenever you find yourself here, is to hike clockwise out and back to visit the first through fourth bridges and skip the fifth and sixth unless you’re looking for a long, dog-friendly walk through the woods.
Knowing everything that’s waiting for us at Jasper Park Lodge, we’d have been happier to skip the fifth and sixth bridge (which, pro tip, you can actually drive to), but I’m sure Lincoln wouldn’t agree. She loved trotting through the woods in this much quieter section of Maligne Canyon.
Waterfall at Malgine Canyon
We have more than enough time at Maligne Canyon, but our walk to the additional bridges means we have to hustle to the next excursion on our agenda. We’re headed to Spirit Island, one of if not the most gorgeous and picturesque settings in all of Jasper National Park! We drop Lincoln off back at the hotel and start retracing our steps past the turnoff for Malgine Canyon until we reach a boarding area for cruises to Spirit Island.
Spirit Island is an iconic spot in Jasper. It’s generally the most well-known spot in Jasper National Park, even if you only recognize its photograph and not its location. Spirit Island is a small island located in Maligne Lake, encased on three sides by the same mountain range, the Queen Elizabeth Mountains, which form a “J” shape around the island. (Fun fact: Spirit Island is only actually an island in the spring after snowmelt and rainfall raise the water levels of Maligne Lake.)
The only way to get to Spirit Island is by boat, whether you take a short trip by cruise like we’re doing or you opt for a self-guided full-day kayak. Once at Spirit Island, there’s a very short trail to some incredible viewpoints. If you opt for the cruise, you get just a short amount of time on land, but it doesn’t take long to appreciate the beauty of this place.
Our original itinerary had us cruising to Spirit Island the day before (Thursday), but we didn’t book far enough in advance, and our desired timeslot was sold out. (We wanted to visit the hour or so before sunset, which is approximately 4:45 pm in early September because we read the lighting is best that time of day for photography.) It worked out okay, though, because today (Friday) is significantly more clear weather-wise, yay!
For our cruise to Spirit Island, we drive Maligne Road past Maligne Canyon, then Medicine Lake, until we reach a public parking lot for Malgine Lake. Maligne Road is a prime area for wildlife viewing in Jasper National Park, and the views as you approach Medicine Lake are absolutely stunning on a clear afternoon day. Medicine Lake is actually really interesting, not just for its beauty but because it’s a lake that disappears into a cave system below. The lake often appears completely dry by fall. 🤯
Driving Maligne Road with Medicine Lake to our right
Boarding our boat to Spirit Island on Maligne Lake
We arrive at the parking lot about 20 minutes before our boarding time, and to our surprise, people have arrived much earlier than that to get in line for the best seats on the boat. (Pro tip: Sit at the window on the left side of the boat going toward Spirit Island if possible. But truly, no rush to get here early. All the seats are good, and you’re here to see Spirit Island from land anyway!)
Once we’re all boarded, we enjoy a guided tour across Malgine Lake. We ride past the Maligne Mountains, which at their peak height were as tall as the modern-day Himalayas, but because their rock composition is sandstone, the mountains have been eroding over time.
The ride continues, and after about 35 minutes, we arrive at Spirit Island and follow a very short trail to two viewpoints before spending some leisure time along the shore for more photographs. Spirit Island is absolutely STUNNING, and we immediately understand why it’s one of the most recognizable locations in all of Jasper National Park. This is one place where photographs do the beauty justice, even if they can’t quite pick up on the tranquility felt in person.
According to the Banff Jasper Collection, which operates the cruise to Spirit Island, “{Spirit} island is a spiritual place for the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, who believe mountains are physical representations of their ancestors. The fact that Spirit Island is surrounded on three sides by the same mountain range is very rare and makes it particularly significant to the Stoney.”
We’re asked to respect the spiritual meaning of this island when we hop off the boat and begin the short hike to its viewpoints. The importance of this area is something you can feel right away, and even more so when standing at the shores looking out toward Spirit Island. It’s an absolutely magical view.
About an hour and a half later… after we reboard the boat, cruise back to our starting destination on Maligne Lake, and drive Maligne Road back to Jasper Park Lodge… we’re ready to relax by the pool!
Jonathan orders a mule, I order a pineapple cocktail (my only complaint of the resort… there’s no pina colada!!), and we split a burger and fries. I eat my half on a lawn chair by the pool that overlooks the lake while Jonathan takes his to the hot tub.
We’re the last standing at the pool area as the sun begins going down, and most of our fellow guests leave for dinner. We dry off in the chairs situated in the last bit of sun, feeling so relaxed that we just don’t want to leave. Being here reminds me of our honeymoon in Kauai and the resort we called home for ten days. The lodge connected to the pool area is bustling, with guests enjoying good food and even better company by the sounds coming from the dining room. We can just hear the music playing around the pool deck and notice more and more cabin lights glistening around the lake as evening sets. We could get used to this!
Burger. Fries. Pineapple cocktail. Pool. Lake. Sunshine. There has truly never been anything more me, ha!
Just a gorgeous sunset at Jasper Park Lodge!!!
The skies are clearing up for us more and more as the sun goes down, and we’re glad because we have a fun activity tonight that Jonathan has really been looking forward to. We’re visiting the Jasper Planetarium!
Jasper National Park is designated as a Dark Sky Preserve, making it a great location for stargazing and observing the night sky free from light pollution. When we booked our one-night stay at the lodge, we noticed the Jasper Planetarium offers a planetarium and telescope experience and added it to our booking.
After a quick change of clothes and bundling up in the warmest jackets we brought, we head through the lobby of the lodge and up a flight of stairs to the Jasper Planetarium. We spent about two hours learning about the skies in Jasper National Park, then trying our hand at being amateur astronomers, looking through some of the largest telescopes in the North American Rockies. It was a really cool experience that ultimately let us see Saturn and its rings, Vega, the North Star, the Big and Little Dippers, and much more of the Milky Way.
(Fun fact: About 12,000 years ago, Vega was the North Star. But Vega is actually two stars… one that appears yellow and one that appears blue, and you can see both from the telescope!)
We learned about comets and meteorites and even learned that it is possible to see the aurora (Northern Lights) this time of year, though only once about every two weeks. The best time of year to see the Northern Lights in Jasper is typically late August to late April.
After our long, amazing day in Jasper National Park, we're ready for bed. We have just two more days to make the most out of our roadtrip through the Rockies!
Days 9-10: The Icefields Parkway, Waterton Lakes National Park, Glacier
We’re up surprisingly early as the light begins to stream in through our living room. We take Lincoln on a walk around the close side of the lake, enjoying the gorgeous pink mountains rising over the trees in the distance.
Picturesque morning on Beauvert Lake 😍
This is a place you could stay for a while. I wish we had one more day to lay by the pool, walk the lakeshore, get dinner on the outdoor terrace, and then maybe grab a lakeside s’more before enjoying a glass of wine from our patio… But I guess we’re just saving something for next time 😄 and for now, we’ll make the most out of our morning before checking out.
So after walking Lincoln by the lake, we grab our bathing suits and make our way back to the pool area. It’s a chilly fall morning, so we start in the hot tub to warm up. Jonathan stays put there when I switch to the heated pool for a few laps, and then we both round out our morning soak with a trip to the sauna.
Up early enough to have the entire area to ourselves!
From the market and coffee shop around the corner, we grab a casual breakfast and take it back to our patio so Lincoln can join us. While I finish every last sip of my coffee and cinnamon roll, Jonathan ducks out a little early to get a couple of shots up on the basketball court across the resort. (The perfect blend of his and her activities 😄)
What an amazing view!
Although it’s soon time for us to pack our things and check out of our room, we’re not quite ready to leave Jasper Park Lodge. So, we put everything in the car and once more walk Beauvert Lake, this time making it all the way around its shores.
I continue to not understand how all of these lakes are real 🤯😍
As we finish the Beauvert Lake Loop Trail, it’s time for us to officially leave Jasper and start our 7-hour drive to Waterton Lakes National Park.
To get there, we’re retracing our steps along the Icefields Parkway. And unlike our three-night stay along the parkway earlier in our trip, we have perfect weather and clear, blue skies for today’s drive! It’s even more stunning as you see just how imposing the mountains are along the road.
It’s 11 pm by the time we arrive at Waterton Lakes National Park and set up our car camp for the night. Tomorrow, we officially end our Canadian Rockies Road Trip as we spend the morning exploring Waterton Lakes before making our way back to the States for our next stay in Glacier National Park.
While the Icefields Parkway might be the most spectacular road trip in the world, the Going-to-the-Sun Road gives it a run for its money and just may top our list as the prettiest scenic drive in any US National Park. (Jonathan even says it might beat the Icefields Parkway based on view per square mile. 😱) It is kind of spectacular when you don’t know which direction to look or which mirror to look out of because every single angle competes with one another…
Our favorite stop, Peyto Lake, along the Icefields Parkway. I’m not sure much can beat this view, wow!
The Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park. You can see the road winding through the mountains if you zoom in on the picture.
View from Bear’s Hump Hike, Waterton Lakes National Park
Thank you so much for reading our Roadtripping The Rockies series!!!
We’d love to know: Are you planning a Canadian Rockies Road Trip? What’s one thing you’d most like to see or do on your trip? Please share your thoughts in the comments below! 🤗
